Schools often speak of a "rigorous" program, but mostly we fall short of defining our meaning of the word and how it manifests itself in our schools. We neglect to ask the question, "how does our definition of rigor further our mission?" All educators can take a more precise look at what we teach in our schools, and more importantly, how we teach it. Tony Wagner, a 21st Century educator, touts the necessary skills students will need to be successful in the 21st Century. In this particular article, Rigor Redefined, he analyzes it rather nicely. Here is a quick excerpt introducing his "seven survival skills."

"Today's students need to master seven survival skills to thrive in the new world of work. And these skills are the same ones that will enable students to become productive citizens who contribute to solving some of the most pressing issues we face in the 21st century."

Read on. Enjoy.

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I just returned home from my daughter's soccer game. I was along side hundreds of parents and kids playing, watching games and loving the weather of a beautiful fall October day. I must admit I loved it, too. Here was the best part: my son and I were having a football toss before the game. Jake is six and has acquired the best spiral I have seen in a long while. I taught him how to step into the pocket like Eli Manning, protect himself, find his target and let it fly. He did it beautifully! I was so proud. He threw me a perfect pass that was just a bit outside of my extended reach. It fell at my feet and settled on the ground. Besides being a bit embarrassed that I missed his best pass ever, he then taught me a lesson. He said, "Dad, you have to move towards the ball!" I have been telling him this for what seems like forever, so having him return the favor was a bit of karma surprising me in a delightful way. Hearing his words out loud and from his little, angelic voice gave the lesson a whole new meaning.

I thought of you, the reader. I thought of us, the learner. And I reminded myself to move towards the ball. I hope you can see this blog, all blogs and all catch basins of information as the metaphorical ball. I see all information as the ball. And I move towards the information to become a better teacher, a more dynamic leader, a more complete learner. We should seek out learning. We should seek out opportunities to learn and better ourselves. We should see ourselves as lifelong learners -- an overused but very relevant term. We should read books on topics that interest us. Read articles. Watch videos. Tweet. Seek out people who make us think and then surround ourselves with them. We should ask them to challenge us and, in turn, challenge them as well.

Be well, and move towards the ball.