When it comes to my knowledge of the difference between school and education, I’ll put myself up next to anyone on the planet.
I have listened to 700 episodes of the School Sucks Podcast the past 12 years.
I taught in K-12 for 8 of those years.
I’ve examined the philosophical, the psychological, the historical, and the economic premises at play in this system.
And I want to abolish that system.
That’s why I left to join my company Crash.
But, unlike others who want to see the system dissolve, I don’t think teachers are evil.
I don’t shame them.
Shame has no purpose in evolving our culture to a higher level of consciousness and compassion.
But I do challenge teachers.
I challenge them to think, be honest, and stare the dragon in the face.
Question the fundamentals of the system.
Yes, many if not most teachers see big flaws in the system.
But they don’t examine the roots of those flaws.
How is the system funded? (Taxation)
What is taxation? (Coercion)
Is school attendance voluntary? (No)
Can true education take place with compulsion?
What are the hidden lessons of school? (Obedience, conformity)
And….
Am I unwittingly playing a part in hurting children?
That’s the question I asked myself, as did John Taylor Gatto.
The most courageous and compassionate teachers look at their own lives.
And they don’t justify and rationalize with, “this is just how it is, I’d like to impact children positively as I can, given the system.”
No. Don’t accept the system. I hear you, I hear you that you want to make a difference inside it, but ultimately, you are a cog in the wheel of a system based on command, control, and bullying.
That’s the dragon you need to look at.
You have one life. Go empower yourself to create new education paradigms.
Leave the system.
Start a home education co-op.
Start a business.
Go into the marketplace and leave a coercive instituion. Harness your entrepreneurial potential in any way that is voluntary (outside government).
Yes it’s hard, and you can take your time to build your lifeboat. And you don’t need to feel guilt or shame. You ARE putting forth GREAT effort.
But the truth is the truth. Will you think, or evade?
