The F Word

As educators, at this very moment, we are standing at the precipice; we are looking over the edge wondering if we will plummet or soar.  We face many challenges and unfortunately for the majority of educators we feel powerless to address them.  Challenges such as poverty, negative public opinion, popular media touting choice, the elimination of funding for things such as professional development... ooo, sorry, I said the F word... Funding.

Do I think we could do more with less?  Yes, I do.  Only because I think, as a nation, we are pushing for unfounded programs with unfounded ideals at the heart. 

As an EdTech professional today, I've enjoyed a variety of challenges myself.  Technology in my district and in my state is woefully underfunded.  I can't speak for other districts, but for my own, we have done very well to date.  And, I believe, our state has led the nation in technology infrastructure for quite a while. Times are changing though.  The state has had cuts on their end for years and they have tried to absorb the cuts themselves through eliminating staff and other means.  The cuts have continued and now local districts are facing lower state funding for technology and less funds to support our state Internet access (meaning less bandwidth for districts, i.e. slower speeds and sometimes outright inability to access).

Many of the initiatives we are promoting as a state and locally are entirely dependent on technology.  These are online programs for teachers and students. What good are they if we don't have the money to purchase the necessary equipment or services to access them?  As an example, our district is participating in the online end-of-course assessments this year.  In order to do that, we are blocking a ton of sites to make sure we have the necessary bandwidth.  I also predict that in a couple years, we will not be able to test online due to the number of computers we will have available ... aging computers that cannot be replaced.  (Side note, do I think our tech money should be spent insuring that we can satisfy state testing ... NO!)

Besides the icky F word, Funding, I'd like to throw out a few more:

• Fortitude is an F word.  If you really believe in something, let others know, and educate them on why your view has merit.
• Fantasy is an F word.  As a society, we admire innovation, educators are not excluded in this equation.
• Freedom is an F word.  If you feel restricted, think about how you can change this. 
• Family is an F word.  The Internet has afforded educators a method for connecting with a larger community, take advantage of it!

I often end personal notes with "Always", but tonight I'll substitute it with:

Forever,
Nikkol