We Need More Change in a Decade
Humanity is evolving from hierarchy to self-responsibility. Coaching is a process, which is focused on developing agency and that’s why it has appeared so widely in the last 30 years. It must be used by parents and in schools from primary up.
Sir John Whitmore
When we started Graydin in 2012, we asked one of the founding fathers of coaching and our good friend, the late Sir John Whitmore, to share with us his thoughts on education.
“Education needs to be modernized. For too long we have focused on quantitative knowledge and technology as the way to utopia, and neglected qualitative wisdom, that enables us to use our knowledge wisely.”
Not only was he an advocate of the transformation of education, not only did he have a clear vision for what was possible, he also believed, like us, that coaching was the answer.
That was March 2012. That was 10 years ago. And the question that we keep asking ourselves is, has enough changed in the last decade? Our answer is no.
Just like John, we’ve been dreaming of an education system filled with teachers trained as coaches. Our founding vision was to see ‘schools creating passionate and engaged learners by providing a 21st century learning environment. Learning that focused on discovery, responsibility and collaboration. Teaching that developed self-knowledge and awareness’.
It’s been a decade and our vision hasn’t changed that much. We still believe that every young person deserves a teacher that can coach and that the system of education could awaken through coaching. But unfortunately, that’s not even close to our current reality.
How can his be? How can an evolving world like ours have stagnant education systems? So many people talk about wanting change, but to what extent are we all a part of the change we seek or simply part of the status quo?
After many initiatives were tossed to the side because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now seeing educators looking for ways to support and empower their students again. We are also seeing them seek development in their teaching practice.
This is a very clear sign to us that we still need coaching, perhaps more than a decade ago.
Imagine its 2032. What do you want for education in another 10 years’ time? What will you do right now to create the change you wish to see in 2032? There have been countless advances since 2012, but not enough in education to satisfy us.
We’re currently writing a white paper on coaching and the role it will play in the future of education. If you would like to receive it in your email inbox when it’s finished, sign up here.
