It’s all about relationships!

Education is not a technical problem

Well, 2021 has begun.  I foresee a lot of hard work ahead.

Education is not a technical problem – science and technology will only get us so far – it is a problem of relationships.

The theory of Human Capital is thus deeply flawed, there is far more that a child needs to learn as they grow than simply the knowledge and skills to be used in the job market.  This other learning comes from relationships with adults characterised by the child’s willingness to pay attention to what the adult is paying attention to, and that the necessary asymmetry in knowledge and power in the adult’s favour is applied in the best interests of the child.

In a stable, functioning society children know to whom they should pay attention.

In today’s world, the child’s willingness to pay attention must be inspired by the adult, otherwise how would they know what and to whom to pay attention in the current cacophony of distractions?

Some educators do this well and have a lifelong impact on their students.

Hotei Pointing At The Moon Mochizuki Gyokkei 1874-1939 Japanese Taisho Silk

If we don’t experience these types of relationships as children how will we know to provide them as adults?  Many successful adults have only learned to provide them by unlearning what they learned at school about how to treat other people.

Building the necessary depth and richness of relationships in schools is the single biggest obstacle to having an education system that students and society need.

2021 would be a good time to make this front and centre.

John Corrigan is an expert in helping individuals to bring their whole of mind to their daily life and increase their effectiveness and the effectiveness of those around them. This expertise scales from the individual to the team to the organisation. At the core of this work is the practice of encounter.  Earlier blogs can be found here.

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