Enquiring as to why Betsy was sporting her mother’s reading glasses, it boiled down to ‘it seemed like a good idea at the time’. Which I couldn’t really argue with, to be honest. Education in general has followed a similar evolution.
Take school premises, for example. A typical primary school is more representative of His Majesty’s Pleasure than His Majesty’s Inspectorate. Fortress Primary often sits in an awkward juxtaposition with mantras such as ‘Reach for the Stars’ or ‘Dream Big’. The sentiment is admirable, of course, just so long as it doesn’t require setting foot beyond the school gates in practice. Think big (but stay put). Talking of which, the gates are a real issue.
Exiting the building requires a degree of physical dexterity ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ would marvel at. Pressing the ‘big green button behind you’ whilst simultaneously ‘holding down the switch above the door frame’ and ‘rattling the buzzer to your left’ smacks of The Crystal Maze. Oh, and don’t forget to scan your lanyard on the way out. Apparently, the security measures are to keep the children safe. If there’s an emergency (God forbid), only Mr Tickle is getting out alive…
Which all sounds a bit like I’m knocking the best of intentions. I’m absolutely not, just reflecting that good intentions don’t always translate into best practice. And teachers overwhelmingly have the very best of intentions. Which often translates to compassion, commitment, dedication and an admirable drive to do more and more. And more. Which, of course, isn’t sustainable. Practice can be far from perfect.
The good news is there is another way, but you might require Betsy’s Mum’s reading glasses to see it, at least in the first instance. It requires a shift in focus. And it’s definitely not about teachers doing more but enabling children to be more. And guess what? To help children be at their best, we need to be firing on all cylinders ourselves. Because children don’t do what you say, they do what you do.
The moral of the story: some of the things you’re currently doing now will be a bad idea in retrospect. Which means conversely, some of the things you’re not doing will be a very good idea. That’s where we can help. Please get in touch; you’ll wonder why on earth you didn’t do it sooner. #reachforthestars #dreambig
Thanks