I do - We do - You Do - Erykah Badu

I remember my older sisters listening to a song talking about a bag lady. I could see my sister Mirianne – right now in my mind dancing and singing in her Raspy R&B voice. In this song, Badu – at least for me -- is really trying to get the “Bag Lady” to understand that she doesn't need to carry all the baggage of life. That she can let it all go – that she doesn't need to hold on to things, places, people, or even certain traditions to live a full life. And in fact to live a full life, the “Bag Lady” must let those things go. And as Badu nears the ending of the song with the line “Your love can make it better.” Indeed this is where I would like to truly understand what our educational spaces are cultivated for our children. Is it true love and a complete place for healing of the mind, body, and soul that is intertwined with a personalized 21st century learning experience so much that you cannot tell where one ends and the other begins. Or are we still adhering to an over 100 year old instructional model that was meant to build complicity and a workforce of people with minimal and finite skills.

Teachers, as our students take flight, I truly asked that you only bring a carry-on because the students already have all of the intellect – and as for me – I only ask for a window seat ;) to marvel at the brilliance of our students' intellect.

In doing this work, I believe my next natural step is to make available how I think or my approach to lesson planning.

So with that in mind – Below, I have added my lesson planning format:

It is a combination of Zaretta Hammond’s research on Culturally Responsive Instruction, Peter Liljedahl’s research on Thinking Classrooms, and Project Based Learning Research.

Love can make it better!