Democracy Days

June 27 2025 

Pat Farenga “School As Social Ritual”

Why is it so hard to change schools?

Main purpose of compulsory schooling is to discipline children.

• Education is not the same as schooling
• Get an education or get schooled but those in SDE have it different- we learn
• Learning loses its intrinsic motivation

Pandemic caused loss of social connection

Antidote is to actually do more things together with each other and kids

Public library is a better model than the public high school and should be expanded because they are open to all

Ivan Illich and John Holt identified the dangers of growing isolation and loneliness as linked to compulsory education; a flawed society cannot have good education no matter what we do in schools. Invite young people to join us now in making the world better. 

John was very proud to be a Bostonian and an American. He often would collect trash on his way into the office. Good friend of Jane Jacobs. Supported John McKnight’s work on community building. Ray Oldenberg wrote “The Good Place” (1989) in which he theorized third places as key for good lives along with homes and workplaces where time and space for informal social interaction is available.

Paglayan Raised to Obey shows that the foundational goal of educational systems in Western societies was to pacify populations by accepting their place in society. Summarizes the book for a while.

Ivan Illich sees school as a social ritual for classification and it leaves traces on the minds of participation. 

College is not the only pathway to a well paying job. In fact a third of college grads end up in jobs that only require a high school degree to be able to do them.

Myths about learning that ritualize progress: 

• Learning is the product of teaching
• Learning is about accumulation
• Learning is a package deal, you can’t pick and choose
• Learning is competitive
• Learning can be standardized

Social mobility is low in the USA but college costs keep increasing

Holt, Illich, Paglayan all show that the primary purpose of schooling is obedience not learning.

What can we do?

• Reclaim public spaces- use third spaces and be visible as you do your activities
• Wear a SDE t-shirt and go out doing interesting things
• Connect with Let Grow
• Lemonade stand and selling jewelry at fairs etc
• Play board games in public
• Apprenticeships and internships
  • Not child labor as unwilling work
• Collaborate with colleges to allow younger people to take classes (14yo)
• Use AI not let it use us

Time to return to human connection and community not the obedience of school