Learn from Mistakes: The Real Test of an Educational Institution

Dear parents, in my childhood I heard about two bakeries where insects were found. The difference was what happened afterward: in the first bakery, most of the energy went into hiding the incident, and in the second, into making sure it would not happen again. That was done by changing suppliers, tightening procedures, increasing motivation, and maintaining close supervision. Both sold products with kosher certification. But only one of them was worthy of trust. That story has stayed with me ever since, and it always comes to mind when negative incidents occur in educational institutions.

So let us start with a basic reality: there is no perfect institution, no perfect principal, and no staff that never makes mistakes. From time to time, problems occur in educational institutions. Cases of violence that were not dealt with immediately, social exclusion, a teacher who said something that should not have been said, management that responded late or carelessly. These are not necessarily signs of a “rotten” institution. There is no educational institution in which nothing has ever happened. The real question parents should ask is not whether there was a problem, but what happened afterward.

Unfortunately, I have encountered cases in which administrations knew about real problems and made serious mistakes in handling them. Not out of indifference, but out of concern that proper treatment, including transparency, would cause irreparable harm to the institution, so they chose to sweep things under the rug. I am writing this column for you too, parents. Because the question I always ask when something happens is: what was done about it? What corrective action was taken, and was there learning from it?

When a respected car company issues a recall, we know two things at once, that there was a defect, and that its managers can be trusted. A recall does not weaken trust, it builds it. Because it says, we see it, we admit it, we fix it. The exact same logic applies to education. An institution that identifies a problem and addresses it with transparency and responsibility is an institution that can be trusted. An institution that covers things up, even if everything seems quiet for now, is an institution where the next problem will explode even harder.

Therefore, as parents, keep in mind that a first problem in a particular area does not necessarily reflect badly on the institution. A second and third problem in the same area already shows negligence. And then the question is sharp: did the institution learn? Did anything change? If the answer is no, then this is no longer a problem, but a policy of negligence and lack of seriousness.

But above all, the most critical thing that reduces problems and makes it possible to deal with them quickly and properly when they arise is attentiveness. Educators who hold real conversations with students. Regular homeroom periods every week, where different issues are discussed openly and there is a way to bring matters up in a pleasant, calm atmosphere. A principal who is present with the staff, holds productive staff meetings, and knows what is happening. Regular routines of dialogue with parents, where even a parent with no “formal complaint” feels free to pick up the phone and share concerns. A staff that sees parents as partners, not a threat.

When all of these exist, problems surface early and are easier to handle without fear of major consequences that create the temptation to “sweep them away.” And small things that seem “not serious” are handled before they become big.

So first of all, when there is a problem, acknowledge that it happens. Take a deep breath and do not automatically blame the staff. Recognize that the fact you even know about the problem may itself be a good sign. I know many cases in which very difficult things were discovered only when the children came to a psychologist at age 40 with a psychological structure full of childhood “scratches.”

In addition, recognize that choosing an educational institution for your children is, above all, a choice about management culture. Ask yourselves: does the leadership speak about failures it learned from, or only about successes? Is there a real mechanism for hearing parents? Are they available for a conversation? When you approached them in the past with a concern, did you receive a response that felt sincere? Did they get back to you with answers and update you that the issue had been handled?

An institution that answers these questions properly, even if one day a problem is discovered there, and it will happen, is an institution you can stand behind and expect to correct itself. Good luck!

Shneur

The article was written in the Aḥvatta newsletter distributed throughout the country.

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