Pedagogy - a word rarely used. And in our age of achievement testing, a bit of a lost art. For nearly 15 years I have been a professor in the university system. I guess by now I cease to be annoyed by the students who approach school like an obstacle course: hurdles they need to crawl under or jump over in order to achieve the grade they want.

I make it my personal challenge each semester to inspire these students to love the process of learning. I tell them that they soon will enter a world of work that will value individuals who can apply intelligence and emotional tools to evolving environments. Memorizing a set of data or mastering a skill has a value, to be sure. In the 21st century, however, a law of diminishing returns immediately kicks in to depreciate the value of those personal assets.

Chrysler announced last that it was firing 13,000 workers and completely shutting down one of its SUV plants in Newark, Delaware. The job cuts represent a 16 percent reduction of Chrysler's production workforce, and about 5,300 of the 13,000 jobs to be cut will be in Michigan.

It has become a tragic comedy to watch one U.S. automaker after another resort to massive layoffs as a "rescue plan." Until recently Chrysler looked like the success story among Detroit's Big Three automakers. Perhaps shedding workers would be more understandable if Chrysler and its American competitors were offering a truly innovative re-design of their business model. Without a doubt, U.S. automakers are saddled with legacy labor agreements that burden their cost structure. But year after year nothing seems to change, and it's the blue-collar worker who must pay the price for a lack of vision in the executive office.