“You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.” -Ray Bradbury
The world of education seems to be standing at a precipice, staring off into an abyss, teetering, hovering, trying to determine its way, not sure which direction it will go.
Or which path it will take…
While the reins of our past pull desperately to reel us back in, the songs of our technology sirens entice us towards the shores of an unknown future.
Disruption feels imminent…
If not already in progress.
Change forces abound. Change forces that convey an air of anticipation and enthusiasm stand defiantly against those that command a heightened sense of anxiety, alarm, and apprehension of what is to come.
And as we stand at the edge and stare down…
That very future resides within our grasp. What remains to be determined, is who will be the ones to lead it forward? Will we do it ourselves or will we allow it to be led for us?
For those who will lead and transform education, a certain amount of risk will be required. It is inevitable. It will require a willingness to step off that cliff, into that abyss, into uncertainty and the unknown.
As the clip below illustrates, leading education forward will require us to build the plane at the same time we are trying to fly it. We have no other option. It will be a necessity, a necessity for educational leaders if they are to do what is needed to transform their classrooms, their schools, their districts, and their systems.
The world of technology and social media is changing the world around us at breakneck speed. And for that reason alone, we have no other alternative than to build the plane while it is in the air. We can no longer wait. Our ever rapidly evolving and changing world requires it…even demands it. As do our students. The challenge of change and the need to evolve lays before each and everyone of us…
We need to learn to fly. And it begins today.
DCulberhouse 