"I had assumed that I was there to learn the content and the teachers were all just blind or crazy — I know now that I was there to learn to follow orders, and

"I had assumed that I was there to learn the content and the teachers were all just blind or crazy — I know now that I was there to learn to follow orders, and my education is for the ones who give them." The OA is reading Freire [1] (see other posts on the blog). The Infed article on Gramsci, especially the section headed 'Gramsci on schooling and education' [2] might help further. The clue is in the separation of the two functions. The OA was obviously able to educate himself most effectively. The challenge is now to collect a few people like his childhood self and get some self-organised education going outside the system. A few hours a week. Biographies of people like Alan Kay, Feynman &c show the influence of an adult outside the system on intellectual development. The career of Brian Harvey springs to mind. The OA is in a good place to start a dialogue with younger people around (say) social network use and surveillance (see OA's google+ feed). Direct experience of working with (say) a handful of young people will refine ideas. [1] http://infed.org/mobi/paulo-freire-dialogue-praxis-and-education/ http://infed.org/mobi/paulo-freire-dialogue-praxis-and-educa... [2] http://infed.org/mobi/antonio-gramsci-schooling-and-education/ http://infed.org/mobi/antonio-gramsci-schooling-and-educatio...