Voices of Educators in the Sunday, March 2, 2008, The Honolulu Advertiser was headlined “Needed: Leaders to transform education.” It was written by a laundry list of “educators” who are, one assumes, leaders. The 910 word article reflected the honest and accurate concerns of the authors that the government education system needs major transformation.
But the key leader was never mentioned. The leader who knows the needs, wants, habits and potential of each child is not mentioned -- not once in the entire article. What better indicator of mistaken values and priorities than to prescribe correction without even mentioning the parent -- the responsible/accountable one. The one who will suffer consequences for mistakes and rewards for correct choices for life (and for some, perpetuity). That’s a fate the authors are immune from.
This reminds me of the memorable national TV interview show where then Senator Phil Gramm was faced with a devoted educator who spoke with total conviction of his unswerving dedication to each and every child. Gramm asked: “Does that include my children?” After being told “Yes, certainly” Gramm simply said “What are their names?” That made the point crystal clear.
There is no hope for government education unless we change the focus from top-down to bottom-up. For society to flourish, the top (the authors and the government bureaucracy) is expendable, the bottom (parent) is essential. The authors miss that mark. Should we send them back to school?
See http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Mar/02/op/hawaii803020335.html
Richard O. Rowland is president and co-founder of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
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