In this session, Mike, South Cook, IL. 2023 Elementary School Principal of the Year, will share the punk rock mindset and how the ideas of PASSION, UNITY, & DIY create classrooms and schools where students and staff are engaged, are ALL part of the culture and learning, and have ownership of what happens. Punk Rock Classrooms focuses on uniting educators to drop egos, work together emphasizing their own strengths and relying on their crew where they may have an area of growth. Educators do not need flashy programs, software, or scripted curriculum to engage our students. With the punk rock mindset, educators can bring life changing lessons to their students that will not be forgotten. There is no reason that a classroom should not resemble that punk show you still remember 20 years later: small club, no flashy lights or pyrotechnics, cramped sweaty youth in the pit together, singing along and being just as much of the show as the band. Our classrooms need to resemble this, students moving around, collaborating and working together, taking over the “mic” and taking charge of their learning on their terms. A teacher should be in the middle of the classroom, moving around and facilitating just as when that hardcore vocalist turns the mic to the crowd and has them sing the chorus. The band is there to facilitate, but the crowd is taking the energy where they know it needs to go. Our teachers need to step aside and let our students do this.
