Over the past year or so, the world of Scottish education has been subject to a multitude of ups and downs, making the teaching profession feel at times more disorientating than watching the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
If, like me, you’re bamboozled after a year of closures, restrictions and sort-of-cancelled exams, you might just find some much-needed clarity if you think of it all in terms of all things Star Wars. What follows is a very brief galactic guide to who’s who in Scottish education.
Star Wars and Scottish education: A New Hope or the Empire Strikes Back?
The Scottish government: Emperor Palpatine
OK, so it might seem harsh to compare a well-meaning government to a tyrannical overlord, but hear me out. Palpatine was a terrible listener: he ploughed on with his iron fist and ignored the civilian voices of the galactic republic.
Teachers feel unheard. They feel as if the government has charged ahead with questionable, confusing and ultimately destructive decisions, without listening to the voices of those who have been hit hardest by such choices.
The SQA: Darth Vader (without the redemption)
Always two there are: a master and an apprentice. The last few minutes of Return of the Jedi aside, Vader never learned from his mistakes. When he built the first Death Star, its flaws were so abundantly clear that a ragtag crew of teenagers were able to exploit them and ultimately bring about its destruction. What did Vader do next? Two movies later, he simply built another Death Star, only to see it suffer the same grim fate.
Sound familiar? The SQA may not have entirely replicated the 2020 exams fiasco, but nor does it seem to have learned much from it. Today, teachers are scratching their heads and crying out like Wookiees at the prospect of delivering and marking assessments that are exams in all but name.
SQA exams: ‘Teachers and students boxed in by assessment rules’
Children’s commissioner Bruce Adamson: ‘Still time to do right by young people on assessment’
Also this week: ‘End the scandal of temporary contracts in education’
New education secretary: What would you do first?
Covid: Star Wars actors surprise leavers at Scottish school
Teachers: the Jedi (in Revenge of the Sith)
This may sound a bit boastful. Whereas I know many teachers who are as wise as Ben Kenobi and as inspiring as Luke Skywalker, I feel the Jedi portrayed in Episode III most accurately represent our situation. It was in this instalment where Palpatine ordered Vader to slaughter the Jedi, draining the galaxy of all hope.
Similarly, the decisions taken by the government and the SQA on assessment have created logistical nightmares and increased workloads, consuming teachers and depleting their energy. However, all hope is not lost, which leads to…
Learners: Luke Skywalker (in the original trilogy)
Let’s leave aside the cynical Luke of Episode 8, The Last Jedi. Most diehard fans remember Luke as the heroic youth whose optimism and hope brought balance to the force and restored justice to the galaxy. Like Luke, our learners have been through far too much at such a young age.
However, I personally have been inspired by their resilience in such bleak times. Seeing them giving it their all has given me the strength to press on with determination. They have been the heroes of this saga and - truly - the force is with them all.
Glen Fraser is a secondary school teacher in Scotland
