We partner with individuals, classrooms, schools, and organizations to foster new conversations and a new vision for schooling at the local and national levels.
Here we share the stories from students, educators, parents, leaders, and community members across the country. Each story is an expression of an individual's hopes, fears, joys, and aspirations. Each story is unique and powerful on its own. Together they are the collective dreams of a nation.
We hope you will enjoy browsing and sharing your thoughts. You can search for your state, or people you know by using the search bar. Intrigued, Inspired?! Sign up to be a Catalyst!
So I think [a good life involves] hard work and spending time with people you love - it doesn’t always have to be your family as long as there are people who love you and care about you and you love them and you care about them, then it’s perfect.
Read MoreI think that being in a place that you love is important. So I love my school and I love the people in my school and I try to go to school every day excited. I know there are people who don’t and if you’re constantly upset about doing the stuff you have to do you’re going to be miserable and I wouldn’t consider that a very good life. I guess it’s just kind of knowing what’s good for you and being able to do that, in my eyes I think that’s really what leads to a good and successful life.
Read MoreWe don’t know what all the technology is going to mean for us. This is all one big experiment and we as adults can’t look back and think this is how our parents experienced this for the first time because they didn’t. We’re supposed to help our kids with any problems that come up and sometimes its hard because we’re making it up as we go.
Read More“I value my health because without my health you cannot have much. Ya know, you can have all the money, all the fame, all the fortune in the world… but without your health, you cannot have anything.”
Read More“…material things are fun, but they cannot hug you and get you through hard times. The relationships you make with people are more important than the material things we have.”
Read MoreI think a good life is one where you are giving and receiving. One where you feel like you are making an impact and benefiting from those feelings.
Read More“I think the reason why we should have a public schooling system is that if you're going to provide everyone an equitable society, you have to give them all a level playing field through their education. They have to have opportunities provided to them by the community and by adults who have their best interests in mind and give them a voice in their lives and figure out what it is they want to do. They want to figure out what the good life is. That's the whole point.”
Read More“Often when I visit classrooms, I ask the kids, "What are you learning about? How are you going to know when you know it?" And then I ask them, "*Why* are you learning about it?"
Too much of the time the "why" is because some adult told them to.
Even in like really creative classrooms. And I wonder about that. What kind of learner does that lead kids to become?”
Read More“Most of the people in education have a broader picture of what an education should be. But, I don’t think schools are doing it at all and I think it’s because teachers and also administrators don’t have the choice of what they should focus on.”
Read MoreAll throughout my life I have dealt with a lot. I switched schools a lot and I've seen and know when teachers are just working for a check or actually trying to make a difference in students’ lives. I've seen teachers put down students for the way they speak or learn or think and it's not right. I feel like we should open more alternative schools like ours - not as continuation schools, but as just a regular school option for kids to have a safe place to learn and grow into mature adults.
Read MoreI think school should give all of you students a foundation of respect and responsibility. Respect from your teachers, and responsibility because you have to show up and really be here. Schools should give you that. It should also help you develop the habits of heart you need to be empathetic toward others.
Read MoreI think we have school as a society so that everyone can have a education and not just be lazy staying home doing nothing playing video games.
Read MoreThe way we do school is really old fashioned and out of date and that's why often students find it irrelevant and boring. If we did it really differently, and maybe listened to what you guys want more, it might work better and be more fun. Fun is a good thing - slow learning and having learning be fun is positive. Somehow it seems like people want it to be torture and not fun - I don't think life is too short for that.
Read MoreA good life would include a steady job, connections with my family and a place to stay.
Read MoreI think we are basically forced to go to school. If we don't go to school we can get in trouble - as well as my parents. And, we come to school for a better future.
Read MoreI think we have schools as a society to makes us learn something because without school we don't have a career and without a career we don't have a job and without a job we don't have money to pay bills.
Read MoreWhat you think is the most important thing you're learning in school?
“Probably the values that you take from everything.”
Read MoreIn order to have a functioning community the people within it will have to be able to work together so that they have a good life and job.
Read MoreA good life is money, a steady job and health.
Read MoreThree central things would basically be: 1) being able to be with someone that I care about and love; 2) having a stable financial situation; and, 3) doing something that I like to do.
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