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I believe education is a social contract designed to prepare students for the world of tomorrow. But tomorrow isn’t what it used to be. We live in times of exponential change. In just over 150 years we’ve gone from transcontinental railroads to robotic rovers on Mars. A smartphone has more computing power than all of NASA in 1969, when it landed two astronauts on the moon. The future will favor those most adaptive to change and our success will depend in large part on our ability to think and act creatively.

I have been an educator for 20 years and my philosophy of learning has crystallized around three aims: cultivating curiosity, creativity, and meaning in the lives of my students.  I have worked with over 2,000 students and the following student comment capture the atmosphere I aim to create in my classes: “Thank you for giving me the freedom and power to discover my own purpose. I have been able to form opinions and ideas of my own. You have encouraged us all to follow our own path and think for ourselves. It is empowering the way in which you treat us as free thinkers and leaders of the new generation. You have given me much to ponder, to appreciate, and to analyze.”

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Aran Levasseur is currently the Innovation Lead and a Humanities Faculty at San Domenico School in the Bay Area. He has taught environmental science, world history, global studies, and philosophy courses. He has designed iPad programs, given a TEDx talk titled: Video Games and Learning, and has written articles for PBS, MindShift, Common Sense Media, Thrive Global and other publications about education, technology, grit, creativity, and meaning. Aran’s ideas and perspectives have been quoted in publications such as the Los Angeles Times and The Atlantic.  He hosts a podcast called Hungry Minds about the power of curiosity, questions, and possibility. Aran has a BA in Anthropology and MA in Consciousness Studies.