TEDxPhilly - Chris Lehmann

“High school isn’t preparation for life, the lives you live matter now!” – Chris Lehmann

I thought Chris Lehmann on TEDxPhilly made some pretty good points – school should open students’ minds to critical thinking and ideas, teaching them how to live, not just how to work.  I loved his ideas on benchmark projects instead of benchmark testing to end each quarter, encouraging students to create something that matters in order to teach their teacher, class, etc is so much more meaningful and real.  With that being said, I think it increases the quality and thoughtfulness of their work if students know someone besides their teacher is going to see it.  This is why blogs and websites like school tube are so important, so students can share their work, as well as see the work of other students.  We constantly emphasize to our students that they matter, and what they say is important, and what better way to show that than to share their ideas with the world!