Being a parent of a child who has just started school, I am surprised at the feeling of fear that I have regarding his pathway through the educational system. Will he fit in, what if he doesn’t keep up with the rest of the class, how will he cope with the workload. All reasonable and healthy fears for a first time parent, I thought.
Then I reflected on my years as a school-teacher and talking with the new intakes about their fears with moving into high school. Again similar issues coming up centering around belonging and behaving. Lots of questions about the ‘what if’s’ dominating their thoughts, taking away from the joy of moving through into a new phase in their life.
Recently I have been thinking about the climate of fear that pervades our education system of parents, pupils and teachers. A recent piece of research commented that over 51% of teachers provide their students in the UK with detailed essay plans for major state exams at the age of 16. Over 90% of surveyed teachers admitted that they would return coursework to students for a redraft in an attempt to improve grades. The era of league tables, age-group testing and a drive for some form of universal indicators have ensured that our teachers now operate in an atmosphere of fear. The class with the lowest grades is going to have the teacher called into question. The narrow critieria that is assessed through coursework and timed exams provides little room for innovation and creativity within the classroom.
Teachers who live under the cloud of exam results operate out of a fear for their professional reputation which breeds mistrust in a system, de-motivates the teaching profession and creates a must do better ethos. Society today is moving at such extreme paces today that to allow students to draft and re-draft work places them at a disadvantage in the workplace. Fear needs to be faced and teachers need the courage and skills to stand resolute at a time when the system wishes to force them to ‘play the game’.
Eagie, I have to agree with you. I believe that only moving beyond the current measurables will the playing field be made flat.
It is not fair on teachers and students to play this game any longer.
This is a significant challenge for us
Posted by: Mark Dowds | October 09, 2006 at 10:21 PM