What it is: Seth Godin is one of my favorite authors and bloggers to read. He so often has insight that cuts right to the heart of a matter. What I appreciate about Seth’s writing most, is the way he can say things in a way that people can hear and accept. Seth has a brand new digital “book” (manifesto) called Stop Stealing Dreams. I love the dedication that he begins with: “Dedicated to every teacher who cares enough to change the system and to every student brave enough to stand up and speak up.” The “stand up” stands out to me because that is what we aim to do every single day at Anastasis. In fact, we chose the name Anastasis because it translates to “stand again” or “resurrection” from Greek. That is exactly what we aim to do every single day…help kids stand again in their learning. Now you know where our Twitter hashtag comes from. 🙂
Seth poignantly points out that “Instead of amplifying dreams, school destroys them.” That is a hard statement for those of us in education. We sign up for this crazy ride to help dreams flourish and yet because of the system of education, end up doing precisely the opposite. It is hidden. We don’t set out to do this…truly we don’t. But consider the way that we push kids through education and tell them what the most important things are for them. Students get the message loud and clear: check these boxes, take these classes, pass these tests. Do it so you can get into high school. Do it so that you can go to college. Do it so that you can get a job. What message are we really sending? “You and your dreams are not enough.”
I don’t want to give too much of the manifesto away because I think that it is worth reading for every teacher, administrator and parent. Seth offers this download for free. The guy knows how to spread ideas! The point of the manifesto is not to leave you feeling hopeless over the current situation of education, but asking questions and encouraging us to say “why not?” Print the book out, read it on a digital device, and share it…share it widely! The first step to a revolution is spreading the idea and opening door to the possibility.
Please leave a comment and share how you are using Stop Stealing Dreams in your classroom!
I also just read the manifesto. We need to stand up for all students, inspiring them to pursue interests and make all learning relevant. Compliance at the expense of exploration and engagement is troubling. When our system requires that children achieve before they belong, we have a long way to go for before they realize dreams and form relationships that will matter.
Thanks for sharing such interesting sites and information in your posts! I have been reading your posts and really appreciated the link to this TED Talk and free book download. It’s ready to go on my Kindle. When you post information about specific sites you come across, I’d love for you to include information about which ages or grade level it might be most appropriate for! I look forward to reading more of your future posts!
Hi Carrie, I ALWAYS tag sites with the ages they would be appropriate for. If you look at the categories that each post is tagged with, you will know what ages I think it works for! You can even search iLearn Tech by age with the category search in my sidebar. I hope that helps you find what you are looking for!
Hey Kelly, I’ve been reading the Manifesto too! It’s very thought provoking. I also like how it show that you don’t need to stick to traditional book forms to be able to express yourself online. Hope you are well!!