Reimagining Education: Upstream Thinking

Read Time: 5 minutes

I am an upstream thinker.

Always have been.

I go hiking in the mountains of Colorado every year, and the one thing we are told is that we cannot drink the water because it is polluted with a variety of contaminants that have come downstream that can cause serious health issues.

Therefore, we have to boil or iodine the water before we can drink it.

However, if you trace the stream up far enough, you come to the source of the water…a source that is clear, cool, and pure.

That is how I think about the systemic transformation of schooling

It is an upstream issue requiring upstream thinking

The research related to adolescent loneliness, isolation, depression, stress, anxiety, and self harm shouts that we MUST FIND better solutions…better thinking to help stem the tide of the mental health crisis impacting our kids

These are statistics we can no longer ignore

Reversing these alarming statistics requires finding new sources of clear, pure water

It requires reverse engineering the issues to design better solutions

There is certainly tremendous value in the work being done by those downstream in education—the incredible teachers, leaders, staff, coaches, counselors, tutors, etc. who give their lives to working with students

But I believe genuine, longterm, systemic change—the kind of change that is transformative—requires us to be upstream thinkers

Upstream Thinkers:

1. Are led by North Stars = guiding principles that help them navigate towards a desired end…no matter the terrain

2. Think big picture over the long haul = 50,000 feet for 50 years type thinking

3. Think systemically = Create healthy, sustainable systems for transformative growth

4. Are Legacy Builders = Give themselves to work they know they will not see completed in their lifetime

Upstream Thinkers are Led by North Stars

North Stars are what guide us over and through difficult terrain

They give clearly established direction to our goals

They are not destinations, nor are they places at which we will ever arrive (you cannot actually stand on the North Star)

Instead, they are beacons that give us assurance we are heading in the right direction…over the mountains, through the valleys, around the brambles.

They keep us heading towards whatever it is we identify as “True North” in our lives and, particularly, in the work of reimagining education and transforming schools

Towards the North Star of Human Flourishing

I am convinced that the North Star of education must be that of human flourishing

The dominant reason for students to be in traditional schooling is to “get good grades” so that they can go onto college or life and make as much money as possible to buy stuff as successful consumers

Being able to afford stuff is not a bad thing…but upstream thinking understands students are more than consumers, more than test takers, more than brains on sticks.

The students in our care are human beings with questions about themselves, about the world, and about their place in it.

They are concerned not just with making a living…but with understanding what makes life worth living

They are imaginative, creative, curious individuals each with unique talents, skills, passions, and ideas worthy of the time we ask of them in schools

As this Edutopia article points out, however, the students who bring their unique and precious selves to school are finding themselves lost, alienated, stressed, anxious, and forgotten in a system that negatively affects their mental well-being

If we want to see these statistics reversed, we must reverse our way of thinking about the form and function, role and goal, of schools.

We must lead and act with upstream thinking

Such upstream thinking requires us to reorient education towards a different North Star—the North Star of Human Flourishing—if we want healthier outcomes for our schools and students

Schools that orient their work towards the North Star of Human Flourishing prioritize:

1. Meaning and Purpose

2. Healthy Self Awareness

3. Integrated Living

4. Care and Compassion

5. Service to Others

6. Critical Thinking

7. Civic Discourse

8. Intellectual, Social, and Emotional Intelligence

9. Rightly Ordered Desires

10. Joy, Wonder, Discovery, Creative Expression, Imagination, and Play

If we want to see the statistics reversed, if we want to see healthier students, healthier schools, healthier communities, we must begin by going upstream to think more wisely and well about the very purposes, ends, and intent of schooling and education

Thought Experiment: Consider all the ways things would change downstream if we went upstream and made human flourishing our primary reason for education.

Imagine the changes that might occur in the classroom, in faculty meetings, in the halls, on the athletic field…in every area of school…if student flourishing were our North Star.

→ Today’s Action Step: Think of one key place in your area of influence you can begin to think, act, and lead upstream

Let me know what you think would change downstream if we went upstream and transformed our reason for educating towards the North Star of human flourishing!

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

→ Dr Scott Martin: If you're looking for direct, one-on-one advice on reorienting your school’s North Star, l’d recommend checking out my website, where I take all the wisdom, experience, struggle, knowledge, and expertise I have learned over my 30 years as a thought leader in reimagining education and bring it all to YOU! From one-on-one dream sessions, to consulting with your team, to sharing at your site, I am passionate about helping you make a difference in your learning community.

→ The Flourishing Schools Podcast: For a more in-depth, deep dive into thinking imaginatively about schooling, check out my “Flourishing Schools” podcast, where I jam with thought leaders, experts, community leaders, educators, students, and parents on all things related to the intersection of schools and student well-being:

→ The Odyssey Center for Transformative Schooling: From leader cohorts to educator collaboratives, onsite training to inspirational retreats, this is the hub for inspiring hope and resourcing transformation! The OCTS partners with insightful, innovative educators just like you from around the world to help bring about upstream, systemic change.

Ups