Dan Pink Asks Us: Why Not?
On a cold, dark January morning, I shuffled out of bed and went straight to the kitchen to make breakfast. As I was waiting for my necessary coffee to brew, I saw a flash of bright light. I looked out my front window to see children huddled on a corner waiting for their school bus. The morning was dark, with not a single street light. It was an ungodly hour, and all I thought was, After all of the research, school districts have still not changed the school day — why not?
Author and Researcher Daniel Pink has combined forces with The Washington Post to make all of us stop and ask the question: Why not? As Pink explains, it is not an effort to allow people to complain, harass, or fill the bucket that is already so full with more cynicism; but, instead, to push us to spend some real thought on how to improve our world. He fully explains the parameters of the effort and how to participate in his recent column, which I highly suggest spending some time with.
Over this next year, Pink is inviting anyone with a sincere, non-cynical idea to propose it in his Why Not online gathering. Imagine an Enlightenment Salon, expanded beyond a few coffee houses and private salons to every household, filled with folks sharing their ideas to positively change the world.
For every educator, no matter the subject area, imagine this Pink/Washington Post collaboration as an incredible lesson plan. Imagine being able to have students research, share, collaborate, discuss, write, and rework all of their proposals, and then be able to share on this platform for discussion. Pink notes that it is not like writing in a comments section, spewing what isn’t working or saying which new idea won’t work. Instead, it’s an honest discussion—based on facts, but spirited by an awakening of our American imaginations!
A goal of every educator should be to find real world applications to each of their lessons. Every day, in the classroom and beyond, we imagine ways that our lives could be better. So often, those solutions seem like common sense and are supported by years of research (like not sending our children out into the darkness on their way to school, considering this practice originally designed to support children’s agrarian/mining chores/jobs of a hundred years ago).
Dan Pink and The Washington Post are giving us a voice in a world where we and our students often feel alone, with no real power. Pink is encouraging all of us to help our country—and ultimately ourselves—by asking, “Why not?” and then sharing those ideas with others. I’m sure you would all agree that, now more than ever, we are in need of thoughtful discourse and a platform that does not harass, criticize, or shame participants who are sharing their ideas to better our society. We can begin with ourselves, and then ask our friends, family, students, and co-workers: Why not?