I recently pitched an idea about consulting with schools to embed explicit instruction in 21st century skills (communication, collaboration etc.) to a room full of peers, judges, and investors. I was a panicked, nervous wreck and did not perform as well as I hoped. Other educators also pitched a plethora of wonderful (and winning) ideas that included cooking lessons for English language learners, using virtual reality field trips for rural students, and connecting elementary students with elderly patients in nursing care facilities. I'm proud to be part of a community of such empathetic and motivated educators. Seriously, it gives me hope for our students and our future. Over 80% of the groups that pitched also mentioned skills in conjunction with their projects. "This will be great, and it will help them with collaboration!" "They will learn, have fun, and innovate!" And they were all right! But, we can't just continue to add these skills on as an afte...