Questioning what is and imagining what could be
“At this point, we have all the information we need to create a change; it isn’t a matter of facts. It’s a matter of longing, having the will to imagine and implement something else.”
– adrienne maree brown
If you’re here, reading this, it’s probably because you have some frustrations with the way education is done in Australia. Maybe you’re a parent and you have a child who is struggling to ‘keep up’. Maybe you’re an educator who is burnt out and tired of hearing you’re not doing enough. Maybe you’re a young person who doesn’t really see the point of school.
You might have convinced yourself that change isn’t possible. That it’s naive and idealistic. That the way things are is the way they have to be and will always be. Much like the fish that doesn’t realise it’s surrounded by water because it’s all it has ever known, we often get trapped in this thinking. Peace pilgrim and all-around amazing human, Satish Kumar, challenges this idea when he says, “These systems on which modern life is based were built by humans, and can be changed and rebuilt by humans - there is nothing inevitable about them.”
Humans imagined the education system that exists today and we can reimagine something different. We need to. Not to be dramatic but the future of our world depends on us putting our minds and hearts together to create a learning setting that is just, fair, and realigns humanity with the earth and her systems. No pressure.
Does that mean we throw everything out and start over? Absolutely not.
There are so many learnings we can carry over from what we have. We can take what nourishes, supports and enables young people and our communities to thrive and then compost what doesn’t.
Is there going to be one single solution that will solve all our education woes? Absolutely not.
Anyone who tries to sell you a magic silver bullet solution is, quite frankly, talking out of their bottom. There is rich diversity in our communities and when we recognise that we are all different, we can open our hearts and minds to unexpected solutions and ideas. The good news is that there are individuals, schools and organisations around the world that are already actively reimagining education and telling different stories about what is possible, not to mention the many Indigenous cultures around the world that have been practising more holistic forms of education for millennia.
Our challenge to you, whether you are an educator, student, parent, carer, community member or expert, is to start flexing that imagination muscle. We encourage you to start (or continue!) planting the seeds of change wherever you are. What might that look like?
Get curious and ask questions about the why and the how of what you are learning/teaching/experiencing.
Have conversations with your peers, colleagues, families and communities about your experiences of education and what might have helped you to thrive if things had been different.
Challenge what is and start dreaming up something better. Write emails or have conversations with those in charge, be they principals, education departments, unions, or politicians. Share your story and why you believe things need to change. Create art. Formulate petitions. Protest and disrupt.
Potentially the most inspiring content we have come across, that really got the wheels turning for us, were these videos from Education Reimagined in the USA. They’re so good and paint such a clear picture of what is possible. Let us know your thoughts and share with someone you think might enjoy a bit of reimagining.
