Good kids, bad kids.
Reading Jessica's blog made me think back (way back) to my school days. I was a kind of weird geeky kid (still am) but I was pretty much 'good' (if lazy). Most of the kids were good. But a few were bad. Perhaps more of the bad kids were from a socially disadvantaged background. But there were plenty of good kids from worse places. And certainly a few bad kids from nice middle class backgrounds. And back then we didn't see any social distinction. There were just good kids and bad kids. And the bad kids were some how cooler than the good kids.
Now I enjoyed school. I rarely skived off (well, apart from football & French) And mostly only the bad kids went truant a significant amount. But it was so much better when the bad kids played hooky. Not just because they weren't around to beat me up. They didn't get to mess up the lessons. And that dreadful peer pressure to be cool, to aspire to be a bad kid was gone.
There seems to be this huge effort to get truant kids into school today. If we don't educate them we are failing them. But I sometimes wonder if by dragging these kids back into the classroom we aren't failing all the other kids.
I remember we had one old teacher, nearing retirement I guess, although everyone is old when your 12. On our first lesson with him I remember him saying. If you don't want to come to my class that's fine. I wont be taking a role call or reporting anyone. And if you want to sit quietly at the back reading a book or doing homework for some other class, that's fine. And if you want to learn Chemistry, get good exam results and go on to achieve greatness then that's fantastic. But if you think your going to mess around in my class & ruin it for those who want to learn then think again. Don't even bother turning up. It saves me throwing you out.
And OK, its probably not very PC, and maybe a teacher does have a duty to try and educate all the kids in the class regardless of their interest, or lack of, in the subject. But I can't help thinking Yeah. And the strange thing was, after a few lessons where people didn't show, or did homework, or messed about and were promptly ejected, mof the time everyone turned up & learnt chemistry.
Of course, I'm rapidly going senile so maybe it wasn't like that at all.
Now I enjoyed school. I rarely skived off (well, apart from football & French) And mostly only the bad kids went truant a significant amount. But it was so much better when the bad kids played hooky. Not just because they weren't around to beat me up. They didn't get to mess up the lessons. And that dreadful peer pressure to be cool, to aspire to be a bad kid was gone.
There seems to be this huge effort to get truant kids into school today. If we don't educate them we are failing them. But I sometimes wonder if by dragging these kids back into the classroom we aren't failing all the other kids.
I remember we had one old teacher, nearing retirement I guess, although everyone is old when your 12. On our first lesson with him I remember him saying. If you don't want to come to my class that's fine. I wont be taking a role call or reporting anyone. And if you want to sit quietly at the back reading a book or doing homework for some other class, that's fine. And if you want to learn Chemistry, get good exam results and go on to achieve greatness then that's fantastic. But if you think your going to mess around in my class & ruin it for those who want to learn then think again. Don't even bother turning up. It saves me throwing you out.
And OK, its probably not very PC, and maybe a teacher does have a duty to try and educate all the kids in the class regardless of their interest, or lack of, in the subject. But I can't help thinking Yeah. And the strange thing was, after a few lessons where people didn't show, or did homework, or messed about and were promptly ejected, mof the time everyone turned up & learnt chemistry.
Of course, I'm rapidly going senile so maybe it wasn't like that at all.
posted by Old Man Rich at 3:30 PM
3 Comments:
No! The correct way for education is to insist that everyone is subjected to the same subjects. Mix abilities so that the able are held back (and disillusioned by boredom) and the unable are forced beyond their capacity (and traumatised by incipient failure). On no account reward ability and enthusiasm. On no account admit difference of intelligence, work ethic or background of any sort. Everyone must succeed - everyone must get O levels - no, everyone must get A levels - no, everyone must get a degree - no, two degrees - no, 3 degrees including a master's and a fucking doctorate. If the unable remain unable to achieve government targets, then make it easier for them until they can. Get a PhD in carpet cleaning and crochet from your local fuckwit college and you will be a government-approved, independently-accredited success! The purpose of education is not to educate - it is to provide QUALIFICATIONS. And when we've all got them, how do you tell the able from the unable then?
They should asses all 12 year olds & the under achievers should bypass the education system & go straight into HM armed forces. Worked for un-crowned.
I'm afraid we're looking for an inclusive education system now rather than one that pushes kids out so the books are affected by bad results.
No one is past redemption.
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