Professional Learning Communities

Nation wide- a ‘new’ acronym seeped into educational rhetoric in the 1990’s. P.L.C.’s.

"It only takes a public school system to turn the word 'community' into a bad word." -John Meeks Jr.

PLC’s. Professional Learning Communities. Yet another acronym used to- introduce a ‘new’ concept, undoubtedly misinterpret ‘new’ concept, and consequently indoctrinate educators in this ‘new’ concept- which is the business model system’s objectives currently in place. “BM’s”, if you will.

Translation: PLC’s are a means to manipulate time (time = freedom = $) and get schools to fit the business model structure (bm’s). BM’s are everywhere. Top down management styles motto of BM’s: Keep Money and power at the top, obedient workers at the bottom- at all costs.

PLC’s replaced department/ subject area meetings. Back in the day it was-Economic teachers with economic teachers. Earth Science with earth science teachers. Algebra, World Literature etc. Like-minded teams ensuring they are aiming for the same goals in respective subjects. Subjects still meet in PLC’s but the end goal is set by bm’s.

Slowly, it changed.

What happened was a drastic shift in conversations. Talking points went from asking more creative questions like, “how can we use current events to teach the past?” (Example: How are the Middle Ages similar to today? How are we different? Research.) Over time led to unimaginative responses to questions (from higher ups) like, “how are you going to demonstrate data? Prove you teach to the test! Why? Because it’s ‘coming down the pike!” From top down businesses to the bottom feeders- workers/ teachers, then ultimately students.

Interlude: Is it “Coming down the Pike?” Or is it “pipe”? It is a colloquial thrown around quite a lot in BM’s world. That’s on point- BM leaders like acronyms and cliche’s frequently repeated, seldom understood, and sadly, ever questioned. For the record, it’s Pike, as in turnpike; “Grandma would say Bessie would take any man coming in off the turnpike”. (Yes, an actual example.) And it is also Pipe, as in something moving in a pipe next to a walkway or highway. “He chose to Take the pipeline to get to California.” A dirtier route. Sewage. ‘Bottom' line? be afraid of things coming down some industrial and imaginary tube. And you should “be afraid, be very afraid, because IT is coming!” What is IT? From my experience, not a damn thing. Hot air empty threats that kept us in fear and compliant. Well played BM’s! Lesson: beware of unexplained forensic acronym’s: UFA’s.

PLC’s interestingly and ironically align with beliefs of many educators:

“If schools are to be significantly more effective, they must break from the industrial model upon which they were created and embrace a new model that enables them to function as learning organizations. It sounds simple enough, but as the old adage warns, "the devil is in the details." Educators willing to embrace the concept of the school as a professional learning community will be given ambiguous, oftentimes conflicting advice on how they should proceed. — Richard DuFour and Robert E. Eaker, Professional Learning Communities at Work

Learning “that foster genuine commitment rather than compliance” — Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

What happens is that good ideas get twisted and re-purposed for the benefit of bm’s. The message in theory is- let teachers have more time, autonomy, and trust. The reality of PLC’s and other educational reform pipelines is- dictate and monopolize time, curriculum, and data. Do not trust teachers or students into figuring this out. "Compliance is Key”. The exact opposite of what educational gurus are suggesting should happen in PLC’s. Why isn’t it?

PLC’s become weaponized- in a political and Educational battlefield. Education controlled by government (and business) best interest, not kids.

As George Carlin put it: “Governments don't want a population capable of critical thinking, they want obedient workers, people just smart enough to run the machines and just dumb enough to passively accept their situation.”

Question: do PLC's nurture critical thinkers or obedient teachers? More or Less?

Point: Scary point. If you actually become a critical thinker of PLC’s, beware! I promise it will not end well. And what can you live with? Complacency and obedience (and kudos); or advancing critical thinking, (along with possible branding and banishment for not being a community ‘team player’)?

What is right for you?

Links include:

How PLC’s are used to get schools to be more like Ford, FedX, and Amazon.

Is your PLC a Farce?

“Down the pike” archive.

Brooks- talking realities of PLC’s

What is and what is not being taught- like personal finance. (No time? Better get to the PLC meeting!)

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/plc-problems/

https://money.cnn.com/.../fort.../1994/10/17/79843/index.htm

https://www.dailywritingtips.com/coming-down-the-pike/

https://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/.../john-meeks-danger...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKEYSE8KDc4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r--tAcsrI48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4EMeywsH3s&t=82s