What is Wrong with Education?

            What is wrong with education? It's an interesting question, isn't it? To begin we must distinguish between learning and education. One would assume the two concepts are intimately intertwined, but that assumption is faulty. Learning is often an inverted version of education.

            When we thinking of learning, we think of gaining knowledge of self, knowledge of the world, and a better understanding of truth. This process is driven internally. It's our own sense of wonder; emotional attachment to some thing, concept, or person; or innate curiosity that propels us to explore the world. Learning is an inside-out process fueled by the spark of spirit and heart that lies within.

            Education is all about control. It's not that a teacher wants to be controlling. It might not even be a dean, supervisor, or principal that wants to be controlling. But, who is really in control of education? It's almost always some bureaucrat or politician that makes the real decisions that control the direction of education. And, what are bureaucrats and politicians? Control freaks!

            How do control freaks operate? It can't be about the spark of spirit and heart that lies within. That can't easily be controlled. For each individual, that spark is unique. Unique things are hard to control. They’re unpredictable. Control is always achieved externally—through policies, procedures, grades, tests, and whatever other rewards and punishments one deems necessary. In religious circles, this is called legalism. It's when a group or individual becomes overly concerned with meeting externally-opposed standards as opposed to being transformed in the inner man.

            So, learning starts from the inside. Education is imposed from the outside. I don't necessarily think education has to be that way, but that's how it's usually done.

            Let's consider for a moment how a teacher is wired. I've met many. Most are wonderful people that are concerned for their students. They give, give, and give of themselves—of their time, effort, emotional and spiritual energies. Teachers (by this I mean someone who is a teacher by nature and not necessarily by profession) are wired this way. All their internal goodness flows out—like a spigot that has been welded wide open. They can’t stop giving of themselves. It’s a nature they can’t overcome even when it becomes detrimental to their own wellbeing.

            There are people that God has designed to be teachers. Not everyone leading a classroom is one of them. If you’re a student, you know the difference between someone who is a teacher by profession, and someone who is a teacher because that’s who they are. When I speak of teachers, I’m speaking of the latter.

            Put someone wired this way into a system that focuses on imposing externals to control behavior, and a pressure-multiplying effect happens. The forces from within are pushing out and the forces from without are pushing in. The effect is the same as a pressure cooker with too much internal pressure. There’s only two options: explode or lessen the steam. We’ve seen the first option on social media—the teacher that explodes. People always blame the teacher, but it’s the system that pushed to that conclusion. The second option is what happens to most teachers. Over time they lose steam. Their love for teaching and students diminish. They don’t want it to happen, but self-preservation demands the inevitable decline of teaching steam.

            Let’s consider what happens to students. Place someone inside a system of external rewards and punishment and they do learn—primarily how to manipulate the system to avoid punishments and reap rewards. The direction comes from without instead of within. Overtime students learn to become other-directed and manipulative. But, learning is an inside-out process. People generally don’t let the inside come out unless they're in a supportive, open environment—which is the polar opposite of education. That becomes the crux of the matter—learning and education are often negatives of one another.

            Teachers struggle to form the proper relationships with student. They are often at odds—with teacher being the enforcer of the system, and student being the manipulator of the system. A teacher has a hard time turning off their spigot of energy. It’s at the heart of the gift God has given them—an outpouring of positive energy into their environment. Self-directed people reflect and enhance that flow. Other-directed people absorb that energy like a sponge. Remember, students have been conditioned by the system to be other-directed and manipulative.

            A true teacher is wired to function within a learning environment surrounded by learners. The inner spark of each member of the community, not the inner spark of a few labeled as “teacher”, fuels such an environment. God hasn’t designed a teacher to be surrounded by other-directed people. In such an environment, the teacher becomes a burnt-out husk—constantly giving while others are constantly absorbing.

            What is wrong with education? Learning is self-directed; education is other-directed. Learning functions best in an open, supportive environment that allows for individual expression and exploration; education is controlling, constricting, and bureaucratic. Learning explodes when a teacher becomes a catalyst; but education takes those gifted to teach and puts them in an environment than exploits them, and surrounds them by people that abuse them. Abuse will only sound like a harsh word to those that have never been an educator. Educators will testify that students and administrators show everything from a mild lack of respect to an utter disregard to the humanity of teachers. Abuse is anything that dehumanizes another—and educators face dehumanization on a daily basis.

            Learning and education are opposites. This is a simplification, but it is an accurate one in many cases. I know an exploration of these topics mean different things to those who control the system and those that teach. For those controlling the system, they think, “Okay, then let’s add this structure, or try this policy, or let’s retrain our teachers.” Bureaucrats never think in terms of radically transforming anything, because they wouldn’t know how to function. So, when confronted with systemic problems, they try to solve it by adding something to the system—which, inevitable, ends up another to-do on the checklist of the minions below them. Ever wonder why the most seasoned teachers are often the least vocal at the faculty meeting? They know that great ideas are transformed as they progress up the chain of command—from means of transformation to measures of tyranny.

            What is wrong with education? Education often conflicts with teaching and learning. The product doesn’t meet the marketing, and the only hope is to abandon what we consider education and begin to design something new from the ground up.

            

Wahoo for the Windians!

            The streak is over, but the march to the pennant continues! The Indians have become the dominant team in baseball. Can they go all the way? Only time will tell, but fans in Northeast, Ohio have come to revel in the team-wide heroics that define this team. Let’s look at a few.

TITOLATING MANAGEMENT

            We see the mastermind in the dugout, constantly chomping on his sunflower seeds. His humble demeanor masking the strategy going on in his head. He is a wizard with the players, bringing out the best in each of them. Perhaps the best moment to understand Tito is when he sent 21-year Francisco Mejia to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with a 23-game winning streak on the line. Some may question the wisdom of that decision, but Tito was less concerned about a winning streak and more concerned about developing a winning player. He understands talent and will take a gamble when he sees potential. In terms of the game, sometimes that gamble pays off. Sometimes it doesn’t. But, in terms of player development, the gamble always pays off. Every player on the roster is playing to their potential. That starts at the top.

FRANKIE SPANKIE

            Frankie continues to spank the ball—it’s going back deep, deep, deep, . . . it’s gone! When he came to Cleveland, we knew Lindor could lead with leather. Now, he’s developing into a potent power hitter and a great lead-off batter.

BAUER POWER

            When discussions arise about Cleveland’s pitching staff, the first name mentioned is Kluber. He is the Klubot and resistance is futile. However, it has been the development of the rest of the staff that has transformed them into a force of nature. Right before our eyes, Bauer and Clevinger are becoming aces. The road to the pennant is paved with pitching. The formula is usually: 2 aces, a dominant closer, several setup men, and solid pitching to fill in the gaps. The Indians may enter October with 4 aces, 2 dominant closers, and a bullpen filled with hard hurling setup and middlemen!

            We also have to give props to Bauer for his Mini Head baseballs. This is the type of fun that creates a great atmosphere—both for the fans and the players!

BRUCE JUICE

            The big man takes it deep—again! The Indians are playing better with his bat, and no doubt his presence in the locker room and on the field. We’ve also witnessed his efforts to help those harmed by Hurricane Harvey. He doesn’t just make this team better. He makes the world a better place. Welcome to Cleveland!

RAMI SLAMMY

            When Ramirez hit five extra base hits in a game, no one in Cleveland was surprised. Jose is one of the most exciting offensive players in the game. The moment the ball leaves the bat, he’s looking to extend a single into a double, or a double into a triple. He’s also developed into a great fielder. What may be scary for every other team is that we’re not certain if Ramirez has peaked. He could get even better!

GOMER HOMER

            Credit must go to the two men behind the plate—Gomes and Perez. The fans have come to expect their defense, their cannon throws to pickoff runners, and the way they work with the pitchers. But, these two have given us more—so much more. They’ve transformed the bottom of the lineup into a threat. Opposing pitchers simply can’t find an easy out anywhere in this Indians’ lineup.

GIOVACUUM URSHELA

            This kid has leather—lithe and lively! He may be the best defender in the Indians’ infield—and this is an infield stacked with leather. It seems every young player the Indians call up brings something fascinating to the field. The logical conclusion is that this organization is deep—from the minors all the way up, they have the management and developmental staff to bring the best!

EDWINNER

            I could also refer to the parrot! EE is a veteran that brings experience and a big bat to this club. It’s also fun to watch fans dressing up in parrot uniforms. He is an anchor in the middle of the lineup!

A-JACK

            It may be more appropriate to use his nickname, Ajax. We’ve all heard of the cleaner that washes away grime, grease, and gunk. Ajax washes away homeruns! He had the catch. It’s likely the play of the year for baseball—maybe the play of the year for all of sports. It’s just another example of the excitement every player brings—night in and night out!

SLAMTANA

             Carlos goes deep! Again! Night after night he brings the bat. We are also watching him develop into a defensive diamond at first. Clevelanders stay up late at night arguing who should win the MVP. The obvious choice is Lindor, but then talk of Ramirez and Santana enter the mix. If only Santana could also play guitar. Would that be asking too much!

            There’s not much debate in Cleveland who should be the manager of the year. And, even less debate about the Cy Young. It should be Kluber! But next year, could several Indians hurler be in the race? Ah, that is worth a late-night argument.

            Of course, these are only a small sample of all the highlights. We have the 22-game winning streak. That should be enough, but we want more. We want the pennant, and this team has the tools to deliver!

Rhythm, Poetry, and Music

            Rhythm is a repeating pattern of sound. We hear rhythm everywhere—from the crashing waves of the ocean, to the hypnotic sound of a train, to the speech we hear in our daily lives. Rhythm is part of nature. Summer rises and leads to fall. Fall leads to winter, and then spring arrives. The sun rises and sets. We wake up; we go to sleep. Rhythm is so engrained into our spirits, minds, and experience, that we often don’t stop to think about it.

            Rhythm is found in nature, but it is also learned. As we learn to speak, we naturally learn rhythm. Take some time to listen to someone that doesn’t speak English as a native language. Even if every vowel and consonant resonates with perfect pronunciation, they still may be difficult to understand. Why? They have pronunciation, but they don’t have a rhythm our ear is accustomed to. Our native tongue shapes our experience and conditions us to be drawn to certain rhythmic patterns. When those patterns are missing, we find things jarring, and it requires extra effort to extrapolate meaning.

            In English certain syllables are given more or less emphasis. We generally have three variations in emphasis: loud, which is a stressed syllable; medium, which is a semi-stressed syllable; and soft, which is an unstressed syllable. Let’s consider the word, “harmony”. It is generally said:

            HAR         mon         ee

Obviously, the emphasis is being exaggerated, but when the emPHASis is on the wrong sylLABle things sound a bit wonky. We've grown used to a rhythmic pattern for familiar words, and when someone doesn't follow that pattern, we find the sound cacophonous.

            Let's consider a pattern of rhythm for a moment:

            DUM         cha         dum         cha

Say it! Yes, I'm serious! Now, take it and repeat it in a cycle:

            DUM         cha         dum         cha         DUM         cha         dum         cha

            DUM         cha         dum         cha         DUM         cha         dum         cha

            DUM         cha         dum         cha         DUM         cha         dum         cha

            DUM         cha         dum         cha         DUM         cha         dum         cha

This rhythmic cycle is the most common pattern of rhythm found in Western music. No doubt other cultures may produce different rhythm patterns. Ever eat at a Chinese restaurant? At my local Chinese establishment (with its addicting beef lo mein), when the lady takes your order, she then barks it back to the kitchen staff in Chinese. You can hear all the cooks barking back and forth in a speech that sounds foreign and jarring to my tender American ears. Why does it sound so jarring? Because the rhythm isn't what I'm used to! Can you recognize music that comes from the Orient? It has a certain sound, doesn't it? Part of this is the rhythm.

            Ever wonder why someone sounds a little pompous when they never use contractions and always use "he or she" instead of the ubiquitous "they"? It's because they are grammatically correct, but rhythmically challenged. It ain't right, but sometimes grammar and rhythm collide. "It ain't" has a different rhythm then "it is not", and often the "ain't" paints a better melody. Contractions also change the rhythm of a sentence, because they shorten things one syllable. One syllable doesn't sound like much, but consider:

            DUM         cha         dum         cha         DUM         cha         dum         cha

            DUM         cha         dum         cha         DUM         cha         dum         cha

            DUM     cha  cha        dum         cha         DUM         cha          dum        cha

            DUM         cha         dum         cha         DUM         cha         dum         cha

Oh, that hideous third line of rhythm!

            Do you happen to have a friend that likes to curse, and is also funny? You can be honest and tell me the truth. I'm only a blog, so I won't tell anyone:) Part of you may be thinking, "He shouldn't be saying those frickin-frackin words, that son of a blizzard!" Yet, part of you finds his colorful metaphors (with all those bleeping words and even his grammatically deficient sentence structures) not only appealing, but raucously hilarious! Why?

            Consider cursing for a moment. It's okay, I won't tell your mother. Cursing often involves short words or phrases that are rhythmic in nature. "The man who had sexual relations with my maternal parent" isn't as rhythmic as that, "MOTHER F, . . ." Well, you can fill in the rest! If you consider cursing from the standpoint of rhythm, curse words and phrases are a rhythmic Lego set that easily allows one to construct rhythmically powerful language.

            When building rhythm, it's often easier to use short, concrete words as opposed to long, abstract words. How often do you hear the word "exponentially" in a song? In Western music, the most common rhythm patterns are based on two, three, and four "syllables". Okay, "syllables" isn't the correct technical term, but for the moment we're looking at the similarity between music and language. In many ways, the beat of music is similar to the syllables of speech.

            There is a rhythm to speech we find appealing. That rhythm is similar to rhythm we tap our feet to or enjoy when we hear Dr. Suess. Rhythm is a foundational element to music, writing, and poetry. If you want success in those disciplines, you need to get your groove on. Rhythm is also the point where the three intersect. Song lyrics can be viewed as poetry that is voiced with an emphasis on changing pitch. Poetry is a song without strong emphasis on changing pitch. Music can be written without lyrics, but even without lyrics, there are certain patterns of rhythm our ears find appealing. Many of those patterns come from the way we speak our language.

Could Collective Bargaining be Uberized?

William looks at his half peanut butter sandwich. It’s all he can afford to eat. His wife, Wilma, a nurse, will be eating the other half later today at her lunch break. The only one in the family who eats a whole peanut butter sandwich is Willy Jr. And, sometimes, right before payday, even little Willy goes hungry.

William and Wilma work hard, yet they can’t seem to make ends meet. William picks at the blister on his hand. It has been bothering him all day, as he’s been making widgets for his company, Widgets R’ Us. William has sent out hundreds of resumes, all to jobs he’s highly qualified to do. But, none have panned out. He’s thinking about choking his neighbor Bob, who just yesterday was telling him, “If you don’t like your job, just find another.” Just find another! That’s not so easy. Like many workers, William has tried to find another, but jobs are scarce.

Meanwhile, Peter Pennipencher is riding in his limo to Widgets R’ Us. He is the CEO. His job is to pinch everyone—workers, customers, the government; it doesn’t matter to Peter, as long as his company makes profit. That’s the only thing he’s hired to do—make profit for investors. If he does that in the short term, he gets perks on top of his multimillion-dollar salary. Right now he’s reading about a company that produces widgets overseas. They produce them cheaply, and it has Peter thinking about moving production overseas.

William is thinking it would be wonderful to unionize. But, he’s scared. He’s met Peter, and he knows Peter is heartless. He wouldn’t hesitate firing anyone who even whispers the word, “union”. Plus, William has been misclassified as an independent contractor, and word has leaked out that independent contractors don’t have the right to form a union. There have even been rumors about severe legal actions that would be taken against them. Peter is behind all the rumors. A union ruins his whole scheme. Just imagine workers wanting decent pay, legal protection under the law, and benefits? It would cut into the company’s profits—and his stock options.

Peter is using every option at his command to “uberize” his workers. What he wants is a highly skilled, highly motivated, productive workforce; but, he doesn’t want to pay for it. He’ll use every trick in the book to cheat his workers out of pay and benefits. It’s what he’s paid to do! He uses all kinds of apps, computer models, and technological resources to coordinate his workers and eliminate the need for as many people as possible. It’s one of the reasons why his workers are so overworked.

But, let’s imagine for a moment that William and the other workers are able to unionize. The biggest barrier to that is fear. But, what if technology takes fear out of the equation? What if technology allows the workers to band together, but to do it anonymously? Without fear of retaliation, unionization might happen at the Widgets R’ Us factory, but workers are also afraid of outsourcing. But, what if the same technology that allows them to unionize, also allows them to coordinate with other workers in the factories overseas? What if it also allows them to coordinate with other workers in the same industry? All of a sudden, Peter’s power over his workers would fade. Right now, Peter’s workers are afraid of him? But, what if the tables turned? What if Peter was afraid of his workers?

Let’s imagine for a moment that a software developer comes up with an app called Unionize. It allows workers to anonymously sign up for an account and use a fake name on its online discussion board. It has to have an anonymous discussion board. Peter will eventually sign up for an account, and it’s important he sees how many of his worker want to band together, and what they really think of him and the company. It helps to increase the fear he experiences. It’s also good for Peter to know that his workers are coordinating their efforts with others in the industry, and the factories overseas. This increases his apprehension and his desires to appease his workers.

The app allows workers to pick their company, job title, and industry. As more workers sign up, it begins to build a database—of workers, companies, job titles, and industries. It also shows workers how many other similar workers are wanting to unionize to better themselves. It could be a powerful tool.

Imagine new features begin to be added to Unionize. It allows workers to chose whether they are classified as independent contractors or employees. It also has algorithms that estimate if workers were being misclassified, and if it is highly probably, the app immediately notifies the proper tax and labor departments. Now, more power is being given to workers.

Now, imagine the app includes categories of things such as wages, hours worked per week, paid sick days, paid vacation days, paid personal days, percentage of profit sharing, and cost of health insurance. The app could allow workers to choose what they felt were fair amounts for each of these categories. And, the app could include what the workers were actually receiving in each of these categories. Over time, the app would begin to give a picture of an industry. This information gives power to workers.

Now, imagine workers could supply estimates of how many workers were being employed by their employer. The app could track and make all this data available to users in real time. It could even provide algorithms that could estimate when a particular company has enough workers interested in either forming a union or trying to improve worker pay and/or conditions. And, since the app already has information about wages and benefits, it could provide suggestions as to worker demands. Such an app could also calculate currencies worldwide to the home currency of each user, so it could give a global overview of an industry.

Because such an app could coordinate the activities of workers around the world in a particular industry, it could be useful for coordinating worker strikes; both locally and globally. Workers would now have the power to force an industry to its knees, and bring management to the bargaining table! And, they could do it anonymously.

Of course, then comes the rub. Someone has to show up at the table. And, those workers would face possible retaliation. So, let’s give the app another feature. Imagine it allows workers to nominate third party arbitrators—people who would represent the workers, but not be attached to the industry. The app could also allow workers to reveal their identities if they would like to be representatives of a company’s workers or an industry.

If someone could only uberize collective bargaining, it would be a tremendous tool in raising income and benefits to workers worldwide. Unfortunately, I don’t have the skills to develop such an app. But, if you have the skills, please take my idea and run with it. We’re living in an era where our standard of living is plummeting, and the only reason I can see for it is so Peter can live even larger than he’s already living. We need the power to return to the people.