The Myth of Neutral Systems Vol: III

The Standardized Mind

A truism often tossed around (usually on social media or in disillusioned documentaries) is a quote attributed to John D. Rockefeller:

“I don’t want a nation of thinkers. I want a nation of workers.”

There’s little evidence he actually said it. But here’s the thing: it feels true. It sounds like something he would have said. And more importantly, it describes something we’ve lived.

Because if you judge a tree by its fruit, you don’t need to study Rockefeller’s diaries to understand the American education system. You just have to look at what it produces.

We say the system is broken. It’s a cliché at this point, a bipartisan lament.

But what if it isn’t broken?

What if it’s working exactly as designed?

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The Illusion of the Open Mind

Walk into almost any school today and you’ll find slogans celebrating “critical thinking.” Posters about inclusion. Mission statements about growth mindsets. The walls tell you that you are in a laboratory of ideas.

You’ll see banners for “Character Counts” and “No Child Left Behind.” Both intended to inspire trust. Both now reduced to hollow branding. One is a slogan without substance; the other a reform that left everyone behind.