You and I may be the last two people who don't know Seth Godin. But we've just changed that, haven't we?
I found Godin's self-described education manifesto last week while I was researching education and technology. Provocatively titled "Stop Stealing Dreams (what is school for?)"-- a choice which provides the first clue about Godin's marketing talent--the document is over 150 pages and worth reading...in its entirety.
In case I haven't convinced you, perhaps Godin will:
Large-scale education was not developed to motivate kids or to create scholars. It was invented to churn out adults who worked well within the system. Scale was more important than quality, just as it was for most industrialists.
The question I’d ask every administrator and school board is, “Does the curriculum you teach now make our society stronger?”
Transparency in the traditional school might destroy it. If we told the truth about the irrelevance of various courses, about the relative quality of some teachers, about the power of choice and free speech—could the school as we know it survive?This manifesto...well, I wish I had taken the time to write it. But the more important contribution, perhaps, is reading it...and sharing it...and acting on it.
