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Story by Will Richardson<\/p>\nStory by Will Richardson<\/p>\n
Photo: MartinaK15<\/p>\n
We\u2019re halfway to school when my 14-year-old son remembers a homework assignment he forgot to do for biology class.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething big?\u201d I ask, fearing the worst.
\n\u201cNah,\u201d he says with a shrug. \u201cJust a handout and some questions. It doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s happened before, many times, in fact, that \u201cit doesn\u2019t matter\u201d response when it comes to work both of my kids are doing in school. This morning when he said it, I started trying to remember any work that they\u2019d done this year that actually did matter in the world, work that seemed to have a purpose outside the classroom. Unfortunately, not much came to mind.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s an especially frustrating reality for me because in my travels to schools around the world I see lots of examples of \u201cwork that matters\u201d; high school kids in Philadelphia designing solar panels for hospitals in the African bush; middle school kids in San Diego writing books about their local ecosystems and selling them in local stores; primary school kids designing a new classroom wing being built at their school outside of Melbourne, Australia. And more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWork that matters\u201d has significance beyond classroom walls; it\u2019s work that is created for an authentic audience who might\u00a0 enjoy it or benefit from it even in a small way. It\u2019s work that isn\u2019t simply passed to the teacher for a grade, or shared with peers for review. It\u2019s work that potentially makes a difference in the world.<\/p>\n
Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Story by Will Richardson Photo: MartinaK15 We\u2019re halfway to school when my 14-year-old son remembers a homework assignment he forgot to do for biology class. \u201cSomething big?\u201d I ask, fearing the worst. \u201cNah,\u201d he says with a shrug. \u201cJust a handout and some questions. It doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d It\u2019s happened before, many times, in fact, that … Continue reading Mind\/Shift: For Students, the Importance of Doing Work That Matters<\/span>