a little PD (professional development)

"Every American worker today should think of himself as a new immigrant. What does it mean to think like an immigrant? It means approaching the world with the view that nothing is owed you, nothing is given, you have to make it on your own."

excerpt from That Used To Be Us by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum

Collectively we read a chapter titled "Average Is Over" during the last Monday afternoon staff meeting. Every American also should think of himself/herself as an artisan (personal touch) and waiter (please patron) to keep his/her edge in the world.

In the educator circle it's so obvious that the world is changing and that we need to prepare our students for a world different from the current one. This is what we mean by 21st century, and it's so obvious that we don't say it anymore. However, I just realized that we, teachers, know this, but our students don't. Nor do their parents, which is why having to put together a portfolio and participate in a student-led conference is only "extra work" to them.