Sunday, April 7, 2013

Institutional Roadkill

In a world changing as fast as ours, what will happen to institutions in the coming years?

My wife and I are thinking about home schooling our children.  Mulling over the decision is like pulling on the proverbial loose thread of a jacket: the whole sleeve threatens to come off.

Private education has become ungodly expensive.  The Internet brings quality instruction and instructional materials to our home for free or close to it.  Need one-on-one teaching?  We've already used Skype and Facetime for speech therapy and yoga instruction.

But what about the "socialization" aspect of school?  Well, why let school administrators pick your kids' friends?  Once you break free from the school commute and school-day schedule, a huge amount of time opens up for social activities and friends of YOUR choice, not the Admissions Department's.

Institutions like constancy.  Run by human beings rather than angels, institutions also tend towards rigidity, back-office bloat, and self-interest.  At the same time, technology gives individuals increasing flexibility, efficiency and freedom to choose.

So, we started by thinking about home schooling, but the bigger question has become whether our world is evolving faster than institutions can adapt.  I can't predict the future, but I can envision the stodgy institutions of our present quickly becoming part of our past.