Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ The Education Betterness Manifesto

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
While I appreciate the spirit of improvement that lies behind this manifesto (and like the author enjoy and recommend Umair Haque) I think it falls wide of the mark, not because it's wrong, but it still treats education as something teachers and schools do. As was once famously said, it takes a village to raise a child. So as Kelly Tenkely extrapolates from business to education, I want to extrapolate from education to community.

I'm reminded of a story about a traveler who asked a local man directions. The man didn't know; he said, "I'm not in the tourist business." He was admonished by another who said, "In this town, we're all in the tourist business." I tell that to people around here who don't seem to know how much tourism means to the Maritimes. But education is like that too. "In this town, we're all in the education business."

Everything adults do or say adds to a child's education. Whether or not you're directly involved, you still teach children with what you do. So, do really meaningful stuff that matters. Support practices that are sustainable and have real substance. Don't just listen to media; get involved in community. Support what it is that really matters. etc.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 22, 2024 12:12 p.m.

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