This essay shows clear definitions of the term sustainability and then how it applies to schools within a certain state. The essay goes on to explain the problems with sustainability and then defines a method for how sustainability may be achieved in schools.
What is sustainability as a word?
It means the ability to be sustained. It implies that if something is able to process, work or function, then it will continue to do so if it is sustainable. It requires some sort of constant. It is common for that constant to be some sort of source that is feed into the process and either used up or converted. For example, to maintain a sustainable flower garden a constant such as the sun is needed. Without the sun’s energy being converted by the plants then the flowers would not bloom.
What is unsustainable within schools?
This implies that there is an aspect within a school that is not getting a constant. I may mean that the required constant is being used up, will be used up, or is irregular or intermittent.
A word about intermittency
If a constant is intermittent and but does so on a predictable basis then that is a constant. However, such a constant may not be enough to maintain sustainability. For example, going back to the flower garden example. It may rain intermittently and if that meant it rained every week then that would be enough to sustain the garden. On the other hand if it rained every year then that would not be enough of a constant to maintain the garden.
How is sustainability achieved in schools?
Again, a suitable constant or set of constants would have to be achieved. The most common constant in this case is funding. If things are to remain constant in schools then funding is often one of the constants that is needed because without it they struggle to hire teachers and struggle to get any work done or tasks achieved. All that is needed is a constant or set of constants that are suitable for the school.
Will throwing money at a problem help?
This is a form of counter intuition, as throwing money at something unsustainable within a school is rarely the best idea. The first problem is that the funding may only be a partial problem. Funding problems may actually be covering the real problems. It may be an inconsistency in the process that is actually causing the money/funding problems to begin with. This means that throwing money at the problem is unlikely to produce any sort of meaningful fix.
Evolution of a process is needed
Defining sustainability within a school means finding a way to evolve so that constants may be achieved and the school element may subsequently be sustained. Throwing money at problems in schools is a very bad idea if the process has not been thoroughly examined and fixed first. If evolution of a school process is achieved then sustainability may follow due to the newly found constants.
