The Let Them Teach Theory. First, a shoutout to The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. You’ve probably heard of it. You might have applied the theory to your life. But if you haven’t, check it out. It might not be life-changing, but it will definitely give you a good perspective on letting go.
And that’s exactly what I want to write about here. Letting go of teachers and letting them teach. I had a great opportunity to chat with a third-grade teacher yesterday. She’s been teaching in Hawaii for 40 years. She told me that she loves her job so much because she has been able to design her own content and curriculum. She said that people have come along throughout the years and advocated for this system or this book or program. And she said, “It’s not the program, it’s me.” I couldn’t agree more. We must realize that a craft focused on people is about people. You can check out her blog focused on promoting children’s literacy here: Rex the Surf Dog
Let them teach. There was a time when we trusted the teacher in the room. We trusted them to build their curriculum, develop content, and teach their kids. We can and should return to that time. We must trust teachers to create with their students. I think that this is a huge key to building the type of human-centered education that everyone needs.
What does the let them teach theory look like in real life? There’s a lot here, but it looks a bit like this. The teacher has the standards and content that are required to be taught to their students during the year. They then build the system that is going to provide experiences to their students to master the skills and knowledge that are within the standards. That’s it. What do teachers need to make this happen? They need trust. They need support. They need guidance. And, most of all, they need time.
I would just provide this guidance to all teachers as they are set free and we let them teach. We must have a goal. And the goal is that all of your students will be better prepared to lead rich and fulfilling lives than before they met you and entered your space. This isn’t really a goal that can be measured by a state-level standardized test, so you won’t see it in the data. But we must believe that every single student is precious, worth it, and deserves an educational experience daily that honors who they are and helps them move closer to this goal. We treat them with care and love because they are worth it. And then, we let them create, build, and learn as they grow into the people who they desire to be. This is the goal I would want any teacher working toward each day.
So to all of my teacher friends across the country, even those in Hawaii, I hope that you’re able to find a school system that lets you. You deserve to be honored with the freedom to create and do with your students. We don’t need scripts. We need real people doing real experiences with wonderful kids. That’s school. That’s learning. And, if you ever feel as though your freedom to teach is being confined, just close your door and teach. You are a highly intelligent, highly skilled professional who knows what your students need and how to get it to them.
Miles O'Shea 