Speaker Series Recap: Innovative educators

When it comes to educating our children, how do you make sure they feel like they are more than a number, a statistic, a test score? How do you create a generation that questions and explores, knows how to break down barriers and leave themselves open to new and exciting opportunities? Those are some of the questions the speakers at the Capital Gains’ Speaker Series set out to answer.

On Thursday, June 27, we heard from a group of educators striving to break down the barriers you can sometimes encounter in the education field. Missy McCarty of Okemos Public Schools, Jeff Croley and Jason LaFay of Dewitt Creativity Group, and Jocelyn Rainey of the J Rainey Gallery each shared their experiences and how they are going beyond typical teaching practices to reach students on an innovative and practical level.

Each educator had a unique and effective strategy for incorporating new teaching techniques into our schools. Missy McCarty is “flipping” her classroom and letting children listen to her lecture via video while at home and making them bring their “homework” into the classroom where they can work with her and each other to solve problems. Jeff Croley and Jason LaFay are taking students into the “real world.” Their students have taken place in projects such as bringing a windmill to Dewitt, attending an International Trade summit and teaming up with the Stockbridge Robotics team to create a documentary of Stockbridge’s trip to Palau to retrieve lost World War II planes.

According to LaFay, the Dewitt Creativity Group is “Passionate about taking down the walls of a traditional classroom.” Artist and teacher, Jocelyn Rainey also removed those walls by taking her students out of the classroom and all over the world to experience the art and culture of other countries.

Each educator agreed that something new had to be done in order to get through to students. The generation currently attending school has technology at their fingertips. They are used to a constant feed of information all the time. They have a need to be a part of things. According to McCarty, “They want to do, they want to be, they want to share. And we have to allow them to do that.”

Rainey agrees “We need to get on their bandwagon, they know what they’re doing.” But while it’s important to take advantage of all technology has to offer, she also made sure to mention that technology cannot let students experience as much as travel can, “A computer doesn’t let you feel the culture or taste the food …”
The educators also took the time to answer questions such as; “What is your definition of vulnerability?” “What skills are a part of your toolkit? How do you inspire students?” and “What do you say to those that tell you it’s never going to work?” To this last question, Jeff Crowley responded by effectively summing up the attitude of these educators and their goals;
“I say, bring it.”

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Allison Monroe is a freelance writer for Capital Gains.

Photos by Sommer Young Photography.