The document humorously reflects on the bewilderment of Rip Van Winkle if he were to wake up in modern schools, which have drastically changed from his time yet still retain a familiar essence. It discusses various innovative school designs and features that cater to contemporary educational needs, such as outdoor classrooms, flexible furniture, and collaboration areas. The text encourages a discussion on how to design schools for an unpredictable future, emphasizing the integration of modern technology and flexible learning environments.

1. There's a dark little joke exchanged by educators with a dissident streak:

2. Rip Van Winkle awakens in the 21st century after a hundred-year snooze and is, of course, utterly bewildered by what he sees.

3. Men and women dash about, talking to small metal devices pinned to their ears. Young people sit at home on sofas, moving miniature athletes around on electronic screens.

4. Older folk defy death and disability with metronomes in their chests and with hips made of metal and plastic. Airports, hospitals, shopping malls--every place Rip goes just baffles him.

5. But when he finally walks into a schoolroom, the old man knows exactly where he is. "This is a school," he declares. "We used to have these back in 1907. Only now the blackboards are white."

6. Milton-Freewater, let’s have a discussion about the future of our schools…

7. How can we design schools for a future that we can’t possibly predict? Image: MattandBekah.com

8. media centers? School: Cass Technical High School, Detroit Image: DesignShare.com

9. music rooms? School: Celentano Museum Academy, New Haven, Connecticut Image: DesignShare.com

10. social areas? School: High Tech High International, San Diego, California Image: DesignShare.com

11. outdoor classrooms? School: Three Mile Creek Elementary, Perry, Utah Image: DesignShare.com

12. open ceilings? School: Celentano Museum Academy, New Haven, Connecticut Image: DesignShare.com

13. green spaces indoors? School: Universidad de Monterrey: Preparatoia Unidad Valle Alto, Monterrey, N.L., Mexico Image: DesignShare.com

14. creative architecture? School: Georgetown South Child Development and Community Center, Manassas, Virginia Image: DesignShare.com

15. early childhood education? School: Georgetown South Child Development and Community Center, Manassas, Virginia Image: DesignShare.com

16. no chairs? Image: DesignShare.com

17. auditoriums? School: New Saline High School, Saline Michigan Image: DesignShare.com

18. colors? School: Stittsville Public School, Stittsville, Ontario, Canada Image: DesignShare.com

19. computer labs? School: Estrella Mountain Community College, Avondale, Arizona Image: DesignShare.com

20. balconies? School: Gwinnett University Center, Lawrencevilla, Georgia Image: DesignShare.com

21. display cases? School: Kennewick Elementary School Kennebunk, Maine Image: DesignShare.com

22. cave seating? School: St. Stephen’s School, Algester, Queensland, Australia Image: DesignShare.com

23. round buildings? School: Gwinnett University Center, Lawrenceville, Georgia Image: DesignShare.com

24. facilities open to the public? School: Little Village Lawndale High School, Chicago Image: DesignShare.com

25. galleries for student work? School: Galef Center for Fine Arts Los Angeles, California Image: DesignShare.com

26. flexible furniture? School: Estrella Mountain Community College, Avondale, Arizona Image: DesignShare.com

27. small group meeting spaces? School: Cary Grove High School, Cary, Illinois Image: DesignShare.com

28. hallways as classroom spaces? School: Pistorius-Schule, Herbrechtingen, Germany Image: DesignShare.com

29. buildings on a hill? School: Hachoresch Elementary School, Zirchron Ya’acov, Israel Image: DesignShare.com

30. learning centers? School: Three Mile Creek Elementary, Perry, Utah Image: DesignShare.com

31. lobbies? School: West Haven Elementary School, West Haven, Utah Image: DesignShare.com

32. multipurpose rooms? School: West Haven Elementary School, West Haven, Utah Image: DesignShare.com

33. alternative sports? School: Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Image: DesignShare.com

34. courtyards? School: La Cañada High School, California Image: DesignShare.com

35. non-traditional angles? School: Perspectives Charter School, Chicago Image: DesignShare.com

36. glass walls? School: Nus High School of Mathematics and Science, Singapore Image: DesignShare.com

37. outdoor study areas? School: Chung Cheng High School, Singapore Image: DesignShare.com

38. modern playgrounds? School: Suzhou Singapore International School, Suzhou, China Image: DesignShare.com

39. rooftops? School: Gwinnett University Center, Georgia Image: DesignShare.com

40. production studios? School: Cambridge Media Arts School, Cambridge, Massachutsetts Image: DesignShare.com

41. collaboration areas? School: Alpine Prototype Middle School, Alpine/Lehi, Utah Image: DesignShare.com

42. skylights? School: Reim Elementary School, Israel Image: DesignShare.com

43. faculty work areas? School: Estrella Mountain Community College, Avondale, Arizona Image: DesignShare.com

44. classrooms on wheels? Image: DesignShare.com

45. exposed architecture? School: Pistorius-Schule, Herbrechtingen, Germany Image: DesignShare.com

46. greenhouses? School: IslandWood: A School in the Woods Bainbridge Island, Washington Image: DesignShare.com

47. incorporating old growth? School: Paschalisschool, The Hague, Netherlands Image: DesignShare.com

48. indoor play structures? School: Spruce Street Nursery School, Boston Image: DesignShare.com

49. cultural learning spaces? School: Bronx Charter School for the Arts Image: DesignShare.com

50. life-skills areas? School: Spruce Street Nursery School, Boston Image: DesignShare.com

51. fitness centers? School: Cass Technical High School, Detroit Image: DesignShare.com

52. outdoor amphitheaters? School: Nan Hua Secondary School Singapore Image: DesignShare.com

53. playgrounds as learning tools? School: PS 40 M and PS 33 M, Long Island City, New York Image: DesignShare.com

54. reading rooms? School: PS1/Bergen School, New York, New York Image: DesignShare.com

55. reception desks? School: Keane Children’s Center/Charlestown Boys & Girls Club Charlestown, Massachusetts Image: DesignShare.com

56. buildings as educational tools? School: Warren Skaaren Environmental Learning Center at Westcave Preserve Dripping Springs, Texas Image: DesignShare.com

57. science labs? School: Romeo Engineering & Technology Center Romeo, Michigan Image: DesignShare.com

58. solar panels? School: Heritage Middle School, Wake Forest, North Carolina Image: DesignShare.com

59. sports fields? School: Oakwell Park, Napoleon, Ohio Image: NapoleonOhio.cc

60. technology in the hallways? School: Hackberry Elementary School, Frisco, Texas Image: DesignShare.com

61. activity spaces? School: PS1/Bergen School, New York, New York Image: DesignShare.com

62. ecology areas? School: Missouri Dept of Conservation Discovery Center Kansas City, Missouri Image: DesignShare.com

63. conference rooms? School: High Tech High International, San Diego, California Image: DesignShare.com

64. “ We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” -Gandhi

65. Pictures © DesignShare.com Music © James Horner, Braveheart Presentation Matt Horne

66. be the change…