Colleen Davis, English Teacher

I think the biggest change we ‘re going to have – we’re gonna see it in our students. I think they’re going to think very differently than what I have traditionally been used to with students. And very differently from how I think. And I think it’s going to be prompted by technology. Because we already see some shifts in how kids perceive the world, the way they interact with each other, they way they interact with texts, the way they interact with information, and I dont think thats gonna slow down. my understanding of technology is, the changes are just going to move faster as more technology comes in, and so one of the things I always think about is how do I have to adjust the way I teach, which is based on the way I think, which is compatible with how people have thought for a long time.

I don’t know that its gonna be totally different, but I think it’s gonna be different enough that a lot of what we do now in the classroom will seem very outdated and very useless to the student. the question is – and I’m sure we’ve been asking this forever – “why do I need to learn this? how is this relevant to my life?” but I think we’ve been able to ignore that question for a very long time in education: just ‘because it’s good for you,’ or ‘because I said’ or ‘because you need to.’ and I don’t think that’s gonna last much longer.

They’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing, but there’s not a lot of love of learning, there’s not a lot of a sense of self gratification.

I don’t think that that’s gonna change, but you add on this sense of, “i don’t need to know that because I can just push a button right here and then I have that information.’ for me what I do in my classroom is more about thinking. it’s teaching you to think, because we can find things quickly, and we have access to lots of information, but I think that’s very different from being able to think critically and think about the information that you’re accessing. and so I think convincing younger generations that are coming up with information literally at their fingertips, to invest in something more than just the surface level of information is going to prompt us to change our teaching. I wouldn’t abandon what I think I need to do in the classroom, but I would find a better way to merge it with the way that they learn.

Whoa, there’s a scary thought! First of all, that’s a great question. I’ll be interested to read different people answers to that question. It’s one we should ask ourselves and reflect on frequently. I’ll start with what’s the same. Certain core elements of the high school experience I think and very much hope will still be the same: when we think about the future it’s easy to get carried away thinking about all this programming where we can do school from the convenience of our tablet at a coffee shop or something like that, but I think that one of the beautiful things about high school is that it’s this coming together period. It’s one of those rare times in our lives when as an entire community we come together and I think that the bonding and community-building and relationships that develop are very, very important for the sake of a healthy community.

and so I think it’s important to note that while certainly there will be innovations and improvements and flexible ways of doing things, I think that the core experience of this being a place where we come together – I think that’ll always be the case.

I think that in ten years, it’s very likely that programming options and service delivery will continue to expand. You see examples now of Harvard professors lecturing on a topic and that being delivered via webcast, so that you’re almost able to get the instruction from someone of that caliber, and I think we’ll see more of that. I think that makes sense. I think programming could be enhanced by really getting students in touch with national leaders in the field that would be lecturing on a topic and reaching students directly.

I think that the regional center is something that’s on the horizon in the near future and my hope would be that in ten years it would be established and thriving. If we can see the district’s 10 year facility plan they’re working on right now – if we can see that to fruition and we can really stay on course and pass the bond issue thats gonna have to pass – I think we’ll see great enhancements to buildings in the district and certainly City High. My hope would be that in ten years we will have our work completed and that would include significant classroom additions to help make sure we have the space we need as we continue to grow.

I think you’ll see a cafeteria that looks much more state-of-the-art-and-modern, which I envision as more of a food court type setup. My hope is that we’ll have a cafeteria that’ll be much more student friendly and conducive to a lovely dining experience and student experience, so that it doesn’t have quite so institutional a feel. We have talked about a new gym for city high. the gyms are maxed out in terms of being able to meet the needs of all the various groups that use them. our gym is very, very small for a 4a competition gym. that’s definitely on our list of something we want to see. We’ll continue to improve what I truly believe is the most beautiful high school campus in the state.

I would like to see much less of  a move in the direction of AP, more classes that actually focus on what people are able to tangibly take away from it, rather than focusing on teaching to the test. Also while there’s a huge place for it, there’s too much of a focus on STEM. The art programs have been marginalized because of that.  I would say stop moving in the direction of  industrial-style education where all the focus seems to be on job skills, or athletics, or something like that. I think there needs to be more of a focus on holistic education.

History’s something I’ve become more and more interested in. Now I’m wishing I had another history class – but at the same time I know how the history classes that I took were set up. Because with AP, there was a timeline you’re on, you’ve got to get through it, but it doesn’t really matter whether that’s the most effective way to be learning.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              I feel like the way lots of classes are carried out, especially AP classes, it’s really concerning: you have to be able to fill out a packet and then a multiple choice test. That’s the way that we determine whether or not we know things now. It just seems too… limited.

There’s a lot of inertia in a school system. I think changes will be slow. I see the building as bigger. I pray that the building is climate controlled. The thought of having my students for a longer period of time, every other day, is nice in that you could do a lab, talk about a lab, kinda all in one setting.

I sincerely hope that technology is more prevalent, that it would be fantastic if we were a one-to-one building, be it laptops or iPads. How quickly tech is changing in this world, it will be impossible to be ahead of the curve, but it would be great if we were on the curve, more than we are. And we’re trying. I think in my twenty-plus-whatever-year career, I see the technology that people are carrying around with them improve so dramatically, I would think that would continue to grow. one of the things I’m interested in trying to harness that for good, instead of just distraction. I think the online course work will grow, I don’t see it becoming –

so many times if a student likes a teacher they’ll try a little harder, they’ll do a little more than if you’re just this grading entity in space. It requires a different kind of motivation to do online learning. I wouldn’t want to teach entirely online. The part of teaching that is fun for me is sharing with the students, whatever it is doing, and I guess that’s part of the reason that in ten years from now, I won’t be principal, because I don’t wanna give up that classroom time, for me that’s an important part. Also teaching in my jammies could be fun.