tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post2169142503669512225..comments2024-03-14T02:53:31.171+00:00Comments on Tom Bennett's School Report: Student Voice: excuse me- do you mind if I teach you?Tom Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-19990272420101699512016-11-08T13:20:26.313+00:002016-11-08T13:20:26.313+00:00Hello Mr Bennett
I am doing a university assignmen...Hello Mr Bennett<br />I am doing a university assignment on rights and responsibilities in school. During my research I have come across this article. You have express some interesting points about this subject and I would love to know more and if you know of any other writers who have the same views as you. Thank you for your time and I hope this message reaches you.<br />Yours sincerely<br />Samuel Langrish Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07636015760978695012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-63296306890202137672010-12-05T01:51:40.902+00:002010-12-05T01:51:40.902+00:00"As long as they remain sources of useful inf..."As long as they remain sources of useful information, and not actual executive bodies of authority."<br /><br />Totally agree. And thanks for the response.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-14985071462238750482010-12-04T17:12:27.505+00:002010-12-04T17:12:27.505+00:00And fine thoughts they are. I actually completely ...And fine thoughts they are. I actually completely agree that as children get older, they deserve to be heard more and more, and that as good educators there should be channels for us to listen to them. And I also agree that there are issues within school that can be felt more keenly by the people at the sharp end than by the ones in the comfy leather chairs having agreeable quantities of tea biscuits with coffee. <br /><br />Possibly die to the shortness of my blogs, it's impossible for me to adequately cover the range of nuance on this or any other area. I certainly don't think children should be ignored- after all, while many of the reforms in education may have erred excessively on the side of the child (see: interview panels) it was a perfectly understandable reaction against an educational culture of the first half of the 20th century that excessively marginalised the child's interests (see: caning). It's just a pity how inevitably (it seems) once we have defined a new 'good' ('the child is to be valued') then the simple of mind will, like the Sorceror's Apprentice's magical broomstick, keep waddling on in the same direction until the idea has been exhausted into absurdity. I can just imagine the meetings: <br />'What are you doing to improve student voice?'<br />'Er...well, (thinks fast) we've just introduced a school newspaper.'<br />'Hmm. Anything else?' Thinks fast again.<br />'Er...student governors?'<br />'Excellent!'<br /><br />So I appreciate what you say when you point out that kids can have valuable opinions to contribute, especially as they get older. And we do indeed need to guarantee avenues of expression. As long as they remain sources of useful information, and not actual executive bodies of authority.Tom Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-48049868957752986002010-12-04T02:05:12.559+00:002010-12-04T02:05:12.559+00:00Your point rings very true for primary school chil...Your point rings very true for primary school children and perhaps lower secondary school, and some of the strategies empllyed (student's in application interviews?!) are totally beyond acceptance. But when it comes to upper secondary school (14-16) in particular, I will have to say your argument loses some weight.<br /><br />Upper secondary school pupils are still categorized as 'children' yet are more accurately young adults. They've come to a stage when they've developed informed views about things and to ignore that entirely would be to lose their confidence and teachers' influence and authority over them. <br /><br />For example, in one tough inner-London secondary school, pupils quite correctly raised concerns over rules about toilet tissue that they had to pay 2p to get hold of because it continued to get wasted. It was demeaning and insulting to most - in particular the 'young adult' category. In the same school, security cameras and metal security doors were fitted and behavioural inspectors with walkie talkies would patrol the school. While this was great for the rowdy bunch, again, many rightly raised concerns that they felt they were forced to come to a prison or correctional institute 5 days a week.<br /><br />Again, in the same school, students complained that supply teachers who had initially come from abroad to cover a lesson on Geography ended up teaching them ICT, DT, and eventually even ended up heads of years. Whatever the reasons behind the management deciding so, student's raising their voices puts some pressure at least to make changes or realize their decisions risk losing authority over their students. No matter how high you reach in rank, if your pupils firmly believe you don't deserve to be there then they will never truly accept your rank, as was the case in this school.<br /><br />I guess at the end of the day it's all about when the pupil becomes 'conscious' and aware that he is a subject being taught by someone paid to teach him x, y and z. It's at this stage they start to point out inconsistencies between some teachers and their strict organisation and warm smiles during parents evenings and OFSTED inspections and their shoddy performance otherwise. Ignoring a pupil who has developed to a level of maturity is to eventually lose that pupil.<br /><br />Just my thoughts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com