The Origin of Schools

I believe that because we love both our children (and grandchildren) we should give our greatest respect, encouragement, and support to their teachers. In many ways I think they need that respect and encouragement as much as ever. In recent years a lot of folks have blamed teachers for many of the problems with our education system, calling for great accountability, moving to assess that ability largely through standardized tests, and by tying funding to those test results.

But how often do you hear someone question the larger educational system in which our children and their teachers all function? Like most institutions, we tend to accept them “as is,” never wondering about how they got started, what values or goals put them in place, or whether those values and goals still serve us today. Today and tomorrow I’ll share pieces from two provocative thinkers who do just that. Today, one of my favorite writers and thinkers, Seth Godin. In this interview with Lee Stranahan, Seth discusses the failure of our educational model, suggesting that a primary problem is that it was with factories in mind.

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