'Hammering square pegs into round holes till they’re literate and numerate enough for factory work?'
This, absolutely.
I am reminded of one particular incident. It was a parent-teacher evening. I had one lovely little boy in my year 2 class who had been born a few weeks premature, and so had slipped over the cut-off between Year 1 and Year 2. He was delightful, but the fully timetabled regime that Year 2 demanded was clearly not floating his boat. (Just as it didn't float mine, but that's by the by.) After some preliminary cautious sounding out of each other, I and his parents agreed that he would have been far happier, more fulfilled and better served by being allowed to play in a sand pit. And I wasn't allowed to facilitate that, as it meant I wouldn't be able to tick the boxes that needed ticking. Because education is not about centring the child, it's about centring the regulatory administrator who might turn up in your staff room at a moment's notice and demand to know why you haven't got your rainbow-coloured performance graphs up on the wall.
"And that's why I am no longer a teacher." That is a shame, and happens too often, much like not centring the child. A teacher friend of mine was once required to seat her students in a circle even though it mean half the class couldn't see the equations on the board. But boxes were ticked that day!
Thank you, Angela. I feel for your friend. I feel for all teachers, whom I hold in very high regard. By and large, they are amazing people, and all too often they succeed despite the system, not because of it.
'Hammering square pegs into round holes till they’re literate and numerate enough for factory work?'
This, absolutely.
I am reminded of one particular incident. It was a parent-teacher evening. I had one lovely little boy in my year 2 class who had been born a few weeks premature, and so had slipped over the cut-off between Year 1 and Year 2. He was delightful, but the fully timetabled regime that Year 2 demanded was clearly not floating his boat. (Just as it didn't float mine, but that's by the by.) After some preliminary cautious sounding out of each other, I and his parents agreed that he would have been far happier, more fulfilled and better served by being allowed to play in a sand pit. And I wasn't allowed to facilitate that, as it meant I wouldn't be able to tick the boxes that needed ticking. Because education is not about centring the child, it's about centring the regulatory administrator who might turn up in your staff room at a moment's notice and demand to know why you haven't got your rainbow-coloured performance graphs up on the wall.
And that's why I am no longer a teacher.
"And that's why I am no longer a teacher." That is a shame, and happens too often, much like not centring the child. A teacher friend of mine was once required to seat her students in a circle even though it mean half the class couldn't see the equations on the board. But boxes were ticked that day!
Thanks for reading and commenting :)
Thank you, Angela. I feel for your friend. I feel for all teachers, whom I hold in very high regard. By and large, they are amazing people, and all too often they succeed despite the system, not because of it.