Giving Up Control

Many educators are very wary of giving up control.  But it is exactly that act that will free students to once again find their intrinsic desire to learn.  Giving up control doesn't mean the classroom is total anarchy.  It means the teacher is not the sole authority on what should be covered and learned.  Students should not walk into the classroom every day with the mindset of "What is he going to make us do today?".  They should walk in thinking "What do I need to get done today?"  The teacher should not have every second of every period planned out, the same for every student.  There are due dates and whole class activities, but not every day.  Not most days.  When teachers learn to sacrifice some control, to get students thinking and then get out of the way.  Real learning can take place.