I’m thrilled that the Boston Globe printed my piece on the very exciting innovations happening in education due to the pandemic, but why isn’t the state on board? Here it is:
LETTERS
Efforts to innovate in home learning need state boost, not roadblocks
Updated August 19, 2020, 7:15 a.m.
This is an exciting time for innovative educators to create learning environments that really work for children, and yet the state has shut down avenues to make that possible. How is this a solution to the current education crisis?
Every parent and educator knows that having children continue to stay home and learn remotely is not an effective learning strategy and can create its own set of worrisome issues. My own children ended up with migraines last spring from excessive screen time.
I have a master’s in education from Harvard and have spent the past 20 years teaching and designing best-practice curriculum. Last week, I decided to open my own learning lab at my home. I called the state licensing office and was told that they’re not licensing, and that I should call back next month to see if they might be.
Seriously?
I would be happy to visit every micro-school or learning lab over the next two weeks and make sure teachers are qualified and the environment is safe.
The state must expedite licensing and the provision of exemptions; partner public schools with home learning groups; and provide remote-learning guidelines to public schools immediately, including minimal screen time, project-based assignments, and physical movement built into learning.
The pandemic is a unique opportunity for Massachusetts to lead here, and if it can’t ensure schools will be open, then the state must work overtime to recognize and support the hundreds of micro-schools and learning pods popping up in every community. If handled correctly, this educational disruption could turn out to be the best thing to happen for our children to learn at their individual optimal potential.
Marci Johnson
