Rachael Le Mee, Post #6: What I used to think, but now I know....

Way back when in the spring of 2018 when I started my PBL experience with an online course through Converse, I used to think that PBL could be the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. The "thing" I'd been searching for in education that would make all the difference. Now, I know, after spending a year teaching this way, that it's the truth. Some people will just claim it's just the "latest thing" or that it will fade away, but I know that it is rooted in every single best practice I can think of, and I've seen the impact it has made on my students and me as a teacher.

Another thing I know for sure now is that PBL is a process. Getting kids on board might be a process. Getting colleagues on board is a process. Creating a school where PBL is the norm is a process. PBL itself is a process. It's ALL ABOUT THE PROCESS!!!!

I remember Dr. Terry telling us in August that we were on the high mountain top, and that we were about to enter the valley of darkness, and that he wanted us to be prepared and know that we'd come out of the valley again eventually. That was so true for me, but instead of a mountain and a valley, it actually felt more like a particularly wild loop-a-dee-doop roller coaster with TONS of peaks and valleys along the way... and a couple of moments where I actually felt physically nauseous from the stress of it all! :0

But now, the roller coaster is pulling back into the station, and I'm ready to go for another ride. It's never going to be the easy way, and there will always be loops and moments when the bottom falls out unexpectedly. But it's the best way for us to reach our students, to authentically engage them in their own educational journey, and to turn out human beings who are capable beyond measure. Human beings that will change our world for the better if we only let them!