In the entrepreneurial world disrupters are highly valued. These people see opportunity where “angels fear to tread”. There is no doubt that Covid-19 has truly disrupted our world. We long to return to the way things were, but let’s face it, we will not be going back there. The virus has wreaked havoc. It has destroyed, but it has also made us pause and take stock. This is a good thing. Ironically, the isolation of the pandemic has brought many families closer together. It has caused us to question our values and exposed many weaknesses in our socio-political systems. I believe it is no accident that George Floyd’s appalling death has ignited such a spontaneous and vociferous reaction. It begs the question: what are we doing to make the world a better place for all of its citizens?
We must hold our representatives, our institutions and ourselves accountable. Schools should be leading as agents of change in this respect. Instead, we are often too embedded in our traditions, afraid of the disruption implicit in change and too beholden to the shackles of bureaucratic curricula.
In the mid-1980s, a trend already began to emerge.ᵃ Employers pay more for a combination of mathematical problem solving abilities and high social skills. The schooling system produces a distressing shortage of both. Both skillsets should be deliberately taught.
Hamilton House has been established to raise young men with specific abilities in these two areas.
