Perhaps it is time for Fuller’s idea to come to fruition. The home school movement has been growing for some decades now and the charter schools are backed even by politicians. That being the case, we are losing nothing by trying this. And not one single teacher has to lose their job, nor one single school close down. Fuller had even thought about that and mapped out the solution. He believed by having school 24 hours per day, teachers could serve either online (in his day it was by telephone connection) or as live teachers for those who were taking courses like labs, technical or anything requiring hands on. This would also allow remedial personal help, if distance learning was not adequate, and smaller class sizes all the way around. It would also allow breakup of unsavory social groupings and individual learning tuned to the pace of the person rather than a grade level. Plus the capability of more one-on-one per student would aid both standard students and challenged students.

And, since he came out of being an architect, Fuller knew about the construction lobbies that kept schools constantly expanding and rebuilding. He was also aware of the pedagogic lobbies, which kept books, materials and courseware in constant flux so new purchases had to be made yearly. However, even these need not be disadvantaged very much by this system. The courseware providers could simply connect into the system and at lower cost, both to themselves and the schools, provide the same products in slightly different format. The construction industry would have plenty of work, refitting the schools for year around and 24 hour operation.

And of course we have the concerns of the sport proponents and those who believe the “socialization” of schools is a major portion of education’s purpose. These need not be disappointed either. With school on a 24 hour schedule, there will be plenty of time, and smaller better supervised class sizes, to have the “social” aspects that we have come to expect from school. And with the better supervision, we will also have less problem groups and group problems. For sports, we will have far more time, volunteered by the amateur athletes of course, for them to practice and hone their skills. There will be a fee for this, however that is becoming common in many schools anyway.

And school buildings would now become true education buildings, serving not only the children but the adults also. If we expect parents to help the schools in the educating of their children, then doesn’t it make sense that we increase their respect for those schools by making them a resource for them too. As the definition of learner indicates, it is an ongoing practice, that for too long we have relegated to the last time we were in a class. Learn or lose, would take on real meaning if we made the availability of education a permanent fixture in our lives. Just think of the potential to exceed every measure the world uses to assess education. We would truly make life a school. No other nation comes close to such potential, we would be leading the planet and the way, showing others how to help humanity into real knowledgeable living. And exporting it across the world, instead of our jobs, we could start to stem the froth of hatred that arises from the cup of ignorance, the powerlessness that comes from being reviled and the enmity that flows from unasked for aid that might nurture the body yet quells the spirit. As the ancient Greeks gave us philosophies still followed to this day, would it not be a worthy goal to give the world the tools needed to make it out of kindergarten?

And as we play on the swing sets, let me make one more suggestion before recess is over. It is something I was first introduced to in the late 60s. It impressed me a great deal, and apparently it impressed a lot of people, because business and specialty schools took it up enmasse in the 70s, and that is programmed learning. There are several forms of this method, and it is based on the idea of giving small amounts of information, reinforcing the info, then testing or restating the info almost immediately. I found it extremely effective, especially as I was already losing what few mental powers I had, so I was appreciative of its aid. If we add such instruction to all of the above, we will truly begin to allow our children, and us, to become intelligent.

And I say this from practical experience, intelligence is too often in my life honored in absence than in application. The things I do, the mistakes I make, could easily be avoided if I thought a bit first. Could almost certainly be avoided, if I learned a bit more before I acted. Yet I don’t. It seems to me it is almost as though I dread that odious task of learning so much that I would rather have experience as teacher than a little forethought. Unfortunately I have found that a habit that keeps me constant on a downward course, having to make tremendous effort to regain lost ground, only to lose it to my stupidity a short time later. I think maybe we all share a bit of that problem. Perhaps the above suggestions could alleviate it.

And make no mistake, what I have suggested I do not have any capability to carry out. I am sure, however, that someone reading this has expertise to make this dream come true. Has the talent and ability to critique, amend and extend the suggestions into a real world system of education that can bring America and humanity to true intelligence. And once they have begun that work, then perhaps we will all have the intellect and time and ability to begin the next level of training.

We have not spoken much of spirit in this work on education, yet to ignore that is to ignore the very nature of our existence. However, just as the starving man must first feed his body, so we must first feed our minds. Once we have at least adequate nutrition of our mental faculties, then we can begin the larger task of understanding and wisdom. When I think of the bloody, bestial and blighted history of this world, it shocks me to realize that such ideas as mercy, compassion, wisdom, charity, hope and love, ever became the ideals of humanity. They should have been lost, neglected and damned by us and our past actions. Yet somewhere in our being was this light, this small candle of the spirit, which whispered such concepts to us in our wishes and in our dreams. If we can imagine such as those, then we may be able to achieve them. And at this time, in this world, they are needed more than ever. The godlike power of our own destruction lies in our hands. We may rail against those who would turn loose those powers upon us, yet it is all of us and the civilization we helped create, who are responsible. So it must be us who create a world in which our ideals can transform from the meta to the physical. Education may be the doorway which leads us down the hall to the chapel where such transformation may take place. If we do not open that door ...