"High School Stinks"

I checked this link in the earlier assignment on Project Based Learning and included a response in that blog, because Lehmann speaks "the truth." I have two teens who talk about the classes that "stink" and the ones that are amazing. Without exception, it's the classes that utilize PBL and collaborative learning that they enjoy the most. Anything hands on, from building rockets and cars in Tech Ed to sewing pillows in Home Economics, scores high on interest and satisfaction. When teachers assign work in order to check off the teaching of material likely to be included in the SOLs, the complaints about being bored or unable to understand the point come in. However, it raises the question of what content---what knowledge base---should be included in school in order to create a unified sense of what it means to be a part of the American fabric in the 21st century. As Lehmann says, the class is a lens to look at the world, and school is a place to make sense of the world. Can teachers find time to craft projects that have the required content of SOLs and also enable students to see the world in a different light?