I have changed teaching jobs several times. I started with 8th-grade physics and chemistry. Then, I switched to 6th-grade science for one year. Next, I taught 5th-grade social studies, science, and math for a few years. Most recently, I taught a 6th-8th grade STEM elective course that I got to design! Despite my love of change, my growth has been slow. Over the past 16 years, I improved my ability to plan, manage a classroom, and analyze student data. While I’ve grown a lot, I’ve only really grown within the limits of the system.
Why is change so slow?
“People who like this stuff like this stuff.” To me, that means that this imperfect system meets the needs of enough people – particularly people with a certain level of power and privilege – that it hasn’t quite reached the tipping point yet. YET. Apple provides the perfect example of keeping customers due to a commitment to a lifestyle over function. According to Seth’s Blog, Androids can be configured to do whatever you want, while iPhones are limited in what they can accomplish without Google, Word, or another Apple user or proprietary item. The problem with Android is that you have to configure it to do what you want. That doesn’t supply quite the same simplicity, efficiency, and integration as an iPhone. However, the options in an Android provide it open to be able to explore, grow, and continue as a more innovative counterpart to Apple.
As an aside, Seth’s Blog was written in 2014. An updated argument comparing Apple and Android gives a more recent POV regarding which is better: iPhone vs. Android: Which is better for you? Regardless of your preference, Android’s customization and innovation continue to ring true.
Why does this matter?
The argument from Seth’s blog isn’t really about Apple and Android. It’s really about making drastic changes to our current education system. Regarding the people who “like this stuff,” it’s working in their favor. According to Money, Race and Success: How Your School District Compares (Published 2016), “Sixth graders in the richest schools are four grade levels ahead of children in the poorest district.” It’s no secret that school is working fine just as it is for the most financially well-off in the U.S. So why would those same people want to change it?
Like Android to Apple, areas of nonconsumption exist, grow, and – in due time – will change the face of education.
How can we change?
How can we create intentional change? In People who like this stuff…like this stuff, Dr. Harapnuik suggests a pathway to change.
- Start with Why.
- Identify and enlist key influencers.
- Install an effective execution strategy.
- Enlist and empower self-differentiated leaders.
Like Dr. H says, “This is not an easy process but we owe it to our children and to the young men and women who are going to our universities and colleges with dreams of building a better world.”
Now is my opportunity to apply these concepts to my new role supporting Instructional Technology. In my post Winds of Change, I talk about how I’m moving the scope of my proposal from a small scope in which I’m the locus of control, to a wider scope that will require a team of district leaders to enact. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid. The part of my brain that wants things to stay the same says, “What if I can’t do this? What if they don’t listen?” This is bigger than me and my comfort with the status quo though. And, I’m enough to make it happen.
References
Godin, S. (2014, September 16). People who like this stuff… Seth’s Blog. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://seths.blog/2014/09/people-who-like-this-stuff/
Harapnuik, D. (2014, September 16). People who like this stuff… like this stuff. It’s About Learning. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5198
Palmer, J. (2021, November 4). iPhone vs. Android: Which is better for you? Tom’s Guide. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/iphone-vs-android
Rich, M., Cox, A., Bloch, M., & The New York Times. (2016, April 29). Money, Race and Success: How Your School District Compares. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/29/upshot/money-race-and-success-how-your-school-district-compares.html