There Are No Schoolhouses in the Global Village
GVO Update February 25, 2022
When I wrote this Global Village Observation in September 2019, I did not anticipate the impact a pandemic might have on traditional classroom education. My only thought was that Classroom Education was a product of the Industrial Park era, which I knew was passing away. With nearly 100% of high school students walking around with smartphones in their hands, it was easy to predict the demise of the Industrial Park model. Enter Siri and Alexa. These mavens of knowledge are available 24/7; and they come to you whether you are at home, on the beach, or backpacking around the country. Not only can they answer your questions on the spot, but they can point you to deep-dive learning opportunities offered for free or a modest membership fee. And as Home Schoolers know, there are many apps designed to help parents teach their youngsters themselves. Most have been approved by Public School Administrators because they are subject to the same standards imposed on classroom teachers.
In the Industrial Park, parents were forced to entrust the education of their children to public and private institutions. This was usually mandated by law. Parents who refused or neglected to send their children to school could face fines or even do jail time.
Schoolhouses in the Industrial Park were not much different from the factories where their parents worked. Instead of assembly lines and time clocks, there were classrooms and 45 minute class periods. Principals were de facto Supervisors who reigned over classroom Teachers in much the same way Industrial Park Managers reigned over the shop Foremen. The only difference between students and factory workers was in the resulting product. The Factory produced widgets, the Classroom produced knowledge infused children. This model served the Industrial Park well because the transition from classroom to factory was intuitive and did not require retraining or a long orientation period.
This was all disrupted with the dawn of the Powershift Era described by Alvin Toffler in his book, POWERSHIFT.
In the office, in the supermarket, at the bank, in the executive suite, in our churches,hospitals, schools, and homes, old patterns of power are fracturing along strange new lines.
Parents began to notice that the schoolhouses where their children were sent to learn were often as dismal and dangerous as factory buildings. This was unacceptable. It was one thing to expect workers to endure long hours and dangerous working conditions for their living wage, but expecting their children to learn in an environment that was now a monument to the 20th Century was unacceptable. So parents, who could afford to do so, opted for alternative learning environments. Many began homeschooling their children, assisted by family members and/or neighbors who were willing and able to help out.
Initially, this was resisted by School Authorities and the Teacher Unions because the children might have trouble transitioning from a home environment into a work environment. However, this opposition melted away when the Powershift hit the Industrial Park leaving both management and workers with the prospect of massive layoffs and abandoned buildings.
In the Global Village, most children are taught at home or in Learning Centers designed to accommodate those with special needs. This 21st Century learning environment provides individualized instruction that builds on a child’s strengths and interests. School violence and anti-social behavior no longer plague Professional Educators. Thanks to technology and AI-supported Learning Assistants, parents can provide superior learning opportunities that are both affordable and sustainable during these times of radical change.
So there are no schoolhouses in the Global Village. The education of children has transcended inadequate funding, antiquated teaching methods, and the hostility of demoralized students. By cultivating the natural desire of all human beings to learn new skills and gain a better understanding of their place in the world, educators have transformed learning from a gauntlet of competition into a powerhouse of achievement and cooperation.
The Future matures in the Present. That’s just the way it is in the Global Village.
