This week we watched the documentary, Most Likely to Succeed by Ted Dintersmith. This documentary explored the topic of education in America and challenges the viewers potentially preconceived ideas on how we educate children. As a future educator, this topic is at the forefront of my mind and Ted did a brilliant job of offering new perspectives while allowing me to develop my own opinions. The documentary follows some teachers and students at a school named High Tech High, which takes a innovative approach to educating their students. I felt inspired and excited when I watched and it prompted many thoughts about my future teaching career.

What excites me about the ideas Ted highlights in his documentary are many. First, it was a relief to see teachers, who are excited about their work and feel like they are making a real difference in the lives of their students. Unfortunately, this has not been my experience when I have talked to some teachers or consumed media that highlights the difficulties working within our educational institutions. I once worked as an casual educational assistant in School District 61, which meant I went to a variety of schools within the district. I met, witnessed, and worked alongside a wide variety of teachers that held many different perspectives on their jobs, often negative. On the contrary, teachers at High Tech High had the freedom to teach what they thought would benefit their students most, in any way they saw fit. In turn, they seemed excited, energized and hopeful about their careers and I hope to feel the same.

I believe that this approach at High Tech High impacts the teachers and students in a similar way. At first, you could see how the new students did not know how to act in this alternative setting and had uninspired looks on their faces (a familiar look in many modern schools). However, as the documentary progressed you watched them come to life. Obviously, with some good editing and thoughtful choice of what to include in the film. Nonetheless, I can imagine how much happier my students will be if I take the time to give them autonomy over their learning and opportunities to stretch their comfort zones. Our world is changing an it is unacceptable to not have our educational institutions change with it. Moreover, how can we make these changes align with post-secondary institutions and job entry requirements so our students aren’t stressed? These are important questions to keep discussing for the future of education.