Do schools need to be better at providing opportunities for some young people?

Edit: This post was originally called 'why schools should be more like parents.' In discussion with a couple of people on Twitter (that doesn't include some bloke named Andrew), I saw that the focus on parents wasn't helpful. I still maintain that schools need to provide opportunities for some young people who may not have these available to them at home. That sad thing is that, as expected, some readers assumed that I take a one size fits all approach.

I find it interesting that some would argue that schools need to stop providing opportunities beyond examinations for young people and just get young people. These people, to me, are bonkers and have no appreciation of the wider role of education. By acting as 'parents' I mean schools ensuring that the small number of students who may miss out on opportunities get them. I don't expect it to be teachers doing this role.

Take myself as an example. School mostly failed me. School didn't give me what I needed for success. Sure, I got qualifications and I had a supportive Mam, but what I also needed was a guide to getting out of deprivation

This was supplied though the Air Cadets and a few teachers, like Mr Carter. I remember my old geography teacher well, especially the bollocking he gave me for missing two weeks of A'Levels so that I could learn how to fly. He ripped me apart with question after question. Similarly, when I achieved a B Grade at A'Level Geography and remarked (quite uncharacteristicly full of arrogance ;-) to Mr Carter when he said I should have gotten an A, 'But I got what I needed to get in to Exeter.' I saw anything else as a waste of effort. I see now that he was trying to tell me that, if I had applied myself, I could have been great.

Air Cadets taught me a lot and I owe John Evans, the former Commanding Officer, a great debt of gratitude. I was shy (still am....ish) so he forced me to speak in front of people. I was rubbish at networking (still am) so he forced me to meet people and teach adults how to fire rifles. I lead teams of people through tough adventure training courses and learnt a lot about people.

My point? I owe where I am now not to the school but to an individual teachers and a voluntary organisation. I have qualifications, but that's not what got me to be socially mobile.

Of course, many young people have excellent role models and opportunities at home. however, for others, those opportunities aren't there. Schools therefore have to be more than institutions that churn out results. That breeds an attitude that is centred around accountability instead of caring about young people. What's the point of getting young people a qualification, if they then drop out of college or cant't get a job?

I'm not talking about teaching character, that's not possible, but we can provide the opportunities for character to be developed.

Schools need to become better at providing a wider range of opportunities for some children and (re)ignite their intellectual curiosity and passion for learning as well as ensuring they have the right qualifications.

How many of the young people you teach can greet someone appropriately?

How many feel proud of anything?

Not everyone is like me, but then not everyone is like you either.

High Impact, Low effort

This month is the start of the #29daysofwriting challenge. I enjoyed this last year and will be using my Staffrm account to post. I'll also be reporting here, both to give a little more detail and to keep a log of what I have written. The challenge developed a great sense of community last year, which is why I'm choosing to write on Staffrm. What I would say to those who are new to writing or don't want to run out of ideas is: Write for yourself. Clarify an idea, write something out loud. The process of distilling thoughts into writing is immensely beneficial to your practice. If other read, comment and respond, that's a bonus. Ignore the muppets who know nothing of your context, style or students. Mix it up - I like to read about real stuff from real classrooms and schools and also about other stuff. If we always write about school, how does that work for workload? If you've nothing nice to say, don't say it. So, the following has been

What makes a learning experience profound? Personal reflections and possible implications for classroom practice.

I have recently begun a Leadership Pathways journey. As part of the first core day, we were asked to reflect on a profound learning experience. This got me thinking about how many profound learning experiences I have both been involved in, and how many I have been able to give to others. Our group came up with a huge long list, but these are my five. Emotional Connected Demanding Reflective Collaborative As always, these are personal thoughts and quite mixed up. I put them here so that I can look back on them (plus they’d get lost inside my world-cup-free brain) 1. Emotional I can’t think of a time where deep learning hasn’t engaged my emotions. From being awe inspired to that tingle feeling when a student gets a light bulb moment. From this-is-the-happiest-day-ever, to I-think-I’m-about-to die. How often do we engage the emotions of those we teach? Here, I would argue that having a safe learning environment is not always conducive to profound

The danger of Teaching and Twitter conversations: poorly formed bipolar arguments.

Sometimes in life, there really are only two options. Get the wrong one and you can look like a muppet. Take this useful sign for the toilets in Morocco. I successfully navigated it, choosing the right option. The result? No egg on my face. As a mountain leader, there are many right or wrong decisions that I’ve faced, as there are all over life. It’s not a good idea to let inexperienced young people walk themselves down Snowdon. They may die or be seriously injured. If someone is showing the signs and symptoms of hyperthermia, you need to treat it fast in a specified way. There is no real arguing with this sign: Other options are less obvious. Take this sign recently spotted near to where I live: Now, I wouldn’t consider sleeping in a bin. However, faced with a sub-zero night, I could see the appeal. The danger? Being tipped into one of those huge lorries with a compactor. (by the way, I only really considered all of this thanks to questions from my four year old boy).

David Rogers

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