An 'aha' moment

Listening to Perry Rush giving a keynote at our conference last Thursday, something struck me. It was his comment about the fact that our kids are sent to school. They have no choice but to go. From the age of 6 to 16, they have to attend, and it's against the law for them not to. He equated this to a term in prison (not saying that schools are like prison, just saying that there is no choice for the individual, they have to be at a certain place for a certain amount of time). This was a powerful statement and it truly brought home the fact there is a HUGE responsibility - for teachers, principals, administrators and anyone else involved in the education industry - to ensure that those 10 years of enforced schooling for our kids are 10 years well spent. How do we do this? It's a question the team here at Learning Network NZ is constantly asking. We're lucky enough to be in touch with some of the world's foremost thinkers, leaders and educationalists - and we are always working on ways to better connect you with the knowledge, expertise and inspiration you need to do a great job in supporting and challenging our nation's learners, every day.