a parable

The other day a friend of mine who is a doctor told me about an interesting experience. She was preparing to perform surgery on a patient when some man in a suit walked into the operating room. He informed her that he was there to instruct her on surgery and to evaluate her performance. When she replied that this was a high-risk operation and that the patient had many risk-factors that might prevent a successful operation, he dismissed this with a wave. He said she either must completely overcome these or perhaps she should only take on the patients with the highest chances of survival. He was instating a new hospital policy that said that only the doctors who saved the most lives would be able to keep their jobs and make a good salary. My friend the doctor reminded this man that there are many factors beyond a doctor's control and that sometimes, despite their best efforts, patients may not survive. The man simply replied that she should have thought about that before deciding to help people by joining the medical profession. Finally frustrated, the doctor almost considered walking out, but she felt she could not abandon her patient, who she had come to care about and whose well-being she had been advocating. She began the surgery and the man stood over her shoulder with instructions, reminding her that if she failed to do exactly as he said, she might lose her job. Unfortunately, as the operation continued it became clear that the man had no operating experience at all and his instructions were inaccurate and often times dangerous. My friend was torn. Should she perform the surgery as the man instructed and risk losing the patient, or take the steps she felt were necessary to save their life and risk losing her career? Out of fear she chose to do as she was told. Sadly, the operation was unsuccessful and the patient lost his life. As the monitor beeped a flat line, the man scribbled notes and turned to leave. My friend the doctor, crushed with the realization that she had let someone bully her into not doing what was best for her patient, could only ask one question. "Did you ever lose a patient as a surgeon?" she whispered. The man replied, "Surgeon? I majored in business," and he walked out.

The next day my friend quit her job because she couldn't take the pressure. Other surgeons quickly followed and soon the hospital found itself extremely short-staffed. There were too many patients per doctor and at first the doctors tried to spread their attention evenly among them. However, as time went on, they noticed that all of their patients were doing poorly. So instead they decided to give all their care to the cases that were the most likely to survive, while leaving those that had less chance to fend for themselves. The result? This hospital, once successful and able to save many lives, now could only save the lives of a select few.

Think this story sounds made up? You're right. It may not have happened in a hospital or to a doctor, but is happening. It's happening daily to teachers all over this country - being told how to do their job by those with no experience in the field, being penalized for working with at-risk students, and ultimately being forced out of a profession they once loved because the pressure has become too great. So the next time you are thinking how to vote or where to put your trust, consider the people who spend every day in the trenches of education overcoming seemingly impossible odds and helping children to overcome poverty, hunger, and chaotic lives to reach their dreams.

And imagine yourself on that operating table. Do you want the surgeon to follow her training and professional instinct, or to follow her fear and the direction an unqualified source? I, for one, will take the expert.