School Sucks Even More Than You Thought | Esme Van Deventer
From Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard by Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard
May 6, 2026 · 55 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the failures of the education system and its impact on students and employers, featuring insights from educational philosopher Esme Van Deventer.
On the future (or lack thereof) of education Schools are failing students, employers are failing graduates, and parents are failing to ask the right questions - this episode is for business leaders worried about their talent pipeline, HR professionals frustrated by grad programs, educators fighting the system from within, and anyone who has ever wondered whether the money poured into education is producing any real return. Bronwyn Williams and Sharon Pierce sit down with teacher and educational philosopher Esme Van Deventer to diagnose exactly how schools, systems, and societies are producing the wrong kind of human for the world of work. They examine the product problem (wrong skills, siloed thinking, format compliance over real understanding), the pricing problem (education as a status game rather than a value-generating investment), and the parent problem (helicopter parenting, homework battles, and Gen Z bringing mom and dad to job interviews). Esme shares her hands-on classroom experiments in integrated, phenomenon-based learning: a 10-week Charlie and the Chocolate Factory curriculum that teaches geography, ethics, science, economics, and writing as one interconnected…
People in this episode
Hosts: Bronwyn Williams, Sharon Pierce
Guest: Esme Van Deventer
Topics covered
- education
- talent pipeline
- HR challenges
- integrated learning
- parenting issues
- workplace readiness
Keywords
- education system
- talent pipeline
- HR professionals
- integrated learning
- Gen Z
- Bloom's Taxonomy
- classroom economy
More episodes of Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard
- Be Strong and Stand Strong · June 10, 2026 · 49 min
- A Time to Heal | Dr Rani Samuel [read by Melini Moses] · June 10, 2026 · 5 min
- Monaco, Chinese car invasion, Toyota Land Cruiser FJ · June 10, 2026 · 54 min
- Letters of Love | Dr Rani Samuel · June 9, 2026 · 5 min
- I Am Supernatural · June 7, 2026 · 46 min
- Christ Is Our Wisdom - Ps. Cordelia Nwokocha · June 7, 2026 · 36 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard podcast page.