Great Schooling is Simple

Bad schooling is extremely complex. And legislative attempts to limit the damage done by really bad schooling can make the administration of good schools fairly complex. But at its core, good schooling is simple. Not many moving parts.

Good schools have good teachers. Those teachers are well educated, well housed, well supplied, clear about the purpose of the school and trusted to do their jobs. Simple doesn't mean easy. Good teachers work hard. But they know where they are going and they work without getting sidetracked by every shiny object that comes into their field of vision.

Fostering this sort of simplicity in a society that suffers debilitating addictions to both complexity and immediate gratification is sometimes a challenge. Citizens want systems, programs, acronyms, committees, specialists, guarantees, progress measured on the quarter hour, and frequent numeric representations of the superiority of one child over another. They sometimes take comfort in needing a 'program' in order to know the 'players'. They expect to walk through the door and to see the newest thing. And then the next. And the next.

We are committed to keeping schooling simple. And excellent. We hope for the patience of those who are otherwise inclined.