Many years ago, on a visit back home, I collected my brother and sister from school. My sister was very upset because her teacher, who had taught me twelve years previously, had compared her academic abilities to mine (and not in a particularly positive way). I remember being extremely angry with this teacher because she had failed to recognise the many talents that my sister had, that I didn't possess in any measure. My sister had the ability to make friends with many people, socialise, play nicely and show empathy with those who were struggling. These came naturally to her, whereas I had to really study them and experienced repeated failure. This teacher didn't take a peek into the future and see a 16 year old girl who could mop up poo and puke in a care home without gipping herself. She didn't recognise that one day she would be able to take an elderly dead body and clean it up, dress it nicely and in so doing, make somebody else's day of grief just a little more bearable.
This event shaped my thinking as a teacher immensely. I have always tried to see beyond the academic and value the whole child. And yet, a few months ago, I caught myself...
At our church there is a little girl who comes with her younger brother. Their family have no connection with the church. These children just come by themselves. I guess I relate to this a little as I also went to church from a very young age without any family member. I often sit and chat with these two as people come in early for a cuppa and a slice of toast. What stands out about this girl is the way she takes care of her brother. She tells me that mum is still in bed most Sunday mornings. She gets the pair of them ready for church, makes breakfast, etc. Occasionally, she also brings another child, much younger, because the child's mum has a baby and it's nice to give her a break. In so many ways, she is beyond her years. She deals with her brother and the other little one with humour and love.
I can't post pics of the kids but here's our worship group practising while we chat and eat toast.
Anyway, a while ago, this girl proudly told me she had done a maths test at school that week and got a level 3. I had no idea how old she was so I congratulated and praised her and then asked what year she was in. When she told me she was in year 6, my heart sank as I realised that she was a long way behind in her maths. Obviously I didn't communicate any of my thoughts to her but inside, I had labelled her as a failure.
As I replayed the conversation and my inward response many times in my thoughts, I became angry - first with myself but then with 'the system'. As I thought about other children in my own class, I could easily list kids who had amazing talents and personal characteristics that had little value because they were not academic. Worse still, I could see those who were living with the most challenging backgrounds and home lives, who really needed help but the main focus, even in trying to access help, was to eliminate barriers to their academic performance. I may be wrong, but I felt that the reason for helping these children was not to make their lives better or to help them become the kind of adults that can 'do life' and fit in to society but to achieve levels in English and maths.
I know that education is important, tremendously important, but surely being able to live is most important? My secondary school motto was 'Learning to Live' and I really appreciated the efforts taken there to prepare me for life, before churning out exam results. I don't feel that our education system still supports that. Sure there are individual teachers who do but it is all too easy to get sucked in and begin to judge children on their academic performance. Ofsted certainly pay no attention to individual children and their whole life situations.
I could go on strike, repeatedly, with little real effect but I've voted with my feet. I hope, following some extra study, to work in some other capacity within education. Maybe I'll be able do something productive with children who the system have let down. For now though, I need a break to learn more and reassemble my own thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment