The Sunk Cost Fallacy

In the past, I wrote a haiku to accompany each blog post. It is a habit that I let die. The creative side of my brain is craving the challenge of playing with words again. While I contemplate revisiting that old practice, enjoy this piece from nearly four years ago.

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The sunk cost fallacy refers to decisions driven by the amount already invested in something—whether money, time, or personal commitment—even when abandoning it would be the better choice. This "something" can be a project, a purchase, a social construct, or even a relationship. When I looked up the definition of the sunk cost fallacy, every source described it as an instance of irrational decision-making.

This can be found in the impulsive purchases that don't work as advertised, don't solve the problem you expected them to, or turn out to be one more thing you didn't really need, as well as in the mindsets and choices around political ideology, relationships, or education that no longer work for you. It happens to all of us; emotion drives your brain to ignore reality, and you continue to invest energy in the decision. Even though your stance is making your life harder, your heels are dug in, and rational arguments won't change your mind — this is the sunk cost fallacy in action.

I see this not only in the political arena of NoCo, but in the unwillingness to jump ship from traditional school when that model is clearly not working for a child. In some cases, it's because parents have never heard of self-directed learning or "unschooling"; in others, they're so deeply indoctrinated into the current system that they don't view anything else as valid.

Unfortunately, as with most things, in my experience, it's only when the child is in true crisis that parents are willing to cut their losses and break with cultural norms to give it a try. I cannot gloss over the trauma caused by this delayed decision-making. We meet some kids who are either completely shut down or, on the opposite end, belligerent and disrespectful. Sadly, in a few cases, it's simply too late for us to have any positive impact; the damage is beyond our capabilities, and those instances break my heart every damn time. 


When you're in the depths of a sunk cost fallacy, it doesn't seem like there's a logical way forward. So, how do we avoid this pitfall, not only in this example but in every case? I'd suggest that awareness is probably the first step. Every step after that involves the willingness to let go of the feelings that have been driving your decisions, so you can open your mind and think rationally. Once you can do that, the clouds obscuring the other available options will lift, and you'll see them more clearly as the exciting possibilities they are.

None of this means the path forward is easy. Letting go of a stance you've defended, a system you've trusted, or a plan you've poured years into requires a kind of courage that rational argument alone can't provide. But the sooner you can name what's happening — to recognize the sunk cost fallacy for what it is — the sooner you reclaim the ability to choose based on what's actually best, rather than what you've already spent. The investment is gone either way. What's still within your control is everything that comes next. 

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DRC News

It has been another quiet week of admin work at the Center. Once again, it included a medical appointment - this time, with the eye doctor in Watertown. 

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Open Enrollment
We are here for anyone who needs us. Get in touch today.

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Pay-What-You-Can Policy

For anyone who has been considering choosing Deep Root Center as an educational option but has hesitated because of the membership fees, the DRC Pay-What-You-Can Policy is designed to eliminate financial inaccessibility. Our promise to work with any family who needs our services is our commitment to our community.

Get in touch if you think DRC may be right for your child, or visit our website.

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Can you help?
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We are looking toward the 26/27 academic year and are seeking 8-10 volunteers who are excited to share their skills, talents, and knowledge with our student members for 2 days each month.

This is an opportunity to build relationships with our youth and help them discover new ideas and fields of interest. If this is something you would like to explore, get in touch, or find the link to the volunteer application here.
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These are a few of the fields we would be keen to include in our programming:

Cosplay costume design
Carpentry, ​building repair, and maintenance
Small engine repair
Science Classes and Labs 
Computer repair
Computer programming &Game Design
D&D Dungeon Master
Magic: The Gathering - Mentor
Entrepreneurship
High-Level Math - Algebra, Trig., Geometry
Social Studies - History, Social Justice, etc.
Baking - cakes and cake decorating
Arts & Crafts