I’m a ‘constructive discontent’. My close friends have accused me of wearing de Bono’s ‘Black Hat’ too often. I don’t deny I’m quick to see the hazards, but always with the intent of overcome them. I have a healthy feeling of dissatisfaction with how things are, believe that they might be better, and have the desire to do something about the situation. This conviction is especially true in relation to the prevailing narrative of schooling. I understand that this feeling is the precursor to important creative breakthroughs, and I feel humanity needs some of these more than ever. 

Few of ideas expressed in my musings on this, or future pages, will be original. I am a bit of a bowerbird when it comes to new thought, collecting ideas, designs, quotes, lyrics, articles and notes, from multiple sources and over many years*. I acknowledge that I may not even reference these, so I disclose this too at the very start. This is not because the source should not be acknowledged, but because they often emerge from some corner of my memory when awoken by some type of epiphany, and it would be beyond reasonable effort to track down the rightful source. 

I am, however, of the opinion that great ideas emerge when good ideas bump up against each other, and they often need time to percolate. This is a processes of innovation. And I may have been around long enough now for the bumping and percolating to, perhaps, offer something to others. 

The obvious question that might be asked is why start a blog? This is a pertinent questions given what I’ve just disclosed about having few original ideas. And, blogs have been around since before the new millennium and have been a feature of the online culture for at least a decade. So, I come at it late into the ‘s curve’ of adoption of new technologies too. There are likely millions of bloggers around the world with interesting things to say. 

But, there are three reasons I have decided to start a writing. Two overt and one more covert, or at least more for me. 

The first overt reason taps into my ‘why’. We read and hear much about the increasing complexity of our world and the challenges humanity faces from what is an exponential rate of change; the climate emergency, environmental and social issues, the convergence of new world changing technologies, the rise of machine learning and artificial intelligence, data privacy, our ability to manipulate life at the level of the genome, the increasing number international conflicts, to name a few…   But the narrative on what this rapid change means for schooling in particular, and how we should be preparing our children for it, is still, I believe, being swamped by such things as the bureaucracy of our education systems, school performance and accountability agendas that belong to the industrial age, and the suffocating power of the status quo (in my profession it has been said we are not tired by change, but from resisting it). In recent times I’ve developed an interest in these ‘complex issues’ and, as I learn more about what happening ‘out there’ it’s become a compelling and persuasive influence on my thinking about our schools today. I am worried those in the best position to respond to our challenges, our educational leaders in school systems and schools, might be blindsided by its speed. There is a need for a new narrative. 

The second overt reason to write I have alluded to earlier. I’m at a stage in life and career where experience should be of some value. The alternative would be depressing indeed. This would mean the learnings, including investment in formal qualifications, the reading, observations, mistakes, unqualified stuff ups, seemingly endless self-reflection, and bouts of self-doubt, would be without reason.  Its time in my life for me to have a stronger voice.

The covert reason, albeit obviously not a secret, is the process of getting thoughts ‘on the page’ is therapeutic, and indeed helps me think about the complexity of our world in new ways. The writing process perhaps even generating a few great ideas itself as I try to articulate thoughts into comprehensible sentences and paragraphs. 

What lenses do I view the world though? I’m a teacher, teacher educator, photographer, designer, leader, father, observer, pragmatist, at times creative, passionate, romantic, but nearly always analytical, perhaps even judgmental, and certainly a discontent about the status quo, in a constructive way. 

So I trust I will, at the very least, contribute a few ideas that you will use to bump against other good ideas you have gathered to create great ones yourself. I think we all sense we need this.

*The images are mine.