October 5, 2023 - Entrance Slip - Swing/Parkour Strict Grid of Schooling

As a future educator, I worry about how to implement and successfully ‘swing’ or ‘parkour’ the traditional ways in order to be an effective teacher and help students to learn. Once I become a teacher, I hope to find an appropriate balance between being in and out of the ‘grid’. I believe as role models for students, teachers need to show that not always conforming to the strict grid, but by being flexible and thinking outside the box, you can be creative and receptive to new patterns of learning. “One that neither rejects nor accepts the grid, but ‘swings’ it,” stood out to me because as a teacher you need to be able to balance the curriculum, time management and expected learning outcomes but also promote critical thinking and problem solving in unique ways to keep students engaged. 

I really enjoyed how the article referenced parkouring outside the binary formulations, by taking an artistic approach to the current, institutionalized ways of teaching one can implement a more innovative outlook for students. I believe there are multiple ways of approaching school and each will benefit some students more than others. I think you need to be flexible with the grid to achieve a more creative and critical thinking classroom while also teaching students how to effectively learn and absorb the tools that are beneficial for their problem solving skills.