Innovative Educators Reap Great Rewards despite the Flaws of the Public Education System

For the past two years, my experience in public schooling has been the typical educator's roller coaster ride, with unexpected bumps and dips, prolonged highs and heart-stopping lows. I jumped onto the roller coaster as a classified staff member in the special education team in an elementary school, burdened by no huge expectations but rather dreading that I might not find a 'fit' in the teaching profession. Already blessed with four children of my own, I felt fulfilled with my existing 'mommy' responsibilities. Honestly, I was not sure that I had the energy to bestow the same degree of dedication and care upon these 'other' children - and I knew, that giving them less than that would not be fair. After all, children's characters, disposition, and values are inevitably influenced by the educators to whom they are entrusted for so many hours every school day.

Enter 'I' into a system that has been churning for quite some time. I immediately see that, in general, students don’t seem challenged although teachers are committed, and students don't retain concepts despite the creativity of the lesson plans being used. Students who learn differently or who have behavior issues either disrupt the pace of learning or are left behind. Communication attempts between staff are mostly blunt interactions to establish rights and wrongs rather than sessions of collaboration to pursue across-the-board improvement. Why am I not surprised? After all, in any profession, conflicts result when people have to work together.

And so, what causes such inefficiencies? Gatto blames the 'Makers' for creating the present public schooling system which he views as detrimental to society as a whole. (http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/historytour/history1.htm)
Yet, there are blatant benefits of 'compulsion schooling'. To name one, parents may otherwise neglect their children's development. The children of such parents would not be exposed to much of what the world has to offer. How could these children develop a desire to pursue that which they cannot even fathom? Does knowledge, whatever form it may come in, not catalyze thoughts, thus forcing the mind into action and possibly stirring some curiosity?

Furthermore, even if all parents engaged responsibly in their children's education or paid someone else to do it, wouldn't it behoove society to evaluate the effectiveness of the methods employed? How would parents know if they are getting their money's worth?

And money is definitely the key to the problem. Gatto mentions that it all starts in the 20th century, as a result of world wars and economic upheaval. (http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/historytour/history5.htm)
I'll say that it all started when some ambitious genius created that instrument that carries indiscriminate value and power - money. We all need money today, and those who badly want it will employ any means to obtain money and the privileges associated with it. Enter the 'Makers'.

Henry Ford, as per Gatto's terminology, is a 'Maker'. He introduced the assembly line that "revolutionized American society and molded the world we live in today". (http://www.mackinac.org/4926)
Firstly, his innovations turned a luxury (a vehicle) into a commodity available to all income groups. Secondly, his assembly line concept was adopted throughout enterprise and government. This concept gave many people a little piece of the puzzle, but gave no one enough knowledge to piece the whole puzzle together - or worse yet, to pull the puzzle apart. There must have been the hope of increased productivity and profit. But, were the 'Makers' intentionally systemizing the social make-up of society, with a small wealthy group manipulating the large middle-class that it employs. After all, people who know only a small part of the process, should earn only a small part of the profit. The impact on schooling: "consolidation into larger districts under the factory principle of economies of scale". (http://www.mackinac.org/4926)
Sir Ken Robinson, author and educator, declares: "The problem is that educating young people is not like making motorcars -- at all". (http://www.deborahmeier.com/index.htm)


Students encounter a school system that applies the same methods for all, and that focuses on getting them career-ready... (http://achieve.org/about-achieve)
Hmm?! The one-size fits all approach is truly not effective - I have seen it at work. Sir Ken Robinson wisely asserts that human flourishing (in education) is comparable to an organic process such as the agricultural system and not to the mechanical process which is presently used by schools. (http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/)
But the root cause has more to do with the economic and social policies that our governments adopt than with the actual school system which is but a by-product of these policies. The source of the problem are the 'macro' policies that define the rules of enterprise - and yes, that definitely smells of 'Makers' like Henry Ford.

The 'Makers' have definitely had an impact in the make-up of the public school system. In fact, I am mortified by my responses when interviewing for my job: "I understand the importance and know how to support and make the school system work"! It seems like I am a supporter of the existing system!

This oppressive feeling that doomsday is approaching suddenly fades away when I think of the children, the faces with names who attend public school. Smiling faces, excited about their learning experiences. Others, sadly, not so happy, a clear manifestation of a child that is not thriving in the learning environment provided to him or her. Indeed, there are teachers who limit the faculties of a child. Fortunately, there are many more teachers who, on a daily basis, touch the lives of students, fostering their success and their positive choices. Enter the 'Innovators'.

One such brave 'Innovator' is Deborah Meier (born in 1931), who stood up to the challenges of public schooling in New York City's East Harlem district. The greatness of her achievement lies in the fact that she worked within the system to create synergies with the resources available to her. By empowering teachers and parents, Meier created an environment that encouraged family participation and active learning - she enhanced the learning experience of her students and their families. (http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/innovators/index.html)


I am not a 'Maker' - I have no financial, industrial or service empire that would provide me the economic means to determine and implement a method of doing business in a macro scenario. If I were to acquire the economic means, I sure hope that I do not concoct to stunt the growth of others. The 'Makers' created great changes in schooling, unfortunately mainly intended to guarantee them great economic returns - indefinitely.

I do wish that I develop the courage and foresight of so many 'Innovators' that currently teach. Although I find many benefits in systematization, a teacher must have and must display knowledge, creativity, resourcefulness, consideration, discernment and forward-thinking in order to engage students' interests and exploit their strengths.