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It's the beginning of a new academic year. While we all will react differently to that news we share a common theme. It's called distress. Now my distress level and yours are going to be at different levels but distressed we will be. Managing it will be the key. My mother said there are many ways to skin a cat and the same is true of how you deal with distress.
Some parents will be feel anxious as their children start school for the first time or move from primary to secondary school Some parents exhale a huge sigh of relief thankful that they no longer have to provide activities for them to do to fill their day nor empty their purse/wallet to keep them entertained. I think i would have to say that I'm glad my purse is shut but as one door closes another will open. Some parents will be stuffing huge levels of distress at the thought of another year of constantly being called into the school to listen to complaints about their child's behaviour. Some will be at a total lost not knowing where to turn to get the support needed.
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When I have been in a gathered of parents so many have talked about encountering real issues with schools, especially secondary schools, where they seem to focus so much more on behaviour rather than academic ability? I know it might be either the line of work that I am in or the fact that I have been in the education sector for years. Whatever it is there are a lot of people with the same story. There has got to be something in it don't you think?
I mean when did education change from sharing knowledge to inspire potential to behaviour? Does my behaviour demonstrate intellect? I think
I’m going to have to argue that that is not the case. I think behaviour gives
an insight into a situation but doesn’t provide all the answers and I think that
some teachers are using behaviour as a marker or indicator to exclude young
people rather than engage them.
One parent informed me that her child has had so many
warnings about their behaviour that it has not been funny. She has been called
into the school so much times to discuss behaviour that she feared her child
would be excluded and so did the work for the school by withdrawing her child
from the school. Now at this school her child was in what they call the gifted
and talented stream. This mean that the child has a gift or talent within a specific
area and attracted some funding that would have been designated to use to
expand the gift or talent identified. Now
that the child is gone who gets this portion of money? My guess is that the
school does. What happens to the child? They have to start a new school, make new friend and impress new staff. Six months investing in this when you could have just been studying. Anyway what is done is done but my advise would be not to move unless it became absolutely necessary. Why do the work for the them. Sometime we make fear determine our action and this impacts our future.
When I used to teach my colleagues used to complain about specific students
who they
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stated had poor behaviour. As a teacher in the staff room I listened
however when those same learners entered my class room they were nothing like
the teacher's had described. Just because you may not do as I say doesn’t mean that I
have the right to write you off. I have to learn to talk to you first. Once you are listening I can then give you the correction. You will hear . 9 times out of 10 you will try what has been suggested and I will notice and orally commend you for the change. What I witnessed in my class room were inquisitive,
boisterous, articulate and above all bright young people. My challenge to teach them in a
manner that engaged them. I created a 'we' in the classroom and we created clear boundaries
and expectations. WE included each others in the room within our learning. Was this challenging? Yes. Was it hard work? Yes. Was it rewarding? Most
definitely yes. Did it work? Yes.
These so called troubled pupils in the classroom helped us all to learn. We are different. So why is there this expectation that all learners
must somehow all be the same? Who just sits, listens, writes and answer questions only if they are asked? Intellectual discourse came from debates, discourse and arguments that help us to
form the bedrock of theories that we have studied and hold true to this day!
Not all sheep look a like, nor do they sound alike, so why are schools appearing
to insist that we are the same?
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Creating an environment conducive to learning is important but who said that we all had to sit and stare like robots ? Where is the creativity in learning ? Is the focus on behaviour just a rouse to stop parents from asking the real question such as 'How is my child progressing? What is my child's progress this term and how have you measured this? I used to laugh inside when I heard people speak of awe and wonder within education. I bet they are having the last laugh now. Is this a question that we should be asking our schools and how often do our children get the opportunity to experience awe and wonder within their lesson?
Now that the new government regime is taking effect more and more parents are finding out that they have lost the advocates they once had, that charities that once existed to offer advice or support, are fast disappearing. I mean look at what happened with Kids Company! The reality is if you look beyond the veil you will see the tumble weed is in the street my friend.
Internal exclusion units and pupil referral units are not the future.
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They scare me because what it says to me is that we think it's ok to provide 'practise prisons' to manage or herd those who challenge us in the class room. Don't get me wrong there are some pupils we can't help but isn't that a small percentage? I wonder how many children just been tainted with the same brush, funnelled down a pathway leaving them as casualties of ignorance. Who is siting on those percentages?
Parent power is bigger than you realise. We can hold our schools to account. We can demand better. If not for our sakes then for our children.
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