Sometimes I wonder whether all the attention and energy I put into fighting the status quo in the education system, and the never-ending quest to affect change is making me antagonistic and cynical, even resentful and bitter.

When I first started blogging several years ago I was a very political, very liberal blogger. It was the era of the Bush Administration in the US and the Howard Government in Australia and there was a lot not to like about the state of affairs at the time. United States Foreign Policy, the War in Iraq, the “War on Terror,” the Howard Government’s undermining of civil liberties in the name of “national security” – I had opinions about them all and I wasn’t afraid to voice them.

So I did what I do now; I took to the blog to vent and to protest, to share and discuss information that I’d run across, and to make my opinions known on issues I felt were of critical importance.  Stood atop a digital soapbox and put forth logical, yet impassioned rants against people, places and things; played the role of the conscientious objector, the agitator and the critic.

However over time I began to notice my outlook on life and general attitude towards people and situations began to change. I became quick to debate and quick to judge; almost incapable of being a passive observer in any situation, and less and less willing to listen to alternative opinions or perspectives.

Eventually I hung up my political hat (mostly), and moved on to other things – in part to take a break from what was becoming an all-consuming obsession, but also to re-centre and regain a sense of the positive things in life again, because a growing sense of cynicism had begun to eclipse the content optimism that had existed previously.

The point is I’ve begun to notice the same sense of pent-up disquiet when it comes to the topic of education and educational reform.  In my opinion there is a lot not to like about the current state of affairs in education; the political structures and struggles that surround it, the rigid social hierarchies and cultures of control and bureaucracy; the reliance on models of teaching that are arguably past their use-by date.  I’ve once again become obsessed with researching, debating, and pontificating about my views on the matter.

I seem to have a tendency to slide gradually towards the radical end of the spectrum – of that there is little doubt – but I also sometimes wonder what role – if any – that the writing process (blogging) has played in this. This is hardly to suggest that blogging makes you a radical. However through ongoing reflection and exploration of ideas, I think it can solidify and sharpen existing opinions, and take what may have once been only the seeds of thought and grow them into something far more substantial.  I think there are times when you have to put the pen down, step back and take a breather.

To be honest I’m not sure where I’m going with any of this, except to say that I wanted to take the time to unpack what I’ve been thinking about lately, decompress and try to regain a more holistic perspective on things. I’m not prepared to stop blogging; I enjoy the process too much and benefit enormously from the activity.  However I do think that I need an adjustment of some sort.

The era of Bush and Howard were characterised by a distinct and acute culture of “us and them.”  You were either with us, or you were against us.  In hindsight this was an incredibly unproductive way to engage in public discussion on matters that affect us all, and especially to begin to work towards a solution of some kind.  In some regards the topic of education is just as contentious as that of politics, and all too easy to become divided by false or artificial delineations.  If we’re going to start to make progress and bring learning and teaching into the 21st century I think the best, most effective, and sustainable way to achieve this is to do it together.