Microstory 734: Credos, Convention Seven: Constructiveness, Chapter Two

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After completing his basic studies in school, the student who had come so far, decided that he was not happy with the way his education had been handled. His parents had found for him a decent tutor, who helped him figure out how to drive his own learning, but not all students had this opportunity. First they would have to spend time struggling before realizing there was a problem to be solved. Then conceive a solution. Then the family would have to have the money that justified hiring someone extra. Then they would have to find the right person for the job, and even with that, they would still be operating in a broken system. He was not satisfied with the conditions of his world, for he knew that education was the most important factor in determining a culture’s place in the universe. He entered the workforce with no intention of staying in any one position for very long. In fact, he would later devise a self-imposed rule that prevented him from holding any given position for longer than one standard year. For most jobs, he would only be there for three months. For many others, only one. He was trying to gather as much experience in a variety of fields and industries as possible, as well as be able to see the world from different points of view. He worked on farms, factories, fairgrounds, and firehouses. Once he thought he had seen enough general work, he went back to school to study education, so that he could one day become an educator himself, which he ultimately did. He moved up the ranks, not too quickly, but steadily. Finally he found himself in charge of education policy for the whole planet, which was where he could finally realize his dream. He started making changes to the way students were taught. He lobbied for money in the global budget, harder than any other department of government. He shrunk the schools, and the class sizes. He tailored classes to the needs of individuals, rather than some abstract belief in a one size fits all program. No longer would the students be rated according to some percentage of accuracy. Any failure to understand a given concept would be met with reinforcement of the material, rather than a dismissal of it as not being significant enough to forestall their advancement. Students were placed in groups according to aptitude and achievement, as opposed to mere age, and they moved around to accumulate new skills, each at their own pace. Teachers became facilitators, helping foster the respective goals of each person under their care, instead of forcing them to conform to some unifying principle. This world became the archetype for a prosperous and productive populace, and other worlds began adopting similar ideals. The student-turned-education reformer died centuries ago, but his doctrines live on all across the galaxy.