Time is on our side

An overwhelming issue we see in schools is there is not enough time. Teachers say it, managers say it. We hear excuses such as ‘Time is against us’ or ‘If only we had more time’. It has almost become the go-to excuse and a way of not digging deeper into the problem, but an excuse for shrugging shoulders at the challenges we face in schools.

What if I was to say to you that time is an illusion, and we are approaching learning in the wrong way? As we try to get so many children through the system with curriculums designed to measure individuals in a one size fits all fashion, we are overwhelming ourselves. Therefore we become obsessed, more and more with getting as much done as possible.

What if we approached learning as a creative process, a path of discovery, and recognised the true purpose of reflection for each child – to learn about themselves as they interact with others? What if we were to approach learning by taking it out of these caged time slots and free children as they experience learning in a truly holistic approach? Then, I believe something miraculous will occur and time will no longer be something we feel burdened by. Instead we shall feel free to be in the moment, and drop into the learning zone. As Piaget talked about the Zone of Proximal Development, we know it exists, suddenly by recognising it we shall be in that space, or in the pit (trying to work our way out through the struggles, through the mistakes).

Time will no longer be our enemy. If we trust the teachers to guide our learners in the right direction of discovery then time should be on our side. If we stop seeing learning as a mode of production but a journey, then time will be on our side.

In a Teal school we will not block learning into slots and divide subjects from each other. The structure of the day will allow for children to fall into the learning zone and give space for them to discover.