I believe that society is rapidly changing and that we, as educators, need to change along with it. Many traditional education methods are preparing students to enter a society that no longer exists. It used to be the case that Americans aspired to accept a position at a company and work at that company until their retirement. In today’s economy, that is no longer feasible for most workers. In the face of a rapidly changing economy that is displacing vast numbers of workers through technological advances in robotics and artificial intelligence, the skills necessary for success look dramatically different from previous generations. We need to be preparing students with the flexibility, creativity, and critical thinking necessary to be successful citizens in the 21st century.

This means that what education looks like for today’s students should look different from what education has looked like for students in the past. Just as workspaces are moving away from workers in isolated cubicles, classrooms need to move away from students working in neat rows, isolated from each other. Students should be working dynamically and collaboratively to solve problems. Students should be engaging with content and concept, not simply memorizing.

This means that the role of the teacher also needs to change. In the past, teachers tended to teach through lecture and recitation. Much of education was memorizing facts and procedures. Modern students have a world of information at the fingertips; they need the conceptual understanding to make sense of that information and the scientific literacy to critically evaluate it.

I aspire to provide this education to all students, particularly those to whom it has been elusive due to structural inequalities in our society. Connecticut is a microcosm of these inequalities. The achievement gap in Connecticut is a stark reminder of the work that we have left to do. While this achievement gap will not close completely without changes happening outside of the education system, it is incumbent on us as educators to do everything we can to minimize the inequity in the system. I believe that my best way to help meet this vision is in a leadership position.