Quantify Tragic
Reviewing David Warlick’s blog, which I enjoy tremendously, more so than reading the blogs and published writings of his detractors, I ran across this paragraph:
But I think that we need to acknowledge the tragic waste that is resulting from today’s system. We need to stop believing that we can bandaid the system into relevance. I think that we need to be willing to say, “It’s too late for her. Now, what can we do to make sure that we never have to say that again.”
And the question that popped into my head was, how do you quantify the “tragic waste that is resulting from today’s system?” How bad is it really and where do I go to find that out? How do you quantify, tragic?
It’s important to know how to quantify tragic when referring to schools because my gut reaction is that we too often criticize schools, teachers, administrators in the media, in the legislature, in books. Of course, I can cite the reports that call for dramatic change to our education system. I’m just not sure I believe them anymore. Is that an ostrich dropping its head into the sand, anomie, or just a realization that every constituent group has its own agenda and plan for achieving it, which may or may not cause considerable collateral damage to other stakeholder groups.
How do you quantify tragic in today’s education system? Perhaps one should ask, how do you quantify learning in spite of all odds? How do you quantify a passionate desire to continue learning and doing when everyone, even your own mother, tells you it’s impossible, you’re not qualified, you can’t do it, and should go find another way?
Now, that last paragraph would be so much better if I had links for each example. I don’t.
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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure