Week 2 Planetary Investment: Education of your Colonies

Every Player has some children in their faction lands.
What are the most important things children in your territory will be taught. Be specific about what you think it should be focused on and why. Be very specific about your character's philosophy of education.

Su Maehl sat at his desk on his homeworld. He almost never gets to come here anymore. These last few weeks have been so busy that he hasn't had a chance to think about the nitty gritty of things. On his desk he saw a recent review of educational principles. Su chuckled as he thought about how he was educated.

Having been a bastard child of a housemaid and an Iron Republic Planetary governor had offered him little in the way of formal education. He had some primary education in the Iron Republic and, when the Planetary Governor's wife found out about her husband's infidelities his mother and he were shipped off planet to wallow in their poverty on another planet that was so poor that it did not have formal education beyond the age of 14. The rest of his education was performed during his time as a young adult engaging in interplanetary "shipping." Maehl was a bright man, despite his lack of formal education, and was able to pick things up quickly through h-books, e-books, and a-books.

He never thought he would be in a position to be determining how people would be educated. The thought hit him suddenly, forcing him to lean back in his seat as the weight of this realization hit him. What should education throughout the Free Systems look like?? How is he in a position to affect that? He doesn't really govern many planets, but the thought was a worthwhile one. Ideas rained on Su as the realm of possibility overwhelmed him. Su spent the next few days reading about, when he had the opportunity, educational principles throughout the Polar Expanse. He had a team of market researches do additional research, attempting to correlate educational success to financial success, not only per planet and nation, but to individuals as well. They were to dig through data and advise him accordingly.

After their work was complete, Su made some decisions regarding his ideal educational system:
1) Heavy focus on broad, experiential, learning. Books are not enough, memorization is not enough, and social learning creates the most intuitive minds throughout the galaxy. This experiential learning will last into adulthood, allowing for different means of learning for different types of learners. As a whole, perhaps certain planets would have certain higher learning focuses, but early education should not have any particular focus.
2) The core principles of education should revolve around thoughtful questioning. Good questions induces the best educational outcomes, as well as creating different means by which to resolve problems.
3) The Free Systems don't have many advantages over other nations in the Polar Expanse. The Iron Republic has most of the resources, the Unity maximal production efficiency, Kasanth infinite free labor, and the EEF the greatest variety of resources, between technology and the Leyas. Manslayers, one must presume, don't focus on such trivial things. They must, therefore, lead the way in academic invention. Maehl Holdings, being the largest independent corporation in the Free Systems, must lead the way. While TerraNova may be the lead researcher in the Polar Expanse, there must be a way the Free Systems can compete. The Free Systems shoudl endeavor to have the best educational system with the greatest educational outcomes.
4) The Free Systems must not, ever, become an Iron-Republic light. There must not be such a pro-state propaganda whereby the censorship is considered acceptable behavior and that people have the right to be wage slaves. There should be philosophical thought, ethics taught, and people should uphold ideals greater than themselves. Only through positive thought and action will the Free Systems ever "compete" with their peers.
5) Multi-racialism is vital to the success of the Free Systems. Tzira, Earthers, and all other races must work in unison. One race must not be superior to others. It breeds resentment and inefficiency. They must learn together, grow together, and accept each other fully. And that must begin with education. Diversity of thought and perspective must be engendered. Only when individuals can look at problems through multiple perspectives will the best course of action occur.
6) When and where possible, education should be mandatory to early adulthood, and at a minimal cost to the individual. There must not be an educational elite or significant castes. While the Tzira may be casted in function, they should have the freedom to learn and develop as they choose. Any cultural and/or biological divisions will not be imposed by the state.
7) When possible, education should not be restricted to what is already known throughout the Free Systems, but also about the rituals of others. This will have to, invariably, devote resources to the study of the Leyas in a sensible manner.* It also means learning about the ways of each of the other nations.

Finally, Maehl Holdings, as do other corporations, must have intensive academic programs throughout their business that will serve to additionally develop young minds in practical application. There's no greater educational experience than that coming from practical experience.

In the interim, he knew Henner 12 would benefit heavily from a higher learning institution devoted to the arts, as well as having many programs throughout their school system devoted to these arts as well. On Maxa Provo 9, a more diverse education would better serve the population, so that having strong institutions would endear the planet to its previously migrant populations. As the local industry is mining, experiential programs would focus on that, having the benefit of Flag Staff to teach them accordingly. Maehl Holdings would be able to start a school on intergalactic economics, and have staff there teach some courses, as well as attract minds from all over the Polar Expanse, should they be given the opportunity to travel to Maxa Provo 9. In reviewing his other "holdings", however, he was not necessarily at liberty to address educational concerns, or make them extraordinary in any way, shape, or form. One day, perhaps... one day.

* - Notes regarding the Leyas are not to be published in final draft.

Su looked over his thoughts on education, and had his team draft a Core Values statement. He looked for a non-partisan educational forum with which to post his thoughts. As he did, we wondered what, if any, reaction he would get. How would his ideas differ from others? Did he just ruin the Free Systems' possible singular advantage by posting his thoughts? He sat back and waited for what others would say...

Sector General Deer looked up from the tablet computer. His eyes were sore, and ached. He wanted sleep. It had been a long week after the events of the "trials of Ar'yay HiveQueen". He still had so many requisition orders to sign off on.
He needed better trained people working underneath him. Deer took another drink from his synthacoffee cup, then looked down at the inside of the cup in horror. It was empty. He clicked a sidebar on his tablet, and a voice could be heard over the intercom.
"Sector General, what can we bring you?"
Deer loved mekanoids. They were technically slaves. But they were built to be. Same reason he loved his Brethren soldiers. Expendable, but with a purpose. Let the real Humans, the true Humans. The ones with real feelings, childhoods and friendships survive, while blank slates walk into the line of fire.
"Boo yah" he yelled.
It startled the mekanoid that brought his coffee, but it was smart enough not to spill it. A mekanoid body with an autobolt bullet hole in its head still sat in the corner gathering dust. It was Deer's lesson to failures.
He had thought. That he understood so much more. He thought Stark was a fool, an alien jester. But now he knew what had happened. He got screwed by the Board. Just like Deer knew he was going to be.
Sandford Deer hadn't gotten this far without having a sixth sense for danger. A Deer sense if you will.
It tingled right now. Deer knew a setup when one was coming. And the Board might just be setting up the whole Polar Expanse to take the fall for the rest of the I.R.

So as he looked down again at his pad, with coffee in hand. Mmm tastes synthetic. He decided that the Iron Republic needed more training in memorization and retention. Obviously its 3 minute attention span had failed all of Known Space. The citizens needed to understand how the mechanisms of government worked. Down to the tiniest bureaucrat.
They needed to know how they fit in to the greater whole.
That way they understood one crucial thing.
In the Iron Republic, their life had meaning.


Deer smiled and said to the Mekanoid holding the synthacoffee pot, "You can return that to the galley little friend. I think I have just fixed all the problems of the Iron Republic."

Red thick leather duelist gloves covered each of Sector General Palomedes' hands. Both hands gripped the hilts of weapons. A beautifully ornate matched pair of dueling foils were dancing back and forth in those gloved hands.
They moved to a music all their own. Each thrust drove the foil's tip into sensors placed across his opponents' body. Each one tapped and a shock deadened the use of a limb.
Sweat poured from the old man's brow, but he never let up. It was with grace, and highest dexterity he tapped out a staccato of strikes, to a music unheard by any but Palomedes.
Still no word from his own son, and he was concerned.

Yet he tapped away again, and the Brethren Mu took the hits not fast enough to parry the strikes of the elder warrior.
Finally the Brethren Mu collapsed unconscious on the floor. A Mu was designed with the memories of very speciific aspects of life. Much like a human savante, they are amazing at one task, or set of tasks, but have trouble with all others. Palomedes felt good considering this savante was a savante at fencing, and still Palomedes had bested him.

He dropped the matched pair of Foils, and finally decided.

Palomedes activated his portable assistant, "RoboMindy, jot this down.
We live in a generation where memories can just be downloaded about past events, but that is not a replacement for learning from the past. We can learn as much about ourselves as we can by searching our past.
It is the key to all things, and as a Species Humanity can learn from our own past crimes and failures.
We may currently live in an epoch of the Iron Republic, but it is better served as a corporation than as a government.
I have been shaken to my core. I feel as if the Board of Directors and the Quall HiveQueens are simply aristocrats standing above me and spilling their drinks on our heads as they laugh at us. They truly do not care how many people die in the Polar Expanse, or in Bootes for that matter.
We have seen these sorts of governments in the past before.
Our children must be ready so we do not fall into another dark ages.
Have all students given extra food and entertainment rations if they attend history classes, and approved historical texts. "

The education of the child begins with parenting. Home schooling is stressed very much within the dominions of Beacon City. The role of educator that parents play is an important pillar of the study of knowledge. It is believed that parents who neglect their duty to educate support ignorance in the most advantageous way.

As soon as the child is shown to be capable, they may begin their journey for knowledge with professional educators. This is initiated by applying for apprenticeship. Apprenticeships, once begun, can be as short as a couple of years, or as long as half a life-time, all depending on what is being learned and how capable the master is. At the core of the apprenticeship approach is the philosophy espoused by Garmin Fe, that knowledge is created when two willful beings interact in a meaningful way. Attempting to teach people in mass is not considered a meaningful way of creating knowledge, instead, it is just a means of spreading facts. It is the focus of Beacon City educators not to simply pay attention to the context of the information, but also the context of the learning process itself.

Soon after Beacon City was established, Garmin Fe set out to create a university within his grand city. That university still stands and is true to the image of Garmin's philosophy. Masters of their field have been assembled to advance education as a whole. Within the university a system of rewards is unlike that of most other institutes. Tutors are never paid based on the number of students they teach, rather they are rewarded based on the greatest accomplishment their students have achieved. A council of founding educators sits in judgment of this. There goal is to reward tutors based on the quality of their students. Therefore, most tutors will take on only a handful of students at any particular time, hoping to make a grand master out of at least one of them.

As for what subjects are held highest, that varies from tutor to tutor, from master to master. The philosophy of education is only lightly taught in a literal manner, mostly the methods of teaching are transmitted through the teaching process itself. That said, their has been a rising interest in the nature of layas. With exposure to worlds without layas, Beacon City citizens have come to realize how unique it really is. To know that Refuge stands at nexus of worlds now seems even more significant. Some go so far as to ponder the purpose that the layas serves in the grand design of the universe. They feel that by knowing more about the layas itself, greater insight to the very destiny of Beacon City and its people can be revealed.

"Boo hiss", said the snake in Layne Yr's hand, "Ugh Parents."
"Quiet you," snapped Layne Yr choking the Nighmare, "No disrespect intended Good Garmin Fe, but I disagree as much as someone can.

Parents must be removed from the equation. Hug specialists will provide love and affection to their wards during the formative years. Parents instill a child with all their fears and inadequacies. Hug Specialists do not judge, and are payed to never make babies feel inadequate. Once they can walk they are placed in the Toddlers Club, where they are trained until nap time, and have an evening of stories from the Bishop Kasanth Dannor's adventures.
When they reach age six they are placed in the youth corps. Trained in Shadow Leyas, the Kasanthian Devotion and the precepts of the Kasanthian Federation. They make and control their first Nightmare by age eight. They lead a pack of five nightmares by age thirteen. By sixteen are masters of combat against all manner of creature in forced cage matches as part of their youth corps graduation.
Then they become either Nightmare Slavers, and find jobs for their Nightmares, or join the Kasanthian Military.
Many become Vampyrs, feeding on the fear and pain of their victims and growing stronger, simply because that's what happens when you empower a child by letting him unleash packs of ravenous monsters on almost anyone they want.

Free Labour, endless creativity, that is the Promise of the Kasanthian Federation.
Crush your Enemies, and place nightmare puppets in their corpses.

Prelate Ye'seren stood before his congregation he looked upon the men, women, and children who were seated in the pews awaiting his sermon, this was the part of the service which he enjoyed the most. Sure the religious rituals were very important, spreading the holy word was his sacred duty but here, he could speak his mind to these fine people and really connect with them.

"My children, I am so happy too see so many seats filled this evening. It is truly a delight that I can speak to you this night about a very important subject. I have been around for a very long time, my faith in the holy Quall N'Drone has granted me centuries of life and has allowed me to spread the holy faith and bring happiness and love to many many people like yourselves. In my long years I have never stopped learning, never stood idle and I tell you that nothing is more important then learning the lessons of the past. You see my faithful children you cannot make informed decisions about the future without first looking backward at what has transpired in the past. We may believe that our problems are unique, that nothing like them has happened before so we despair in the face of them. I tell you now this is not so, we have faced dangers in the past, we have been persecuted, we have been oppressed, we face the ignorant hatred of others when we seek to spread joy. Our Chapter has fallen on hard times, the Iron Republic shows no respect to the glory of the Quall N'Drone, the foul Kasanthian Federation wishes to defile the mighty ones and all who follow them. The Unity wishes to absorb you into its consensus but their collective is a cold one, lacking the personal love and attention of the Horned Dog. The Trilat wishes to unleash its foul demons and monsters upon us but I tell you that the Mighty Ones have faced threats like these and triumphed! The foul Falosini, dark bringers of storms tremble at the very mention of the Great Ones names, the monstrous Neliff sought to sacrifice entire worlds to their demon lords yet the great Quall N'Drone struck them down as well.

Do not despair my children, in the past we faced greater adversary then this, these may be dark times but the dawn has come before and it shall come again! The Holy Flame shall light our path to the future but only if we remember our past strength! You may falter but you will always rise again, we shall come together like we have always done in the past and we shall never give up! We shall never back down! Our faith is eternal, and the love of the Quall is everlasting!

Come my brothers and sister, let us pray that the knowledge of the past will give us the strength for us to pave our way into the future. We shall not despair, we shall rejoice in the coming days. They shall be full of glory and your reward for your faith shall be beyond imagining."

Prelate Ye'seren of the Church of the Horned Dog shall give sermons telling about victories that the Quall N'Drone had over their past enemies, and tell of tactics used in those battles. The propaganda machine shall use past glory of the Quall to inspire current members of the Horned Dog and to tempt newcomers.
The stories shall be modified so as not to reveal facts about other dimensions and seem more like myths and fables to inspire rather then actual alien encounters.

While pondering Project Blackout and all that it entailed Twain found himself pondering the outside lives of his people on Casablanca and Druzi Prime. Calling up a scrolling list of their personnel files he was shocked to find that more than half of them had families. Where did they live? Were they ok with being seperated from their families for such a long time? Family... The guilty hole that had been in Twain's chest since before the Border Wars wasn't there anymore. He could go home now and had already talked with his parents. It was thanks to all he had learned from his family, Dumbar Poly Tech, the BFF, his adventures across the Colonies and now in space that he was finally able to go home.

Where would he be without all he had learned through hard work, self discovery and an ever inquisitive mind?

Twain felt inspiration race through his entire body forcing him to literally vibrate physically.

"What if I tried to teach people the way I learned? Is it even possible? I have a familial engineering background, would others need the same or could they learn regardless?" Twain was practically shouting now as he paced around his small office.

"Gaia! Start recording now please!" Twain shouted in exuberance.

If an AI could make a long suffering sigh Gaia would have. She had been trying to get Twain to focus on the logistics of pulling Terra Nova Industries' teams off of Druzi Prime in a coordinated manner, but knew that it was a lost cause until he was done with his new brain storming.

"Recording now Twain."

Taking an uncharacteristic moment to collect his thoughts and a deep breath Twain plunged into the maelstrom of ideas trying to fight their way out of his mouth.

"Now that I've taken a moment to think about it my proposed students would have to start relatively young, perhaps no older than 4 years old. That way we could teach them to be ever inquisitive about their world but wouldn't have to deal the development 'Why' period. Generalandsimpleconceptsatfirst, maybe things like physics, biology, computer technology and civics butonlyinverygeneralexploritoryways. Yes, yes the more Ithinkofitthemoreitmakessense! Ifwemakelearningfunandyettieinrealissuesfacingthestudentsandtheirfamiliesandtheirindivudalcultureswecanmakelearningintuitiveandimmediatelyuseful! Hmmm... Maybe this approach can be used with older students as well. We'd need to find some way to encourage inquisitive learning from the get go so some sort of deprogrammingfromtheiressentialisteducationbackgroundswillbeessential!" Twain chirped.

As Twain went on and on and on and on, Gaia dutifully recorded and transcribed his ideas all the while pulling out key words and phrases he used and running heuristic meta-searches through all of her considerable data banks. By the end of Twain's 5 hour fugue Gaia had created a bulleted list of actionable ideas, philosophies and theories as well the historical data data to back them up.

- Learning through inquiry begets greater understanding and more learning.
- Greater research into the philosophies of John Dewey are required.
- Multicultural education is incredibly important although possibly not politically possible in the Iron Republic.
- Teaching immutable and leyas using students to work together is paramount.
- While starting students in the inquiry system at a young age is optimal it is not imperative as proven by the reoccurrance of the Alphabet
System throughout old Earth's history.
- Totalitarianism in all of its forms is the enemy of education so any possible schools will need to be outside of the Iron Republic and TRILAT
Space.
- Those who flout logic in the face of unassailable evidence, even if they have a "gut" feeling need to be examined from afar and generally
avoided.
- Kinesthetic learning goes hand in hand with inquiry and needs to be used whenever possible.
- Students need to learn that happiness with their own work trumps praise or physical rewards almost always.
- Reality is a cruel mistress and must be kept in mind all of the time.
- Ethics is one of the most important sets of ideals and yet one of the least taught.
- A board of ethical inquiry must be formed lest science run amok.
- All avenues of study must lead to useful areas of academia.

Twain was both stunned and hugely proud of this list.

"Gaia, please pass this list plus all of the relevant historical data on to our station head on Casablanca and have her start looking for professional educators and congenial beings from all professions who have relevant experience in fields that our employees children might be interested in. I'd like to start a school for them and any of the children on Casablanca who show either the aptitude or strong enough desire to attend."

"Twain, what do you want to call this school?"

"For right now let's keep in simple, The TNI Academy."

Michael's children need no training, no education, no school. Everything they need to know is in their genes, etched into every molecule and atom of their being. The temperature is their mentor, stochastic process their experience. Each moment of their lives is constant struggle, and even in death they realize their purpose.

Two panels freed themselves from the wall of Prime's lab, and a soft chime sounded. It was time for him to put in his two cents regarding Unity education. Really, there was little to change, but he thought he could at least review the document and edit it as required...

*Begin Education Guidance Document Abstract*

The Unity cannot function without its citizens, as the Unity is its citizens. Further, if its citizenry do not learn on their own accord and work with their own motivation, the system would break down. Members of the Unity perform tasks because they wish to perform them. Intellectual curiosity fuels us all. Without a love of discovery, an understanding of our fellow connected, and the belief that every connected can make a difference, there would be no Unity.

Regardless if children are born naturally, or through accelerated vat production, children are given an array of chances to learn and discuss with their peers. They are also taught meditation and the arts martial at a young age.

*Begin example vid feed*
20 children of thirteen sit before an old man in a stone courtyard. The trees sway softly in a breeze, and from beyond the balcony there is a beautiful view of a deep valley. The old man goes through another koan.

"How are members of the Unity as stones in the river? Spar and converse."

The children stood at once and hurled themselves at one another with shouts and laughter alike. Their movements were not disciplined yet, but there was great promise amongst them. At they thought, they shouted ideas, some mocking, and some serious.

"The stones are like James 3, covered in slime!" Mary shouted while ducking a wild kick.

"The stones are like Samantha, hiding fish from other hungry rocks!" James said, laughing.

James 3 threw a strike at John, who grabbed his arm in a hold smoothly. James 3 took the short time he was airborne to think. "John, I think we should talk about the river as well as the rocks. Maybe it represents something too?"

John paused after throwing James 3 to the floor. "James, do you think they represent how even though we are small, the ripples we make change the river's flow?" They grinned as John helped up James 3, and both fought off Samantha and Mary. After a moment more of breathless discussion, they turned to the master as one and spoke as one. "Without the rocks, there would be no stream, and each rock affects the current, which in turn touches other rocks. Our presence in the stream changes us, just as we change the stream." The master smiled.

*cut feed*

The emphasis is on generating an interest and curiosity in members of the Unity. Children are not babied, and are encouraged to pursue their interests. advanced subjects, esoteric and immediately useful, are available to those who can master the material. Parents often share their work with their children, as they do work they are passionate about. Some are passionate about biology, others story telling, and others combat sims. All are encouraged to pursue their passions, think, and understand their fellows.

The Unity provides endless opportunities, information, and peers who understand. By fostering a love of learning, a questioning nature, and an understanding of the Unity's particular ethics, it ensures that the next generations will be able to take full advantage of the opportunities they are given.

-Regarding higher education-

Simply by being a member of the Unity, one may learn. There are countless text books, vid feeds, guides, and groups which focus around the teaching of all manner of subjects, from the art of war, to dentistry, to biochemistry, to underwater basketweaving. The subject one studies matters much less than the excellence that one displays in that field. After all, its surprising just how much one can learn of zero-g construction through observation of underwater basket weaving, done without respirators.

There are, however, centers of learning. Notably, there are the Thirteen Pillars of Triumph. Most centers of learning focus on applied works, experimentation, and presentations. Students are given access to what other societies might call "obscenely expensive equipment" for "research that will never be used", but the Unity revels in these side-pursuits. After all, one never knows where the next great breakthrough might come from!

The lab of members of the Unity is generally a 100% modular space linked to the minds of the operators. Reagents, devices, and machines are made to spec and on site directly when they are required. This is possible because of matter, biological material, gas, and nanite flows which supply all labs with the raw material which they require. It is instant, it is repeatable, it is automated, it is fun, it is science.

Prime

Hmmm, lets see.

education is important. yes, many of our citizens are "born" knowing many of thier skills, be they E-strain or Omega. but still, a skill that is not used, is a skill that will wither and rot. therefore, education is largely hands on and experimental in format. knowing something and actually knowing it from experience is one of the greatest gaps in the universe. when we discover something new, it is incorpated back in to the education programs so the next generation can proceed forward

Lil'ye'ahn sat at her desk, trying to focus on technical manuals once again. Her view kept wandering to the tiny planet of Nanabozho outside her window. She turned to her assistant and pondered.

"We offered to train then and increase their educational base. But how? As Kias we used to just absorb information from those that we touched. You SUARM learn from programing downloads. Normal earthers have neither of these luxuries. And their learning styles are so diverse! Some learn best from lectures, some from independent reading, and still others learn best from hands on 'show me, then let me try' style. And which areas should we focus on? I know that sciences and technologies are most important for the factories, farms, and research facility we wish to build. However, they should not be left wanting for the vast history, arts, and philosophies of the universe. Not to mention using the Leyas!"

Claptrap looked over the top of her desk, processing her query. "My Lady, your questions may be irrelevant. What if our offer is refused and we are asked to leave?"

"Very true, but what if we are not? We must have a PLAN!" The technical manuals winked off her screen. She began typing notes as she rambled excitedly. "Incorporating the current education system for the youth, we run a broad general studies program up until age 13. At that point aptitude testing to see where each student's strengths lie. They will be given numerous options on which direction to continue their studies. During the general studies program we evaluate each student's learning style and try to work with that style to give them the best methods for processing the information being taught. Each student's education will become more and more personalized as they progress beyond age 13. The aptitude testing will continue every 2years after that to narrow down a student's specialization, or specializations. Upon maturity -what is it for earthers, age 21? They will be offered a variety of available assignments that best utilize their skills and knowledge. Some may choose to join the work force at that time, others are more than welcome to continue their studies. Those that continue to learn will be offered the opportunity to re-invest their learning by taking well paying roles in the education field to make sure the next generation has the same broad knowledge pool available to them! We'll also make sure that those skilled in the leyas are offered extra training to teach them not only how to use it, but how to use it for the best benefit of all."

Claptrap was unusualy silent throught her excited rant. It finally looked at her and asked simply. "How, My Lady, shall all this be paid for?"

She sighed, shaking her head at his silly question. Sometimes SUARM seemed to have no vision or passion, though she knew from experience this was false. "From the 30% re-investment of course. Besides, knowledge is priceless!" She picked up the tea Claptrap had brought her and winced at the bitterness. "Now if only I could write a program to teach you how to make a decent Chamomille Mint, friend." She laughed and turned back to the window, staring at the planet, her thoughts racing.