Educators (also referred to as we-- in this blog) are at an interesting crossroads in terms of the focus of education. We operate under the Federal edict of No Child Left Behind and state regulations that clearly articulate the direction of the curriculum. There are arguments on all sides of these legislative initiatives regarding their value and the implicit control of the educational process. Those initiatives certainly have their respective strengths and weaknesses. I, however, believe that we unfortunately have left an important aspect of education on the outside of the entire process. That is the idea of letting a child discover their passion in education.... the one concept or content area or focus that ignites an interest that nothing could extinguish.

We have unfortunately narrowed the curriculum. Even if we do not specifically teach to the test, we still relegate the subject matter that is not tested to a secondary status. That includes all of the arts, as well as history, social studies, and to a lesser degree science. Educators are expected to work with the data that is generated by formal assessments, and to alter the instruction based on that information. We are told to "drill down" and discover the level of understanding and mastery that our students display on that particular evaluative tool. But how do we assess or understand a student's passion? Is there adequate time for students to even discover that area of interest? Are we as educators willing to give up instructional time in the areas that are tested to delve into those other content components that excite and motivate students to go to places of their imagination that they may not have previously discovered?

As the poet William Butler Yeats said, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." I hope that we, as educators, can build a bonfire of interest, motivation and imaginative thought for each child, each day.