Alan Thompson - Thoughts on Education

In the course of a lifetime we will encounter all manner of humanity in all of its most diverse forms. The problem with humanity, though, is that what we see outwardly does not always accurately reflect the inner story unfolding in that person's life. From good people dealing with difficult issues putting on a brave face, to evil people hiding dark secrets behind a benign facade - in the deeply human enterprise of education the quote (mis-attributed to Plato, but thought to have originated with one Ian Maclaren in 1897 (paraphrased here))  “Everyone is fighting a silent battle you know nothing about, just be kind.” could never be more appropriate. No message is more needed in our days of stress and storm, of selfish striving and merciless competition.   In any group dynamic (such as a classroom), there are individuals that stand out through their shadow behaviour - behaviour that tells a story to the observant: the bully, over-compensating for feelings of inadequacy by project...

We're born with millions Of little lights shining in the dark And they show us the way One lights up, every time you feel love in your heart One dies when it moves away   Passenger - All the little lights (2012)   I find it really interesting that as educators we invest so much effort into our own academic degrees and focus so hard on teaching our subjects, and yet at times we forget that the most significant role that we play is in the formation of character and the nurturing of the human spirit. We teach people, not subjects - as the old saying goes. As much as a pupil in my Mathematics class may be learning about geometry (I hope), they are learning much more from my humanity in the way that I engage, they are developing self-esteem through the ways in which I recognise their unique self, and they build a picture of the world through the emphasis that I share.   That is not an over-estimation of our own importance - if one calculates the amount to time a child spends i...

There are times as we are attempting to motivate our students that we over-emphasize the instrumental value of education. "Be good at school" we say, "and you will get a good job". By "good job" we imply the trappings of a "good life" - house, car, and happy family, and such like. There are many flawed assumptions in all of that, but most importantly, the "capitalist dream" model that we use (explicitly or implicitly) relegates much more important educational outcomes - emotional intelligence, gratitude, self-control, creativity, flow, and decision making (among a host of other key, life-determining elements) -  to a lesser position in the thinking hierarchy.   Good manners are regarded as quaint, kindness as soft, and selflessness is kept a record of to tick the 'service' box on a CV.    There is something much deeper in each of these things that goes way beyond social constructs.    Good manners are carefully constructed socia...