Topics: High Performance School
I just served as a juror in the 2012 School of the Future Design Competition that took place here at NEA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This competition is held annually, and brings together six winning teams of middle school students who have passed through district, chapter, state and regional juries to get to the final stage at the national level. The competition is held during School Building Week and is sponsored by the Council of Education Facility Planners International.
The national “jury” is made up of 26 folks from around the U.S. who judge the competition. Each of the six middle school teams that won at the regional level has built a model “future school,” presents it to the jury, and explains the model, itself, and the process of constructing it. Most teams had met together after school every day for months as well as on Saturdays. There were moments during the day when many of the jurors were crying—awed and amazed by the complex knowledge and skills that these middle school students had learned and were able to share in front of an audience made up of the jurors and other competition attendees.
It is difficult to describe the level of creative thought and detail that these young people, 12-14 years old, put into their designs. For example, one of the regional teams heated its model school with both thermal and solar heat. Another team built a model school for a community in Africa. In that design, the team planned for a permanent school as well as for a small school that could be assembled and disassembled for a wandering tribe. The construction made heavy use of plastic bottles readily found in the local African communities.
Yet another group of students came from a community in Texas that is extremely poor. Several years ago, a foundation and several wealthy individuals pooled their funds and built a school for students in that community. In 2009, students from the school competed in this event, but their work was not of high quality. Just four years later, here they were at the national competition, and the students were nothing less than amazing! They began their presentation by walking around the table…shaking the hands of every juror…and looking each of us in the eyes. During the presentation each of the four students shared equally in the delivery, and you knew, absolutely, that each them would be highly successful in life.
Yes…that was the most surprising and wonderful part of watching each of the six regional teams. You could tell that these students’ lives had forever been changed. By taking on a challenge; by working with clearly gifted teachers; by engaging with architects, facility planners and other mentors from their communities; and by focusing on what they could accomplish if they used their very best efforts, these students were able to tap into and develop their hidden gifts and talents and truly shine.
It makes me wonder how the process of education in America might be impacted if this type of instruction could be at the core of student learning!
Best, Jerry