. We then want to punish that person as a way of fixing the problem. This villain approach gets us nowhere. All it does is identify the problem then eradicate the person creating the problem. That doesn’t do anyone any good. To make the change we must be a part of not only the community but also the school system. Frieberg 8 A person that runs a corporation, for example, cannot reform education. This is because, while he does see the very complex human organizations of corporate entities, he misses the complex organizations of the school system. Someone on the inside cannot change the system either. This is because that person is, most likely, immersed in that system and tends to be blinded by the overwhelming changes that have to be made. Above all, the reason no one can change education is because it is an interlocking piece of society. Education and the system that runs it independently of the surrounding society do not exist and never has existed. Until we can change the attitudes in our society regarding education, we will not be able to change it. New teachers are products of society as are principals, office staff, grounds staff, and parents. Everyone is a product of society. So how can we change something that is embedded in and completely reflective of the society that bred it? The answer is that we cannot unless we change the broader system: ourselves. A change in education will, without a doubt, be a part of a change of America and vice-versa. I welcome it-- sooner rather than later.Frieberg 9Notes 1.) A more detailed explanation of Douglass’s life can be found in the first source cited on this pageSources CitedDouglass, Fredrick. Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass: An American Slave Written by himself. Ed. David W. Blight, Boston, MA: Bedford, 1993Ehrlich, Elizabeth. “America’s Schools Still Aren’t Making The Grade.” Business Week, September 19, 1988: p61-...
