I can’t say I can remember ever having an institution I trusted in the same way I trusted the bridge across the Tennessee River at the bottom of Brindlee Mountain, the one that took my father to his federal civil service job. When you are a safe and privileged child you grow up with a lot of time to look around and to think and you have permission to question. When you get to develop the skills to observe, think critically and question in safety among those who don’t have those same privileges it seems to make you “think differently,” in Apple-speak. That doesn’t have to mean animosity towards those institutions. This post articulates the problem perfectly, communicating it in easy to understand ways. Share, share, share, folks.
Excellent discussion here, thanks. The systemic view is very helpful, but oddly often ignored in public rhetoric (pro or con) for the institutional issues.
My pet institution to focus on would be the public school systems and people who forget they are not their to educate your children (public schools exist to educate your neighbor's children). Abandon your public school for a private option if you wish, but don't for one second stop supporting your public school unless you are willing to live in a poorly educated community.
As additional reference for your book development, maybe have a read of The Innovation Delusion by Vinsel and Russell. Unfortunately I can't really recommend the book in general--I'm an innovator and their thesis is too "us or them" for my taste! But the basic hypothesis they make (we are missing a Maintenance Mindset within our innovation programs) is very sound and resonates strongly with your take here. I am a quality engineer, and would restate their mindset principles as [quality] sustains success, [quality] depends on culture and management, and [quality] requires constant care.
As both a product of rural public schools a long, long time ago, and someone who has been embedded in a rural public school system via a nonprofit for over the past 20 years I have a few observations. In many communities the focus has changed from whose children the schools are there to educate to who gets the jobs educating whichever children and how cheap those people will work. Not exactly a stellar model for anything. Never was a particularly good one to maintain.
And as someone who has dedicated much time, expertise and treasure to the children and families served by public schools over a lifetime, all of them, if I had school aged children today I’m not sure how I would proceed because I could not in good conscience intentionally do to my own children what I work against in our well meaning but thoroughly broken public schools or the private options where such exists.
We do need quality across the board. We also have to figure out a system for paying for that quality without taking advantage of anyone. Everyone needs to remember that the department of education was a campaign promise from Jimmy Carter. He warned those he promised, This isn’t going to work like you think it is. It did not.
Maintaining what doesn't and never actually worked equitably won’t work. That's where innovation comes in.
Wonderful discussion. Education is a great example to work into your book as other commenters have noted. My nomination would be the legal system today. It derives from English common law which was intended to provide a consistent and repeatable method of settling disputes and holding everyone accountable. Our legal system today allows those with the most resources to delay the process and make it too expensive for ordinary citizens to participate, much less prevail against them. It also permits the highly resourced, including governments, to use the courts as a bludgeon against those they don't like.
I can’t say I can remember ever having an institution I trusted in the same way I trusted the bridge across the Tennessee River at the bottom of Brindlee Mountain, the one that took my father to his federal civil service job. When you are a safe and privileged child you grow up with a lot of time to look around and to think and you have permission to question. When you get to develop the skills to observe, think critically and question in safety among those who don’t have those same privileges it seems to make you “think differently,” in Apple-speak. That doesn’t have to mean animosity towards those institutions. This post articulates the problem perfectly, communicating it in easy to understand ways. Share, share, share, folks.
Thanks as always, Lori! Your support and shares are very much appreciated.
Excellent discussion here, thanks. The systemic view is very helpful, but oddly often ignored in public rhetoric (pro or con) for the institutional issues.
My pet institution to focus on would be the public school systems and people who forget they are not their to educate your children (public schools exist to educate your neighbor's children). Abandon your public school for a private option if you wish, but don't for one second stop supporting your public school unless you are willing to live in a poorly educated community.
As additional reference for your book development, maybe have a read of The Innovation Delusion by Vinsel and Russell. Unfortunately I can't really recommend the book in general--I'm an innovator and their thesis is too "us or them" for my taste! But the basic hypothesis they make (we are missing a Maintenance Mindset within our innovation programs) is very sound and resonates strongly with your take here. I am a quality engineer, and would restate their mindset principles as [quality] sustains success, [quality] depends on culture and management, and [quality] requires constant care.
As both a product of rural public schools a long, long time ago, and someone who has been embedded in a rural public school system via a nonprofit for over the past 20 years I have a few observations. In many communities the focus has changed from whose children the schools are there to educate to who gets the jobs educating whichever children and how cheap those people will work. Not exactly a stellar model for anything. Never was a particularly good one to maintain.
And as someone who has dedicated much time, expertise and treasure to the children and families served by public schools over a lifetime, all of them, if I had school aged children today I’m not sure how I would proceed because I could not in good conscience intentionally do to my own children what I work against in our well meaning but thoroughly broken public schools or the private options where such exists.
We do need quality across the board. We also have to figure out a system for paying for that quality without taking advantage of anyone. Everyone needs to remember that the department of education was a campaign promise from Jimmy Carter. He warned those he promised, This isn’t going to work like you think it is. It did not.
Maintaining what doesn't and never actually worked equitably won’t work. That's where innovation comes in.
Wonderful discussion. Education is a great example to work into your book as other commenters have noted. My nomination would be the legal system today. It derives from English common law which was intended to provide a consistent and repeatable method of settling disputes and holding everyone accountable. Our legal system today allows those with the most resources to delay the process and make it too expensive for ordinary citizens to participate, much less prevail against them. It also permits the highly resourced, including governments, to use the courts as a bludgeon against those they don't like.