I’ve been writing and thinking a lot lately about the trap of individualism that schools and systems have fallen into and how it’s dragged us away from what schools were designed for – collectivism.
The number of replies I’ve received has astounded me. Most of it has been helpful, encouraging and peppered with statements like, “Yes Adam,…and” and, “Yes Adam, but.” I’ve loved reading them all. Every big idea needs a little shaping.
The best feedback has been from Bill and Donna at The BUSY Schools in Queensland. We’ve partnered with them for a few years now and they took exception at my critique of over-personalising education.
So they should.
They’ve built a successful and highly effective personalised model for some of our country’s most disengaged and vulnerable youth. It works and we’re so proud to have helped them enhance it.
I then visited Hester Hornbrook Academy in Melbourne and saw firsthand the fruits of a sophisticated individualised approach that is cultivating similar ‘against the odds’ results for kids with all manner of life hurdles to overcome.
My error was a miscommunication and theirs isn’t a misunderstanding.
What I should have communicated is that their models are the exceptions because of their design. When we design and resource for personalisation, it can work.
The thing is that almost every other school isn’t designed or resourced this way. I need to make it clearer that foisting an individualised purpose on a collectively designed institution is the big mistake we’re making.
I’m better and grateful for the adjustment. The idea is now truer and more robust.
Keep an eye out for some helpful and inconvenient feedback this week, ok.
Keep fighting that good fight,
P.S. New pod alert! I’ve been working on a new project called Real Schools of Thought and the first episode is about to drop – keep an eye out wherever you get your podcasts!
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