The Fashion Community is Inspired by Tavi. The Education Community Should Be Too!

I was listening this morning to an interview on Q with Jian Ghomeshi and was struck by how much the world of learning has changed.  Jian was interviewing 13 year old Tavi Gevinson from Chicago.  Tavi has taken the fashion world by storm with her Style Rookie blog.  Tavi started blogging about fashion when she was 11 years old.  She has used the Internet to learn about every aspect of the fashion world from history to production to media coverage.  Not only has she acquired a vast knowledge of fashion, but she has also developed incredible insight and an impressive writing style.  Her accomplishments as a blogger have landed her in the front row of some of the most prestigious fashion shows in the world.  Recently, she was a guest reporter for Fashion Television at the New York  Fashion Week.

In listening to the interview with Jian, I was reminded how important it is for educators to provide students with opportunities to explore what interests them, to encourage them to embrace technology in their pursuit of knowledge, and to provide meaningful learning tasks which connect with the world outside the classroom.  Kudos to Tavi.  You are an inspiration for all educators!

- Anita Sherwin-Hamer,  Director, Evaluation Services