What IS the Purpose of School?

How often as educators do we dialogue and debate this question?

(Answer – hopefully very, very, very often!)

But how often are we asking this question to the two groups of people who have the most vested interest in the answer?

…our students and their families.

Each year, I start the year with a student survey and a parent survey to help me better understand my students as people and the families from which they come. But this year for the first time I asked them both a new question:

Their responses were beautiful, fascinating and informative.

Here is what my students think:

Here is what their parents think:

Not only do the answers to this question help me better understand my students, their families and what they are expecting from their time at school… but it also lets me know that we’re all on the same side… the same team…. the same page.

So often we lean on “but the parents want…” as a crutch to cling to antiquated educational models and practices. But, is that what they really want? Have we asked them recently?

Perhaps we should.