The Turning Point

For the last few weeks, I have felt discouraged, believing that power wins over what's right when it comes to education. As an adult educator in the adult public education system, I have seen it as my responsibility to create/run/oversee programming that is as good as I can make it, because we're affecting the Manitoban population ... not just individual lives, but society and economy. (If you're not sure what I mean, imagine taking away adult education, and imagine what we're left with in the categories of society and economy.)

However, as happens so often, there are stakeholders who have a great investment in keeping things as they are for reasons of image, power, control, money. They're not driven by great programming that leads to positive change. Change is frightening, but also carries the risk of a loss.

But the aim of all education is change, change in knowledge, skills or attitudes, and so how can we not be prepared to constantly respond to changes?

For those who prefer the status quo, change agents are therefore equally frightening. These people (program planner who dare to risk challenge, question, change) represent a potential loss of power, prestige, money, etc. And in some cases, it must feel like they must be managed and gotten "under control" again, so that the perceived loss doesn't occur. There is no ability to see loss and gain as flipsides of the same coin.

It's up to the program planner then to decide whether the end-product of being "controlled" will still be acceptable to the ultimate audience and goal, the learner and transformative change. Perhaps there is a useful midway point between status quo and change, a resting place that allows all affected by change to catch their breaths and reduce their collective anxieties. If yes, then being controlled and potentially limited for a time may be acceptable. If not, then - at its most extreme - it may become necessary to pack up ones tools of the trade and bid a project and stakeholder group a fond adieu.

I've hit that crossroads now, and have decided to take the road less travelled, the one of standing up and insisting on much better treatment for students. Emergent program planning? What "emerged" was a complete impasse, and not one that I was prepared to pass through by compromising quality of services to adult learners. It is indeed an interesting turning point.