I do
strongly believe that there is a core base of knowledge that all students should know and
if I had to classify myself I would consider myself an Essentialist. I think the difference
is how I believe that the essentials should be taught. Kids are engaged at a much earlier
age in all sorts of interactive media. We need to reach them where they're at, find what
makes them tick and reach them there. We cannot expect them to learn the same
because the world they live in is not the same. The differences are there, but none of
them erase the need for a strong basic education. What needs to change is not what is
taught but how it is taught.