Donate!
Please help us on our journey to raise $100 million!
Understanding the Past, Creating the Present, Imagining the Future
Understanding the Past, Creating the Present, Imagining the Future
Jake sat in his seat staring out the door. Everyone was supposed to start on their homework with what little time remained.
The day was hot and the air conditioning at the school didn’t work. Windows and doors were wide open to catch what little breeze we could get. The view outside the door was just a patch of grass covering the space of about ten feet between the wings of the school.
There wasn’t much to see, I thought to myself. For another three minutes, Jake continued to daydream.
I normally don’t stop my students when they daydream, especially if it’s close to the end of class. That’s because I was a daydreamer. My mind wondered about many things—cool inventions or easier ways of doing things. I wasn’t bored of school; I just loved imagining things.
I later asked Jake what he was thinking about. He immediately apologized as if he was in trouble. I told him it was okay and that he wasn’t in trouble. Jake proceeded to say that he was imagining a Roomba for mowing lawns. The Roomba is a disc-shaped robot that vacuums your house at regular intervals. I thought about it for a second, and I realized to myself that that hasn’t been invented…yet.
“What an awesome idea!” I told him. “I hope one day I’ll see your ad on television for that invention!”
Students continue to surprise me everyday about their ideas and visions for the world they live in.
One of the central themes of Academy of the Renaissance is “imagining the future.”
Students like Jake are the reason why our world is full of unique inventions and ways of doing things. These students are always questioning why we are doing the things the way we’re doing them. The advantage of being young allows students to see things differently, unlike adults who have already developed a routine for doing or using something (which often “blinds” them from possible innovations).
Imagining the future does not always necessarily refer to technological advances, although this tends to be the more fun and glamourous thing to think about.
I often try to get students to visualize their own future. I ask them to imagine themselves graduating, walking across the stage, shaking hands with the principal as he or she hands them their diploma. I ask them to imagine themselves working in the career they want to pursue. What would it feel like? What would they be doing? Who are they helping?
Clear visualization of the future motivates students to want to achieve what they have visualized. Goal setting helps to make what the students envision probable. And designing a plan to achieve the goal helps to make it possible.
This holds true for all our stakeholders. Parents must also visualize with clarity what success looks like for their children. Teachers must know what success looks like in a classroom, for a student, and for themselves. Staff members must know what success looks like for the role they play on the team. Administrators must know what an exemplary school looks like.
And when these visions and goals are aligned, wonderful accomplishments will take place.
Academy of the Renaissance imagines a future where we will successfully help students in different underserved communities develop into exceptional young adults, discover their strength and passion in education, and use it to help make a positive impact on the global society.
