Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind —
Emily Dickinson
Blogging is best when it is undertaken in pursuit of a common goal. But even then, Emily Dickinson's admonition to make your "explanations kind" so they "dazzle gradually" is good advice. With that said, welcome to the RGSFE blog.
Planning for education
- Which comes first ... truth or troth?
- Do we join hands because we have found common ground ... or do we find common ground because we have joined hands?
- Who does NOT want really good schools for everyone [RGSFE] ... good for teachers, good for parents and good for students?
Education is a fundamental and persistent experience in all life. It is common to us all [whether we seek it or not] and yet it comes to us in so many different ways that we often find it hard to agree on
- when, where and how it should be planned or
- whether it should be left completely unplanned.
RGSFE is an attempt to explore how [and the extent to which] education can be planned in such a way that the SCHOOLS which do result are REALLY GOOD FOR EVERYONE involved.
The clash of interests
As with any collective action in an environment with limited resources, it is certain that multiple individual interests will inevitably clash. However, there are ways to systematically reduce the level of conflict:
- limit the number and scope of parties involved ... to parents, students and teachers?
- look for mutually beneficial exchanges ... time and attention exchanged for respect and money?
- let participants discover by doing ... plan in ways that "permit" rather than "dictate"?
While "one size fits all" [aka monopoly] is a painful, Procrustean myth, we need not fear a proliferation of options resulting in massive confusion. There will be a relatively small number of models that emerge and succeed in providing order and they will cause one another to improve over time if given a shared opportunity to compete AND cooperate.
The meeting of minds
The purpose of this RGSFE blog is to provide a place where "minds can meet" ... not virtually and impersonally but locally and personally. We will:
- ask educators to give us their thoughts on vital issues we all share,
- present news announcements with editorials and
- invite opinions on topics of general interest
- always giving RGSFE bloggers an opportunity to comment and reply.
We hope this helps keep the RGSFE spirit that was kindled at Friends in April 2023 alive until our next meeting. Your honest thoughts and courteous comments are ALWAYS welcome.
Becky Elder, belder@northfieldschool.com
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