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Stop Stealing Dreams with Seth Godin
Description
Seth Godin, author and ruckus maker, talks with Jethro Jones about his manifesto Stop Stealing Dreams. He answers how educators can change a slow-moving system without waiting for permission, and why a principal should recognize teachers who try something brave, even when it fails.
Godin says educators all have at least 10 percent of non-factory time. He suggests spending it on interesting questions, such as asking eight-year-olds to work out how many gas stations are in the United States in three minutes without the internet.
What you'll learn
- Spend 10 percent of class time on interesting questions instead of right answers, such as a three-minute estimate of US gas stations.
- Ask what students and parents actually signed up for, then work to earn true enrollment instead of compliance.
- Recognize the teachers who try something brave and fail, not only the ones who comply and cause no trouble.
- Use the letters, grades and conversations that go home to amplify parents and shift what they want from school, since all schooling is homeschooling.
- Give kids a dream first and expect them to find the grammar, math and history they need to reach it.
Chapters
- 0:00 Summit announcement and Seth Godin preview
- 3:27 Making a ruckus in a bureaucracy
- 6:20 Getting over the fear of leaping
- 8:29 What true student enrollment means
- 11:11 Interesting is more important than right
- 16:12 Give kids dreams and grammar follows
- 20:01 Why failing is okay when school already fails
- 31:27 What every principal can do this week
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Questions this episode answers
How can a principal make a ruckus in a slow-moving school system?
Godin says not to wait for permission. He encourages principals and teachers to show up with a different agenda, help parents understand what school is for one parent at a time, and use the 10 percent of non-factory time educators already have.
What does true student enrollment mean?
Godin says enrollment is not signing a piece of paper. It means a student is eagerly engaged in where they are going, like passengers who stay on the flight to Anchorage. Without it, he says, it is much harder to lead somebody.
What is the most important thing a principal can do to encourage innovation?
Godin says to recognize the heroes. Applaud teachers who try the right thing that didn't work, and you will be surrounded by teachers who do the same. His advice is to catch people doing something right, applaud them, notice them, and repeat.
About Seth Godin
Author and ruckus maker, known to educators for his manifesto Stop Stealing Dreams.
Links and resources
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