stiff.
Schools as Factories: Reflections on The Broken Model
After reading the chapter from The Broken Model, I identified three quotes that stood out to me and shaped my thinking about public education and my own role as a teacher.
“One of the leaps we need to make is to understand that the currently dominant educational model was not, in fact, inevitable. It is a human construct. It evolved along a certain pathway; other pathways were also possible. Parts of the system we now hold sacred—for example, the length of the class period or the number of years assigned to ‘elementary’ or ‘high’ school—are in fact rather arbitrary, even accidental. Things that are now considered orthodox were at various points regarded as controversial and radical.” (p. 62)
In this quote, the author argues that the current education system is neither natural nor inevitable, but rather a human-made construct shaped by historical choices. Many features of public education that now feel essential were originally arbitrary or accidental decisions. Over time, these choices became so ingrained that they now seem fundamental. This challenges the assumption that the system must look the way it does and opens the possibility that it could be redesigned differently.
“But there were also other, more subtle ways of shaping young minds. Former New York State Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto has written that ‘the whole system was built on the premise that isolation from first-hand information and fragmentation of the abstract information presented by teachers would result in obedient and subordinate graduates.’” (p. 76)
This passage suggests that schools shape students not only through explicit instruction, but also through subtle structural practices. By isolating students from real-world experiences and breaking knowledge into disconnected pieces, the system encourages obedience and compliance rather than independent thinking. Learning becomes something that is delivered to students rather than explored with them, reinforcing passivity and reliance on authority.
This idea resonated with me as a middle school teacher. One of my biggest struggles is the heavy emphasis on compliance in behavior management. While I want my students to listen, stay safe, and complete their work, I am uncomfortable with the idea that I may be contributing to a system that prioritizes obedience over curiosity. I worry that instead of nurturing thoughtful, engaged learners, I am helping shape students who are trained to comply, stay quiet, and fit neatly into predetermined boxes. Even more worrisome is the similarity I see sometimes between schools and prison. Students are not free to move around, their schedules are tightly controlled and, punishments are detentions. I am still thinking through my behavior management approach in my classes and so often, they are chaotic, due to my reluctance to give detention. I also want to encourage personal accountability, discussions, and reflection, but with the chaos it is often impossible, which pushes me back to a compliance forward approach.
“Attacks from the left have tended to be surprisingly similar in tone, though the villain is not the government but the corporations that have the most to gain from a well-behaved and conformist population.”
This quote feels especially relevant to my experience teaching at a charter school. At my school, teachers are expected to use the same language, the same instructional methods, and the same behavioral strategies. Behavior management is heavily compliance-focused: students must ask permission to stand up, get a pencil, get water, or use the bathroom. They sit in assigned seats, follow a standardized curriculum, and are rarely asked to be creative or take intellectual risks.
While this structure is intended to maintain order and consistency, I sometimes feel that my primary role is to train students to follow directions unquestioningly. The strong emphasis on testing reinforces this concern. Because test scores are so important, lessons are often taught in identical ways to ensure students learn how to “write to the test,” rather than how to think critically or creatively. As a result, education can begin to resemble factory-style training, producing compliant, test-ready students rather than curious, independent thinkers.
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This article from Larry Cuban is a very interesting companion read to The Broken Model. He highlights many of the same points, but also discusses the different purposes that schools serve.
Hi Sam. I really enjoyed reading your post and the quotes you have chosen. I found your comparison with school and prison to be very interesting. I agree that the strict scheduling can really limit creativity. Teachers do not often have the opportunity to teach multiple ways to learn something. Because of this, how can a test made for one type of learner determine every students success. They may just need the lesson adjusted to their learning style. The strict schedule really makes this difficult for teachers to do.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam. I appreciate your thoughts -- thank you! In one of my undergrad classes, we spent a significant amount of time talking about what's known as the 'school to prison pipeline.' The concept centers around how students are not being appropriately supported at school due to the structure of the education system itself. These students are ending up in prison (either as juveniles or as adults), and scholars are working to understand what pieces of the education system are leading to this outcome.
ReplyDeleteA really great video about this is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h65d2eJT1t4
There's also several books that have been published about this concept as well -- I recommend Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris
Hi Sam,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! It was really interesting to read about the history of the American education system, and how the strict schedule absolutely impacts how students are learning to be more compliant. I think that in a lot of ways the system of education limits the amount of creativity both students and teachers can bring into the classroom, and I this is something I have seen improving more recently and I hope it continues to!
Your reflection on "The Broken Model" highlights a fundamental problem in education: the way schools often prioritize control over curiosity. I appreciate how you connected the author’s ideas to your own classroom experience and to the daily challenge of balancing order with authentic learning. The "factory" metaphor is particularly apt; it underscores how systemic priorities—such as assessments and compliance—can inadvertently stifle creativity and individuality.
ReplyDeleteWhat strikes me is your awareness that behavior management is not merely about maintaining order; it is about shaping students' perceptions of learning and authority. Your willingness to challenge compliance-based practices demonstrates a genuine commitment to helping students find their voice, become autonomous, and develop their critical thinking skills. It reminds me that educational transformation does not always begin with a new system; sometimes, it can emerge from the intentional reflection of a single teacher—much like yours. It would be more of an implosion than an explosion.