Getting Kids Connected for Learning's Sake

Dorothy Rich wrote a week ago to the day in the SacBee about the mysterious nature of teaching and learning. The piece borders on touchy-feely, but her ideas about the nature of learning make a lot of sense. The piece is not an assault on standards, but maybe a bomb in the bunker for standardized education.

The whole educational enterprise--Rich wisely describes--hinges on connectedness. Children need to feel connected to what they learn and have a sense of why they learn. It's why educators spend so much time developing and working within a student-centered curriculum. "Connectedness is a protective factor in children's lives. Schools and homes have to find ways of helping everyone feel important, essential and connected." Connectedness is a protective factor in all of our lives, not just children's lives. The mystery of it all may be each other.