I love the analogy of a healthy education "forest" being dependent on the diversity of the "vegetation" or the people growing there. I often think of the diversity in schools as ethnic diversity but diversity of experience is also critical. There is continuity, stability, and comfort provided by the experienced teacher whereas the sapling teachers bring in new ideas, fresh energy, and boundless hope.

As a full time parent, I can really relate to this principle. My best parenting is done when I am fully present and not trying to accomplish something else. My biggest regrets have involved times when I was trying to do too much in too little time and I have become impatient or terse with my children. It is also liberating to be fully present and to leave all the other things that are brewing in our mind on the back burner while we engage in the present activity.

These three areas seem to be lofty goals that really need to be expanded for the individual teacher. What does it mean to create space for teachers to reflect on and improve their own teaching practice? How do we intentionally foster teacher relationships with other teachers and with students? How do we improve the accessibility of classrooms for all students? I think each teacher needs to really reflect on how these are achievable in their own classroom and it seems the largest barrier is that it is difficult to reflect meaningfully when one is just trying to keep their head above water.

This quote reminds me of a very interesting video I saw a few years about about treating education as an industrial system that churns out educated adults.

The speaker is Sir Ken Robinson who passed away last year.

https://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U