The Public School System Mirror
A child wakes up in the morning. They do the morning routine and get themselves ready for school. A school uniform with the school logo, a good pair of running shoes and a packed lunch. A backpack with all the necessities for the day ahead. They leave the house and catch the bus which drops them off at school. Once at school they sign in, deposit their belongings in their locker and report to the classroom. A series of announcements from the principal peppers the speakers followed by a period of instruction. The teacher begins the lesson and demands full attention until the sound of freedom rings out, the bell indicating a 15 minute recess. Following recess the cycle begins anew until finally the bell rings for lunch. Students socialize and talk about mundane things until the bell indicates it is time to return to class. The child’s mind is distracted and the teacher re-directs back to the lesson at hand. A warning is issued that further distractions could lead to penalty and even a trip to the principles office. A final 15 minute recess is followed by one more lesson and some homework. Finally the child rides the bus back home and begins working on the homework followed by a few hours of leisure. A typical day for many children.
A man wakes up in the morning. He does the morning routine and gets ready for work. A work uniform with the company logo, a pair of work boots and a packed lunch box. A toolbox with all the necessities for the day ahead. He leaves the house and catches the city bus which drops them off at work. Once at work they sign in, deposit their belongings in their locker and report to the work station. A series of announcements from the Superintendent peppers the speakers followed by the start of the work day. The foreman begins supervising work and demands full attention until the sound of freedom rings out, the bell indicating a 15 minute break. Following the break the cycle begins anew until finally the bell rings for lunch. The workers socialize and talk about mundane things until the bell indicates a return to work. The workers mind is distracted and the foreman re-directs back to the work at hand. A warning is issued that further distractions could lead to Human Resources and even a trip to the superintendent office. A final 15 minute break is followed by one more round of work. Finally the man rides the bus back home and begins working on chores followed by a few hours of leisure. A typical day for many adults.
Thanks for reading!
Some lessons last a lifetime. Unfortunately.
After many years temping in Ottawa in almost every govt department, I've always thought that the civil service is just a big kindergarten or daycare for big children, who get paid waaaay too much for what they accomplish.