I recently had the pleasure of watching a film titled “Most Likely To Succeed”. It provided an in-depth look into an alternative education school in California called High Tech High. High Tech High is a public school that attempts to deviate from the current style of education, which the film makers argue has remained unchanged for more than a century, by shifting the focus from content-based learning to inquiry-based group work and critical thinking. In doing so, the educators at High Tech High hope to better prepare their learners to deal with real problems that arise from real-life situations. There are no formalized subjects, and all students work to present a  year-end project to their educators, classmates, family, and friends.

The part of Most Likely To Succeed that resonated with me the most was the way educators chose to interact with their learners. There was no formal lecturing, and when conversing they ebbed passion and understanding. They guided students when needed, but in a way that promoted the learner to find the solution themselves. At the end of the year the educators were visibly moved by the growth of their learners throughout their period together.  I felt it was clear the learners grew socially, emotionally, and mentally. 

As I progress through my teaching program, developing my own teaching philosophy and relationships with learners, I hope to keep the educator-learner relationships in “Most Likely to Succeed” in mind.

The official website for the film is https://teddintersmith.com/mltsfilm/ , check it out if you have the time!