As a man of a certain age, I remember fondly the classic rock bands of the 1970s and 80s, not least of all Genesis. One song, in particular, still resonates for me, Land of Confusion, especially from the perspective of a long-standing member of the teaching profession:
’There’s too many men,
Too many people,
Making too many problems,
This is a Land of confusion.’
It could have been inspired by today’s education system.
As we arrive at the end of another chaotic year, let’s reflect on our land of confusion, in which the comprehension chasm between political thinking and teacher thinking grew ever wider.
As teachers we actually value the premise that schools are all about broad, rich, exciting, demanding, rewarding and fun environments with both a firm grounding of the basics and lots of creativity. But to the government and its inexperienced education spokesmen, it’s all about a very narrow curriculum that tests, tests, tests - and reinventing failed education policies.
To my mind, there is no doubt that this ignorance is what drives so many of the policies that impede the main purpose of education.
Politicians are seemingly totally unaware of what parents and pupils actually want and need from their education - the creation of young people who have a genuine love of learning.
More bonkers new initiatives?
So will 2017-18 bring us more of the same? I certainly have no idea what bonkers new initiatives are set to come our way, but I’m very certain of what won’t be happening…
And so, dear reader, I bring you bad news: We’re stuck in the Land of Confusion for the foreseeable.
Colin Harris has led a school in a deprived area of Portsmouth for more than two decades. His last two Ofsted reports were ‘outstanding’ across all categories
To read more of Colin’s articles, visit his back catalogue
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