social promotion & self-sustainability

Bill Barowy (wbarowy who-is-at mail.lesley.edu)
Sun, 26 Sep 1999 11:06:07 -0400

At 1:26 PM -0600 9/24/99, Phillip White wrote:
> it fascinates me because it demonstrates the strength of 'local
>knowledge' coupled with limited resources, and how the two can
>unintentionally block reform and keep children in failing institutions.
>

Phillip, I might interpret this as the way the institution/community buffers=
the systemic contradictions that lead to the childs "failure" in=
performance. Putting the finger on the child preserves the institution,=
keeps it self-sustainable, maintains its inflexibility, diverts attention=
away from the systemic conditions that have channeled the child to failure.=
=20

Similarly, in the systems I am experiencing, efforts to examine one system=
may be in the service of preserving a second -- and the reaction is a huge=
disturbance created by the first system to preserve itself. Indeed, it is=
the children who become fractured in the crashing together of these=
systems. =20

It makes me wonder about how noble is the goal of self-sustainability. =
Could it be that for an institution to preserve itself, it is requisite to=
develop these buffers? What a sad dilemma to contemplate on a Sunday morni=
ng.

Bill Barowy, Associate Professor
Lesley College, 31 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-2790=20
Phone: 617-349-8168 / Fax: 617-349-8169
http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/wbarowy/Barowy.html
_______________________
"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself
and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful."
[Norman Maclean in "A river runs through it."]