Publish at December 13 2022 Updated December 13 2022
We all sense that the times are changing and that the paradigms of the last 30 or 40 years no longer seem to fit the zeitgeist. Yet public discourse often does not follow. Elites still talk about infinite growth in a finite world that is beginning to show its limits. Knowledge is constantly questioned in the name of "impressions". Withdrawal into oneself is increasingly envisaged while health, environmental and economic problems extend beyond borders.
No one knows what this period will be called by historians in 50 years but it will probably be very rich in lessons. Already, some are thinking about what to do next. How might we get out of this prevailing gloom? This American school principal was pondering this question with his wife when, at the turn of a song, two words came back to him: "common good." It seemed to him that this concept, though a promising one in the middle of the 20th century, had disappeared in favor of an individualism exacerbated by an economy that increasingly favored rentiers who grabbed the whole cake, leaving only the crumbs to the rest of the population.
There is nothing far-fetched about this idea of the common good. We reported that the International Commission on the Futures of Education report released in December 2021 specified exactly that one direction was to strengthen it as a public project and a common good. However, it still seems far from the cup to the lips for this reality to occur. Already because this vision of the common good varies greatly between public bodies and the teaching profession.
Let us take the French school system as an example. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne herself admitted in the summer of 2022 that French schools can generate excellence as much as they can reproduce inequalities. She reiterated the importance of teachers in this contract and in reducing these inequalities. However, this rhetoric while full of good feelings is not accompanied by real tangible gestures according to those who work in education. Unions speak of a school crisis which has a direct effect on the social fabric. During the presidential election campaign, several called on the candidates to propose interesting solutions that would restore a sense of the common good to the school.
Certainly, there is nothing neutral about the union position, and they want first and foremost the best for their members (in this case, teachers). Nevertheless, their unease can also be felt in the press, even the one with anti-union postures. It seems that the last quinquennium, deeply marked by the pandemic, was mainly conceived under an authoritarian approach without sounding out what was happening on the ground. This distancing is not only taking place in France but in other countries around the world. Meanwhile, the notion of the common good is disappearing.
Yet the opportunity is better than ever to bring the concept back. We are in a transforming world that needs new paradigms. Education is the gateway to achieving concrete change. For example, although still a breeding ground for the mafia, Palermo, through popular education, is trying to prevent its impoverished youth from being lured into a life of crime, by reaching out to them directly and remembering innocent victims through memorials, the Cosa Nostra is slowly losing its luster, even as its tourism plays on these codes.
In 2021, Raymond Millot published his book "Education, a Common Good", a work that dusts off preconceived notions of the French education system and proposes that school be an emancipating platform for students. This former carpenter, electrician, technical agent, schoolteacher and pedagogical advisor militates for the school environment to stop reproducing alienating models so that they can build themselves socially, discover their potential for intelligence, resilience and creativity, and develop solidarity-based approaches. An education that would correspond much better to the future needs of a future compromised by decades of methods that no longer have anything to do with reality.
This idea can also be perceived in the speeches of UNESCO, which propose, among other things, that higher education be reviewed as part of the societal common good. Outside of France, this concept is gaining popularity. Since 2018, the United States, though far less inclined to social movements than France, has seen its professors fight for better conditions, smaller classes, help for students, etc. This is even in states controlled by Republicans who are otherwise fiercely opposed to the idea of enhanced public education. This is because of the greater mobilization that has put elected officials in a bind who cannot afford to lay off such a critical mass of teachers. Union organizations have been shaken up to change methods and promote more concepts of the common good, social justice and equity. They have worked to sensitize parents and students alike to their demands, giving greater weight and support to their protest. To be sure, these small gains are far from lasting or heralding a total transformation, but they have succeeded in making their point to improve education.
Does the answer to such a paradigm shift lie in the "unlimited general strike"? Hard to say. Nonetheless, it seems clear that a massive grassroots movement in tandem with faculty and staff would carry more weight in order to demand an education of the common good. This requires strong advocacy and perseverance since things do not change with a snap of the fingers. According to some observers like Raymond Millot, this transformation is essential to a brighter future.
Photo credit: en.depositphotos.com
References:
Bouquin, Stephen, and Wim Benda. "How American Teachers Organize And Strike For The Common Good." CONTRETEMPS. Last updated June 16, 2022. https://www.contretemps.eu/enseignants-etatsuniens-greve-bien-commun/.
Deleant, Julie. "In Palermo, Education As a Bulwark Against The Mafia." Equal Times. Last updated September 14, 2022.
https://www.equaltimes.org/a-palerme-l-education-comme.
Lamontagne, Denys. "Rethinking Our Futures Together - A New Social Contract For Education." Thot Cursus. Last updated January 6, 2022.
https://cursus.edu/fr/23403/repenser-nos-futurs-ensemble-un-nouveau-contrat-social-pour-leducation.
Larney, Cecilia. "Opinion. "La Crise De L'école Est Aussi Sociale." KARIB'INFO. Last updated September 1, 2022.
https://www.karibinfo.com/index.php/2022/09/01/opinion-la-crise-de-lecole-est-aussi-sociale/.
"Will Public Schools Remain A Common Good?" AFEF. Last updated March 1, 2022.
https://www.afef.org/lecole-publique-restera-t-elle-un-bien-commun.
"To Transform Our Society, Let Us Transform The School." Conseil National De La Nouvelle Résistance. Last updated April 27, 2022. https://www.cnnr.fr/pour-transformer-notre-societe-transformons-lecole/.
Rodrigues-Biague, Vanessa. "For Borne, The French Education System Can Be A Source Of Inequality." 20minutes.fr. Last updated July 9, 2022.
https://www.20minutes.fr/societe/3323327-20220709-systeme-educatif-francais-ceux-reproduit-plus-inegalites-selon-elisabeth-borne.
Spinner, François. "Education, A Common Good - Raymond Millot." Classroom Issues(s). Last updated March 6, 2022.
https://www.questionsdeclasses.org/leducation-un-bien-commun-raymond-millot/.
Watkins, John. "Improving Public Education for the Common Good in America." NGLC. Last updated January 12, 2022.
https://www.nextgenlearning.org/articles/revival-public-education-and-the-common-good.
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