My musings have been inspired by the thought of stimulating change within systems that failed me. I have felt additionally motivated by highly regarded authours and speakers who have validated my points of view and such arguments as I have put forth in this essay. What these writers instill in their readers, and motivational speakers in their listeners, uphold the realities of such claims. How can our present not improve and our future not be glorious if these very basic human principles, such as found in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey were applied and taught starting from the earliest grades?

Is the aim of education not intended to create future achievers?
 

We Got Just What We Paid For

Historically, the purpose of education was to instill in our youth the values and aspirations of our communities and societies. Immersed with the essentials required to become productive members, upon graduating our youth would take their place within society. There is no need for this objective to change. Only the means and methods of our education systems demand reform.

Students live, and are educated in our North American societies based on principles of free enterprise. Yet the systems in which they are taught enslaves and demeans individualities, robbing them, and us, of the basic, relevant essentials to our communities' evolution. As a result, students often feel, behave and react not much differently than slaves have historically been known to.

We have failed them miserably. We have cheated them. We have deceived them. We are raising generations of eventual rebels, many of whom go on to contribute to the ills, and ultimately the downfall of our societies. We have cheated ourselves, as well as them, out of the prosperous futures that every one of us must now fight to rebuild. If it is not the intention of our education systems to give our youth the wherewithal to integrate smoothly into society and to become productive members of our communities, then my arguments would appear to be out of line. Having the conviction that this is not the case however, I will continue.
 

The Metaphoric Purposes of Education

I am of the opinion that the principles of a society based on 'free enterprise' are of value. Enterprises are where products and services are generated and sold to members of our societies in order to make profit and thereby be sustained. I also firmly believe this can be done without enslaving individuals or their spirits within! In order to thrive the enterprise must offer something consumers need or want enough to be willing to pay the asking price.

Foreseeing potential monetary gains, investors extend the services of their money in the hopes of realizing financial growth and greater security. Whether or not investments contribute to an investor's overall security or sense of well-being is always a matter of risk. In essence, that is what enterprise is all about and it cannot exist without such individuals willing to drive it.

Technically, our education systems are funded by long-term investors in the form of taxpayers, most of them being parents. For argument sake, these education systems could therefore be equated to enterprises producing products in the form of productive members of society. In effect, the students represent future products and services under development. In the enterprise system, the research and development stages (R&D) tend to demand the greatest amount of investment with the expectations of receiving returns on those investments (or ROI) when the final products ultimately goes to market and generates sufficient revenues to recover the costs of the research and development stages as well as repay investors their initial investments and provide handsome profits.

It is in our societies' best interest that enterprises, and therefore their investors, succeed as their overall contribution to their community's ongoing commerce would be justified. Pending degrees of success, enterprises could then go on to research and develop their next products, and investors would gain the means of making further investments, and create even more investors. But, when enterprises and investors lose, societies lose. This is particularly true where products, or as in the case of this analogy, individuals, become liabilities that undermine the community's overall well-being.
 

We Are Bankrupt!

From my perspective, everything to date would seem to indicate that we have chosen to turn the majority of our youths into liabilities. A vast number of individuals in society today are more like companies faulty producing products that we, the consumers, have no alternative but to buy, and at outrageously high prices! The basic laws of enterprise, investment, and, product research and development have been blatantly compromised. The facts speak for themselves:

• Education systems ignore the individual needs and learning style of the majority of students;
• Most individuals are not truly happy in their chosen fields;
• Student enthusiasm within school systems is extremely low;
• High substance abuse and crime rates in and out of schools seem the order of the day;
• Meaningful employment opportunities for many students graduating from every education level are increasingly scarce; and
• As of today, 1999, Canada suffers a 'Brain Drain' and unprecedented levels of student bankruptcies.

 

We are making unsound investments, perpetuating an annual generation of increasing liabilities. At this rate, on what will rest the future prosperity of our societies within global markets? Time does not appear to be on our side!

"Today we come across an individual who behaves like an automaton, who does not know or understand himself, and the only person that he knows is the person that he is supposed to be, whose meaningless chatter has replaced communicative speech, whose synthetic smile has replaced genuine laughter, and whose sense of dull despair has taken the place of genuine pain. Two statements may be said concerning this individual. One is that he suffers from defects of spontaneity and individuality that may seem to be incurable. At the same time it may be said of him he does not differ essentially from the millions of the rest of us who walk upon this earth." ~ Eric Fromm

 

An Appeal to Cut Our Losses and Make Sounder Investments

In keeping with the spirit of enterprise where investments are made on promising ideas, I believe I have something to sell to the reader. Lets continue to equate students to future companies with valuable products or services to be offered society. To assist in realizing all the worthwhile products or services our companies, the students, are going to market upon graduation, the education system must rethink its approach. If the same determination to sending wo/men into space was applied to education, think of what a glorious future our children could provide the world.

As a child, I recall the public outcry heard over decisions to reach for the moon. Outraged by the vast sums to be spent on the uncertain venture, people would question, "How can we justify spending billions trying to reach the moon when there is so much that needs to be done right here on earth." Given the contributions NASA ultimately made to improving our quality of life, it is more than apparent that reforming our education systems is worth the same risk. The apparent advances made through life-skills and self-directed learning could productively contribute towards the healing of society in ways never before imagined. As a matter of necessity, this could be realized through the involvement and collaboration of industry, professionals, community members and the students themselves--with-or-without governmental support. We need to provide every means available to inspire and nurture these companies so that they become capable of marketing whatever they will have to offer future consumers: their individual and collective talents and strengths.
 

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

What if we were to make investments such as those normally made in the exploration of natural resources of oil and minerals? Would such gains not justify the risk? We have all these young souls harbouring extremely precious resources within. Which resources? We don't yet know. As in resource exploration, we use those tools specifically devised for isolating and identifying areas in which the resources are most likely to be found. We use the best equipment for drilling holes. Several holes! Very deep holes! And just as when a lucrative find is struck, we too can expect to rejoice with an exuberant release of energy.

To use the more traditional agricultural metaphor, crops must suit the soil in which they are grown, using the proper fertilizers, defense against the elements, means and methods of harvest. Again different for each type of crop.

So, Let's Go Exploring and Sow the Seeds.

"What then, if thousands of seeds it scatters?" ~ Anonymous

Not yet certain what to expect, we do not want to force revelations out of the students, or bore them to distraction while we search for their hidden unique treasures. We may stumble upon multiple finds per individual. And what we do uncover should define just how we go about extracting and refining each revelation. Each find yields a different potential. Yet each yield, if properly nurtured, holds the potential of enriching the student, h/er family and the greater community.

What we need to accomplish is to give each student a natural sense of drive, enthusiasm and accomplishment; to raise and maintain levels of self-esteem and confidence in their abilities. The earlier in life individuals attain those the stronger our society will become, filled with emotionally healthy, stable individuals with the knowledge and tools needed to achieve their own personal dreams and aspirations.

Essential to those objectives, teachers must be allowed a much large degree of flexibility in adopting the roles of facilitators and mentors. Their enthusiasm and insight should encourage a love of learning. We know from our own life experiences those teachers who have had positive influences on our individual growth. At the same time we also know that our most valuable lessons were learned outside of formal education systems. These were all evidently displayed in Mr. Holland's Opus. He nurtured and facilitated what resources he detected hidden within each student.
 

A Parting Tribute to Mr. Holland!

At the end of Mr. Holland's Opus, a ceremony was given in honour of his accomplishments. The student he had first inspired to overcome the difficulty in playing that clarinet, having gone on to become the state's Governor, presented the keynote address at his retirement. She tells of how Mr. Holland had never achieved the riches and fame he had dreamed of in writing his own symphony, having been so preoccupied and dedicated to his students' lives. In her words are found the aspirations of anyone accepting the role of mentor!

"I think he has achieved a success far beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched. And each one of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony, Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your Opus. And we are the music of your life."

Mr. Holland must not be the exception but the rule! For in that rule, Mr. Holland only facilitated the extraction and refinement that was the student's to begin with.

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