We partner with individuals, classrooms, schools, and organizations to foster new conversations and a new vision for schooling at the local and national levels.
Here we share the stories from students, educators, parents, leaders, and community members across the country. Each story is an expression of an individual's hopes, fears, joys, and aspirations. Each story is unique and powerful on its own. Together they are the collective dreams of a nation.
We hope you will enjoy browsing and sharing your thoughts. You can search for your state, or people you know by using the search bar. Intrigued, Inspired?! Sign up to be a Catalyst!
“Freedom to still dream, freedom to still execute their dream. Freedom to always be in a space of possibility. Freedom to be adventurous, freedom to explore. And freedom to love. Freedom to care about human life. Freedom to understand - and this just from a spiritual place for me - for them to understand that this life is transitional, that you are here temporarily and that you have a choice of how you live it. A freedom to choose how you live it.“
Read MoreWe don’t know what all the technology is going to mean for us. This is all one big experiment and we as adults can’t look back and think this is how our parents experienced this for the first time because they didn’t. We’re supposed to help our kids with any problems that come up and sometimes its hard because we’re making it up as we go.
Read More“I value my health because without my health you cannot have much. Ya know, you can have all the money, all the fame, all the fortune in the world… but without your health, you cannot have anything.”
Read More“…material things are fun, but they cannot hug you and get you through hard times. The relationships you make with people are more important than the material things we have.”
Read MoreI think a good life is one where you are giving and receiving. One where you feel like you are making an impact and benefiting from those feelings.
Read More“I think the reason why we should have a public schooling system is that if you're going to provide everyone an equitable society, you have to give them all a level playing field through their education. They have to have opportunities provided to them by the community and by adults who have their best interests in mind and give them a voice in their lives and figure out what it is they want to do. They want to figure out what the good life is. That's the whole point.”
Read More“Most of the people in education have a broader picture of what an education should be. But, I don’t think schools are doing it at all and I think it’s because teachers and also administrators don’t have the choice of what they should focus on.”
Read More"The more I work in schools the more I realize that schools are the most social places on the planet—it’s just people interacting with people all day, whether it's adults and adults, kids and kids, or adults and kids. It’s just understanding how to approach others in ways that are not going to turn them off, that are coming from a place of inquiry. I’m trying to say that the more time I spend in schools, the more I realize it’s really about empathy."
Read MoreI learned so much from my students about how important it was to make sure that schools were also places where humans could grow. It’s important for young people to be able to figure out who they are, to develop their own identity, to figure out what their passions are, to really know their strengths and their struggles, and to be able to navigate a world in which they need the skills and know-how to showcase their strengths and advocate for themselves.
Read MoreWe should make school a place where kids create because of school not in spite of school!
Read More
