Am I the only one who remembers the old phrase, “Monkey see, monkey do”? Observant parents know that children learn more by observation than by formal educational methods – and their imitation is not always flattering.
Monkey see, monkey do can be cute when little children play the game, but it’s rarely cute or acceptable when adults do it. Sadly, a lot of monkey business has been done in the name of progress around Chattanooga. No one admits it, but is there another explanation for converting wide, efficient one-way thoroughfares to and from downtown into narrow, one-lane-each-way rush-hour parking lots? Creating abundant bicycle lanes, for little bicycle traffic, is another example. Yes, bikes are abundant in Amsterdam, but not nearly so much in Chattanooga.
One good definition of monkey see, monkey do is, “doing something by mimicry, without understanding why it works or being concerned about the consequences.” And therein lies the problem with the monkey see, monkey do method of running anything important. Just because somebody else somewhere else did something else doesn’t make it a useful and beneficial thing to do here. Copying someone else’s action without knowing why it was done and whether it works or not – that never makes sense, but it’s always expensive.
About a month ago I wrote an opinion of the top-heavy and too-costly local public school system. Strangely, the only published response didn’t address either of those points, but merely stated that I didn’t have the faintest idea what I was talking about and should maybe move to Memphis and criticize their schools. That tangential rebuttal went on to compare the Hamilton County school system favorably with its ‘peer school systems’ in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville. On that basis, we come in second best of the four in results and expenses. “Compared to their peers, our local people are doing a pretty good job” was the confident conclusion. (It helps to choose your peers carefully.)
Yes, on a monkey see, monkey do basis, Hamilton County isn’t doing too badly in the education business. We’re above average! But in fact, being #41 of 132 state school districts is barely in the top one-third of the bunch. Is that supposed to be a bragging point – we’re behind only 40 others? What kind of grade would an honest teacher give that result? Remember, it costs about $11,000 per kid per year to manage even that modicum of success.
Monkey see, monkey do is just playing copy-cat. It’s not concerned with absolutes, but with aping someone else. It’s not worried about excellence or advancement, but merely claims that if we’re keeping up with the Joneses, we’re doing all right. Mediocre is good, and pretty good is good enough. That wouldn’t work in business, and it doesn’t work in education.
So, when is someone in authority around here, someone with the position and power and responsibility to make a good and useful difference, going to realize that we don’t need a peer-based school system? What we should have is a peerless school system, and for $11,000 per kid per year we should already have that. Hamilton County should be working hard to become #1, rather than being content with #41.
Monkey see, monkey do won’t do it. And don’t even think about asking for more money. Think about doing things differently, to get a different result.
Larry Cloud
Chattanooga