Traditional Education

13 Feb 2016

No Excuses = No Relationship

Teachwell Behaviour, Progressive Education, Teaching and Learning, Traditional Education Child-Centred, Children, Discipline, Methods, Primary School, Teachers, Theory 6

Yesterday, I went back to the last school I taught at full time. I will be helping to train some NQTs soon about the Computing Curriculum – how untraditional of me but hey ho – it’s not all about using the spatula method (flipping things).

I went to say hello to one of my old classes. It was lovely to see them again. I almost got crushed in the spontaneous group hug that ensued. I evidently should have spent more time on the health and safety aspects of group hugs, or more likely it’s just because they are two years older now. A few of them are even taller than me now!!

The most exciting thing for me, however, was the fact that one of the children, who had joined late in the year – around April, and who spoke no English, is chirping away now!! “Miss Gill I can speak English now.”,” You were my first teacher here.” There is something quite magical about an EAL child morphing into an English speaker, the accent, the phrases they have picked up without you realising it, the confidence and fluency.

Their current class teacher is a good friend, as well as one of my old year group partners, another no excuses man. He also knew how much I adored the class and vice versa. Bless the new young TA though, he wasn’t sure how to react to his table of children running off!

I have promised them that I will, when I go back in a few weeks, have made a short video using pictures of my visit to Greece last year. I thought of them often, especially while visiting the Parthenon, which that I had taught them all about. It was an absolute pleasure to teach the Ancient Greece unit with the focus on really acquiring knowledge and it is to the credit of the new curriculum that the history units can be taught with such rigour again.

Yesterday also made me realise that all the “you must be a heartless child-hating monster” spouted is harder to refute when one is not a full-time class teacher, unlike, for example, the Michaela teachers, Quirky Teacher, etc. I do try not to wear rose-tinted glasses when remembering the classes I have taught but I do worry about if I am when responding to such criticisms.

So it was a necessary, as well as a lovely, reminder of what my relationships with the children were actually like. The idea that no excuses, traditional, formal teachers have negative if any, relationship with the children they teach is simply not true.

The only negative relationships I’ve had in the schools I’ve worked in were with parents and other staff members, who made excuses for poor behaviour and were unsupportive.

The children? The overwhelming majority accepted I was strict, met my expectations, followed the rules or accepted the consequences if they didn’t, and learnt lots. There is always such a fixation on the initial setting of boundaries, enforcing consequences, etc from those who believe no excuses is wrong but what they appear blind to is how much easier it is over the course of the year. How much trust there is, respect there is, the greater ability and time to build positive relationships with children, because one is not dealing with constant disruptive behaviour of the low or serious kind.

It doesn’t matter if some people feel the need to demonise teachers like me. Right now, I don’t care. I’m going to make the video, show it to my old class, feel proud of the lovely children they still are and hope that they might one day make the journeys themselves to connect with what remains of the Ancient Civilisations.

Oh and hopefully not be crushed in a group hug!!

31 Jan 2016

Why Taking Responsibility Matters

Teachwell Behaviour, Traditional Education Children, Teachers 3

After reading this post about progressive teachers, I reflected on the difference in our experience of teachers and school.

Firstly, any teacher who puts a child down because of appearance, clothes, etc. is unacceptable. In fact, scratch that – any adult working with children. While volunteering as an Independent Custody Visitor, I saw an 11-year-old being held in custody. While checking his record, one of the police officers commented on the child’s mismatched socks. Not only was it inappropriate but it also had nothing to do with whatever wrong the child had done (and yes they did have the right to detain him based on what happened). We recorded our concerns and ensured it was discussed with a more senior officer at one of our regular meetings.

However, the idea that this now means that ALL police officers are unprofessional does not stand to reason. Equally, imparting knowledge and being firm on discipline does not require one to make cruel comments about appearance to either the child or to other members of staff.

My experience of traditional teachers was entirely different. They managed the behaviour of the entire class so we could get on with learning. They treated us the same and I recall being helped but others too based on need. They ensured that regardless of our backgrounds, we didn’t think that there was any reason we could not achieve, except for the fact that we all have our strengths and weaknesses. More to the point, they taught us about fairness, respect, courage and our duty to ourselves and each other.

The fact that we could hold our own in Secondary school, 6th form and later on at university is also a testament to their dedication to making sure that education as a means of improving one’s circumstances became a reality. Lack of cultural capital was not an issue or confidence in our academic abilities.

The only progressive teacher I did have in secondary school was a shambles, using manipulation (and flirting with the boys) to manage the class, and worst of all indulging her favourites instead of sharing her time among us. That does not mean I think all progressive teachers behave in an unprofessional manner just because of the methods they use. Flipping a classroom does not require one to play favourites, it’s a method, not a personality trait.

Secondly, I was left with the following questions:

What about the rest of the class?

Who didn’t get attention because those teachers were so fixated on the child with the behaviour problems?

What responsibility was learnt to one’s education or that of others?

I remember school, not as somewhere that my problems at home overwhelmed me but as a haven, where stable adults gave us clear boundaries and expectations of our behaviour as well as our work. I also remember it as a collective experience. Classes were a tightly knit group of individuals with the teacher as the figurehead of the class. But it was us, our attitude, our behaviour, our learning and our achievements that made the class special.

However, all the credit can’t go to my teachers. I appreciate that I was lucky to have a sibling who, despite only being a year older than me, tried his best to parent me when it was clear that our parents couldn’t cope.

One occasion stands out in my mind. The atmosphere at home had become particularly toxic and unbearable. Feelings of resentment and envy were starting to fill me. It seemed to me that it was entirely unfair that while they had parents who looked after and loved them, that I should have been dealt a worse hand.

My brother told me the following:

They were only children, just like we were.
It wasn’t their fault we had problems at home; they weren’t causing them.
We should be happy for them because we know it’s horrible to be in our situation. We didn’t deserve it but neither did anyone else.

He was about 8 or 9 at the time. His empathy, understanding of our predicament and ability to convey the truth (even though it wasn’t what I wanted to hear) was immense. Did I like what he said at the time? Hell no. Did I seethe and want him to be wrong? Completely. Did I reflect on it and change my attitude? Yes because I knew deep down he was right about it. The truth is powerful but not always appreciated immediately.

He never indulged any poor behaviour from me or overlooked negative traits that would cause both me and others harm.

He taught me to take responsibility for my actions even when going through an awful experience we are always responsible for our behaviour. I learnt that the only way to break out of the misery was to improve my life, not replicate negative behaviour or inflict it on others. He was always adamant that we needed to change our behaviour if we were acting badly not make excuses for it.

I have often questioned whether adults making excuses for the poor behaviour of children do so because they still can’t take responsibility for their behaviour. It doesn’t require a difficult childhood to end up in this situation, it’s a hard thing to do and has to be learnt like any skill.

There are reasons, completely understandable ones, that lead to negative attitudes and behaviour. The difference between those who accept responsibility and those who don’t is that the former know that having a reason doesn’t justify poor behaviour. The former believe that we should find a way to be and react positively whereas the latter deem it a nigh impossible ask. The former believe that we have a choice and, therefore, reasons can and should not become excuses to be repeatedly used, whereas the latter don’t believe that we have the control or agency to be able to act differently or change.

Would I be better off writing this post recalling all the negative behaviour I displayed as a child at school and blaming teachers or my brother for not putting up with it? I don’t think I would. I may not have liked taking responsibility or changing my attitude at times but it does mean I have a balance of memories from my childhood.

23 Nov 2015

Debating Education – Debates and Highlights

Teachwell Education Debate, Progressive Education, Teaching and Learning, Traditional Education Accountability, Child-Centred, Education Policy, Methods, Philosophy, Primary School, Secondary School, Teachers, Theory 6

I know last Saturday was rainy and cold, yet somehow it felt sunny and warm. What better start to the day than finding oneself on Tom Bennett’s list of people he sometimes pays attention to on twitter. His descriptions of people, including me, were spot on it has to be said. Basking in this unexpected praise, and delusions about how close I actually was to Michaela, meant I ended up powering walking my way there hoping I wasn’t late.

Debates:

I think it is fair to say that I didn’t change my mind as a result of the debates. However, listening to both sides did give me a different perspective and I certainly shifted my views in other ways.

Debate 1: Sir Ken is Right: Traditional Education Kills Creativity.

Guy Claxton Vs Daisy Christodoulou

Of course I was anti-Ken (despising charlatans as a rule) but Daisy’s brilliant arguments cut through Guy’s attempts to explain and justify the vacuous and substance free drivel that Sir Ken spouts. It was only right that she won that debate. Knowledge is needed to be creative. The idea that one can simply conjure up something new out of nothing has no basis. Vagueness, has never led to greater understanding of the world around us and I can’t think of anyone better than Daisy to have made the argument against peddling ignorance in of all places, schools.

Debate 2: Mixed Ability Works

Bruno Reddy Vs Old Andrew (Both Maths Specialists)

As a primary teacher, I have pretty much always taught mixed ability classes, with the odd year when there were sets for literacy and numeracy. Bruno’s argument that King Soloman’s Academy demonstrate that mixed ability classes leads to greater success was undermined by the fact that he hadn’t really looked into other factors.

Having taught numeracy to children ranging from P-Levels to 3A in my last class – I know it’s not as simple as just ‘differentiate’. Also I think Bruno’s assertion that bottom sets suffer from low self-esteem and disengagement ignores the reality that mixed ability classes only change the number of such students in a class rather than their attitudes.

In terms of self-esteem – I don’t think that mixed ability cuts it either. Children know which group is HA or LA within a class. Even when one has mixed up the children so they don’t sit in ability groups, all they have to do is look over at the work of children near them to gauge where they are in the pecking order for that subject.

The only solution to the self-esteem issue is down to how we bring up our children to cope with their strengths and weaknesses. Which leads me neatly onto:

Debate 3: Character Should Be in the Curriculum.

James O’Shaughnessy vs Joe Kirby

This is one debate where I actually felt torn.

I believe that character education is the nudge that many schools need move away from the moral relativism that has infected the education system. I agreed with James on the necessity of teaching about virtues and concepts such as spirituality explicitly, because these are not touched on at home for many pupils. For many, there is no foundation for the need to be a good person, respect themselves or others. No one to ask and no one to answer some of their questions about the world that relate to these issues.

However, I do take Joe’s point about fitting it into the curriculum at secondary. There is a lot less flexibility compared to primary. His #anticharacter arguments were fantastic – in particular, the points relating to accountability to Ofsted and measuring character.

Overall, I don’t think it is something that needs to happen in all schools or be taught in a particular way but I do wonder if it is primary schools who need to teach it explicitly.

Debate 4: Ofsted should be abolished.

Katie Ashford vs John Blake

I struggled with this issue as I do think we need to be accountable, and my last Ofsted was really positive. They stuck to the absolute letter of the new Ofsted Inspection handbook. No graded lessons, triangulation, no preferred methods. The actual report itself simply highlighted areas of strength and weakness with absolutely no prescription of what to do – spag was a whole school weakness that needed addressing. It was down to the school to work this out and I believe that if the same team inspected the school again, as long as those areas were addressed, they would not feel the need to comment on the how.

Also Sean Harford is a great and I have more than a sneaking admiration for SMW. Whatever anyone has to say about him, he does put his money where his mouth is and before criticising Mossbourne, I think it would be wise to match his achievements or surpass them first.

Katie brilliantly stated all the reasons why Ofsted have indeed held schools and teachers back. Her experience of working in a Special Measures School is completely typical unfortunately – more work to please the Inspectors regardless of the impact. Yet John is right that all the public money needs to be accounted for and we are going to have to have some sort of inspection regime.

I don’t know is the answer – would cloning Sean Harford help?

Debate 5: Michael Gove was a great Education Secretary.

Jonathan Porter vs Francis Gilbert

Yes he was and Jonny made sure that he won that debate hands down!! I’ve yet to meet anyone who has argued against the ‘soft bigotry of low expectations’ line. Jonny was right that to be anti-Gove is truly to ignore the need to ensure that the poorest children in our society receive the same education as their better off peers. We can all write a list of excuses and hide behind them but it’s neither kind nor just to do so.

Highlights:

Sitting next to Nick Rose and behind Tom B, Gwen and Old Andrew for the duration of the debates. It meant I had a smoking buddy and I got to witness Tom’s diva tantrums up close (he really wanted a tweeting prize!!)

The staff at Michaela – fiercely intelligent, beautiful and well-dressed. All of them were brilliant hosts in their varying capacities. It was a pleasure speaking to the incredible Katie and wonderful Navreen in particular. Could Bodil be more lovely? Or Jonny’s distress at the Google maps fail any more genuine?

Jean-Louis Dutaut is a nice guy and does not look freaky in real life!! He’s still a progressive but at least he’s a laugh and a smoker.

Who knew that Ed Clarke was so uber posh? Lovely guy!!

Meeting Anthony Radice, if only Quirky Teacher could have been there, then Old Andrew’s blogging ‘progeny’ could have all been together – someday.

There’s always one person who is the opposite of what you imagined and that person was Martin Robinson – gregarious and larger than life – ‘the only socialist in the village’ story was class.

Geraldine, Heather, Anna – lovely to have met all of you at last!! Again brilliant people and at least one Leicester connection.

It seems Old Andrew may be developing ulcers as a result of the Labour Blog posts I send him (I really didn’t think the JC/Moseley one was that controversial…). Confirmed by amazing Gwen – who I finally got to meet having missed her at ResearchEd. Who can only be matched in loveliness by Naureen (need more time together!!)

Saying hello to John David Blake and Robert Peal, brief but worth it!!

The most pleasant and crazy of all experiences was meeting Daisy!! It must be remembered that I only joined twitter earlier this year. Daisy’s 7 Myth’s was already a must read book.

I really do credit her, Tom and Robert, in particular, for writing books that made me realise that I had been butting heads in the education system for good reason and that yes, the BS was indeed BS!!! All three books put many, many things into perspective, one that was difficult to grasp working as a full time primary teacher.

So for her to even have heard of me, never mind actually know who I am, was lovely in itself. To then state that her mum thought I was great, was surreal, which was then topped by her asking Heather to take the picture at the start of this post, sending it to her mum and then showing me the reply – which indeed indicated her mother’s approval!!! Nuts but true.

PS:

On Sunday morning, I was reminded of a tweet sent the previous day that Old Andrew picked up. It was from someone who didn’t attend the debate because they would have ‘stood out’ if they had.

I’m not sure if things happen for a reason, but while waiting for the train home, I got to witness two gorgeous pink-coated 3 year old girls make friends. They saw each other, seemingly assessed each other’s level of cheekiness and then started chasing each other around a suitcase. Bored with the suitcase, they ran around the big advertisement board, bumping into each other, giggling incessantly and generally having a good old time.

Should they have noticed how different they looked to each other? Waited for someone who ‘looked more like them’ to come along? Would they really have felt more comfortable? Had more fun? Got on so famously? Let’s face it the girls did what made the most sense. Heres hoping some adult manage it a bit more often too.

PPS – If I have forgotten to mention anyone – sorry! There were just so many wonderful people around that it overloaded the working memory!!