The Nitty-Gritty of an Education Rebirth (Part 6)

My last blog was an exploration of Holistic Management as proposed by Allan Savory. As you may have deduced, in this article I am exploring how education could be managed under this paradigm. As a quick summary, Holistic Management is about seeking as deep an understanding of a community or a complex system as possible; including who is involved, the things that work, the things that don’t, the strengths and weaknesses, the environment in which they exist, the values and prejudices that underlie decisions made, the diversity of ideas, and the possible solutions to problems and approaches that are contained within said community or system. It is about divergent thinking and working with the richness and diversity found within a group of individuals - grassroots. Full consensus is required. No compromises. It takes time. It takes connection, communication and creativity. It takes the participation and responsibility of every individual involved and/or affected at some level. Mostly, it takes compassion and, dare I say it, love.

In a holistically managed system, outcomes are not simplified or reductive in nature. There is never a one-size-fits-all solution to any complex problem…and any human problem is complex. The industrial model of input and output can never be complex enough to solve the myriad of conundrums we face as a human race today, not least of all being Education. It is this reductive approach to managing our systems and our resources that has landed us in the proverbial in which we presently find ourselves. Our present paradigm of “qualifications” and siloed “subject” areas is one of the major obstacles we have created in our evolution as a human race. The most influential movers and shakers in history have been a brilliant combination of artist (creative), scientist, intuitive and empath: Da Vinci, Tesla, Einstein, Steiner, Curie; to mention a few. 

Presently, our reductively managed education and qualifications system cannot nurture us in any holistic manner - it has been so siloed and outcome driven that it strangles the richness and diversity of our human potential by breaking it up into the sum of its parts. Imagine if there were no such restraints put on our individual potential. Imagine if what was nurtured and prioritised was what we each were passionate about. Imagine if education had only these intentions: exposing us to as many experiences as we wanted, facilitating our connections, and honing our ability to communicate and create. For many this will be incredibly uncomfortable, especially as it would mean the need to relinquish compliance and control. There is a need for unconditional trust in the innate “good”of the human spirit, which has been all but destroyed over many hundreds of years. This is the fundamental shift that we need to make; taking our focus away from the fear of failure, loss of power, and lack, and focusing on the love of life and learning. 

The  current System is built on compliance and control where, apparently, the majority rule. However, in reality, this is not the case. The System has taken on the persona of an entity, as all organisations do. Unfortunately, this persona is perceived as infallible by the majority, especially the ones with a stake in it. All responsibility is conceded to the System and there is no recourse. This is the ideal breeding ground for compliance - members comply for fear of loss. In an environment such as this, creativity and innovation are impossible. It often amuses me when I see the words “diversity” and “inclusion” embellished all over systemic literature. 

“Yes, diversity is embraced…as long as it's the diversity that we accept.” 

“We are an inclusive employer…as long as you meet all our conditions.”

Thus the narrative is never challenged significantly from within the System, because people have too much to lose. Anyone who dares to question or refuses to comply becomes a pariah, is ostracised, ridiculed, and often excommunicated. The majority do not rule. The organisation and those who control it rule. Reductive management is the lynch-pin to maintaining this pardigm. When thinking is purely focused on problems and solutions, not much energy goes into living the best life by connecting, communicating and creating. Just looking around at our present systemic woes is evidence enough for me.

So what would a holistically managed education system look like? It’s hard to say unequivocally because it’s not been tried before. Needless to say, it would look messy at first, and that is something that just has to be accepted and allowed. Once the lay of the land is clearer, systemic structures can begin to be created through discussion and participation at a grassroots level. Clearly, a centralised, regulated model is not working and therefore a more decentralised, community conceived model would be the opposite of and possible antidote for this. An overarching administrative body would be useful to ensure financial and administrative support, and possibly manage disputes unable to be resolved at a grassroots level. An agreed framework could serve as a base for curricula which would be created and agreed upon by each learning community. The obsession with uniformity would have to be let go of and this would open up schools to endless opportunities for creating a learning environment that nurtures, and develops everything that is valued within each community. The role, and therefore, training of teachers would completely change, and would have to be considered carefully. All things considered, it would be a mammoth undertaking, with a really messy transition period, however, nothing worthwhile comes “easily”.

Of course, this can only be achieved in a wider context of change - a complete paradigm shift. For this to happen in Education, it would have to happen in life in general, especially in our current government structures. This is a call for a complete rebirth. A call for all to stand in their sovereignty and take responsibility for the life they create. A call to choose for the fulfilment of our human potential. A call to change our thinking, the way we approach life and others. A call to step up. 

In the indelible words of John Lennon,

“You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one”