Beyond the Blocks: How Small Shifts Create Big Change in Education

Yes, the system is broken, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

Every educator knows the weight of “the system”: standards, schedules, structures, and scores that can feel like immovable blocks. These fixed elements are real. They can be frustrating and, at times, overwhelming. But if we stop at that frustration, nothing changes. 

If we want our students to thrive, we have to find ways to innovate from within, to make the learning experience feel human again without dismantling everything overnight.

How BOB Was Born

I didn’t set out to create an approach. For many years, I designed projects that gave students more voice and choice while still meeting curriculum goals. Eventually, thanks to an inspirational mentor, I realized these projects shared a common thread, and that thread became Building Outside the Blocks (BOB). BOB isn’t about breaking the system. It’s about bending within it by creating learning experiences that honor both the curriculum and the learner. Instead of adding more to an already full plate, BOB makes the plate more purposeful. And, in time, I believe this work can disrupt the system enough that it evolves into something better.

What a BOB Approach Does

BOB is a personalized, project-based approach that helps teachers and students work differently inside the same structures. It:

✔ Builds Skill – Every project is anchored in curriculum expectations, strengthening essential literacy and numeracy skills. 

✔ Fosters Autonomy – Students make choices about topic, timing, and format, giving them ownership of their learning. 

✔ Creates Community – Projects invite students to share who they are, building empathy and belonging. 

✔ Sparks Connection – Teachers learn their students’ interests and strengths, bridging the gap between the learner and the learning.

BOB doesn’t ignore the system. It humanizes learning within it by fostering transferable skills, engagement, and voice.

Why I’m Not a “Disruptor”

Some people call me a disruptor, but the word never felt right. It sounds destructive, and my work is about building, not breaking. Disruptor suggests conflict, while my favorite role is creative collaborator when working with administrators, teachers, and students- to spark ideas together. I don’t disrupt for disruption’s sake; I innovate with intentionality and care. My work is designed, principled, and focused on positive transformation with purpose. BOB is that force- constructive, human-centered, and hopeful.

Start Small and See the Difference

You don’t have to overhaul your practice or adopt every BOB project to see impact. Start small:

✔ Let students choose when and how they present a universally designed project. 

✔ Connect it to their life or interests, while meeting curriculum goals.

When you see the change in engagement, confidence, and class culture, you’ll want to do it again. And again.

Because when you experience what it feels like to build outside the blocks, you’ll realize the system doesn’t have to be a boundary. It can be a framework for something better, if we dare to create within it.