Create The Third Alternative – Synergize

“The essence of synergy is to value differences – to respect them, to build on strengths and to compensate for weaknesses.”

Stephen Covey

Recently the New York Times ran an op-ed piece titled “Five Ways to Fix America’s Schools.”   Some of the changes suggested were:

• Raise the compulsory age to 19.  The benefits of an extra year of school beyond high school would allow for at least one year of college, vocational training or apprenticeship.
• Get serious about truancy.  Truants quickly become dropouts.  In many cities as many as 30% of students are absent a month of school each year. 
• Produce more qualified college applicants.  Half of the freshmen in college have weak academic skills.  Graduation rates at most colleges are less than 60%.

There were many responses to the article from educators all over the country.  Some suggested recruiting better teachers, raising teacher salaries, and eliminating tenure.  Others suggested making learning relevant to students, just compelling students to stay in school longer is no guarantee of higher learning.  Several targeted literacy and pointed out the benefits of early interventions, like head start and reforming the system and starting age of school.  Those who favor charter schools and vouchers pointed out that one size fits all does not help all children.

There was a wealth of information and ideas from everyone.  Reading these I realized how critical is for all associated with education to value the differences and work together cooperatively. 

Synergy creates the third alternative.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Synergy takes place when two or more people produce more together than the sum of what they could have produced separately.

Synergy is:

• Results oriented
• Examining, exploring, seeking diverse perspective openly enough to alter or complete your paradigm
• Have a mutually agreed upon end in mind
• Worth the effort and effective
• A process

The essence of synergy is valuing the differences.  This does not imply that you approve of or agree with differences: rather it means that you respect the differences and see them as opportunities for learning.  These differences become valuable tools for finding solutions because they enable you to discover and produce outcomes together that you would not find separately. 

In order to change you must be willing to let go of something.  Educators and those who influence the policy must leave their egos and attachments to one  position behind and embrace the possibilities.

There is a wealth of ideas and innovations available.  Stephen Covey stated it most eloquently.

“People who are truly effective have the humility and reverence to recognize their own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings.”