Action (or, Implement and Evaluate)
For learning to truly take root and become a part of who we are, we must be able to use what we learn in personally meaningful ways. The same is true with our voice.
Making ourselves seen and heard, taking a stand for what matters to us, and contributing to our common public world – all of these are decisions that require us to take action and evaluate our own effectiveness.
The most important lessons come from doing public work, and from finding ways to cooperate with the people with whom we disagree. The process by which we discover that lesson begins in our schools – but only after we create learning environments where it’s safe for people to take action, use their voices responsibly and powerfully, and commit to honor both individual rights and civic responsibilities. How we debate, after all — not just what we debate — is critical.
