Uproot what needs to be Changed…


Recently I heard a story about a landscape overhaul.  The narrator suggested that before he could plant something new, he had to assess the current conditions of the yard.  More specifically, he said, “You can’t plant a house on a foundation without uprooting and toiling old soil.”

This was a powerful quote for so many reasons.  I thought about the students that we work with on a daily basis.  As educators we are trying to build a solid foundation in various disciplines, but we haven’t quite uprooted all of the “old soil” that exists.  “Old soil” is essentially the baggage that comes along with learning something new. 

Many times, as we begin to lay the foundation for a new way of learning, there is quite a bit of baggage associated with previous knowledge.  We need to know and understand the baggage and unpack or uproot it.  Similar to unpacking “standards” or creating objectives, we must uproot common misconceptions and begin there. 

Learning doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  The students don’t just magically fall from heaven, they are coming to us with various ideas and thoughts about learning.  It is our job to take what they have and create something new while at the same time uprooting what needs to be weeded out.