Education & systems thinking

Been reading Obama's book The Audacity of Hope. Quite impressive philosophy on education, considering that he's not worked in education. He writes that it doesn't much matter how much money we put into education if the kids don't come to school willing to work hard and delay gratification. That means that someone at home has to influence the kids about why education, or lack thereof, can seriously impact quality of life. They do that by show & tell - and most of all follow-thru.

Schools can do better. But even if everything about the schools is outstanding, there still has to be a compliment of components in place to affect a child's future in a positive way. Her natural ability, the teachers, the parents, the resources, the attitudes, beliefs & assumptions about public education. Think of the possibilities if all of these components were in place!! Think of the constant battle necessary to get there and stay there.

I am interested in the change process. It's been my observation that people don't change and that most change we see is only a veneer. The real change comes when we dig out those attitudes, beliefs and assumptions - those unconscious mental models formed long ago of how the world works - bring them to the forefront of consciousness, see how self defeating they are, and then challenge them. When the damage they cause and the legacy they leave are exposed to the light of day, we may see real change.