Difference between revisions of "Anarchy 43/Teacher's dilemma"
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{{tab}}{{qq|I doubt the story. Go away and think it over. Then come and tell me the truth.}} | {{tab}}{{qq|I doubt the story. Go away and think it over. Then come and tell me the truth.}} | ||
− | {{tab}}The incid­ent was never re­ferred to again. I ad­mired his at­ti­tude, but soon real­ised it was right not because of de­liber­ate motive but because of dread­ful in­dif­fer­ence. Thirty years of {{w|State School|State-funded_schools_(England)}} teach­ing had tainted the head{{s}} en­thu­si­asm with cyn­icism. He was in that vacuum when the curve of suc­cess flat­tens and when there is nothing ahead but re­tire­ment. But in all sincer­ity{{dash}}a good man, seeing the follies of polit­ics, of systems, of ideals. Turned in on himself. The fight given up. Just jog along. Read quietly behind the closed door and let the school run like a well tuned machine. En­thu­si­asm is there on his staff{{dash}}but they{{ll}} learn with the years. Dis­ap­point­ment will seep in. Re­peated fail­ures with dis­gruntled, ag­gres­sive pupils see to that. The staff will per­haps join the pupils and rebel{{dash}}give up. An un­likely | + | {{tab}}The incid­ent was never re­ferred to again. I ad­mired his at­ti­tude, but soon real­ised it was right not because of de­liber­ate motive but because of a dread­ful in­dif­fer­ence. Thirty years of {{w|State School|State-funded_schools_(England)}} teach­ing had tainted the head{{s}} en­thu­si­asm with cyn­icism. He was in that vacuum when the curve of suc­cess flat­tens and when there is nothing ahead but re­tire­ment. But in all sincer­ity{{dash}}a good man, seeing the follies of polit­ics, of systems, of ideals. Turned in on himself. The fight given up. Just jog along. Read quietly behind the closed door and let the school run like a well tuned machine. En­thu­si­asm is there on his staff{{dash}}but they{{ll}} learn with the years. Dis­ap­point­ment will seep in. Re­peated fail­ures with dis­gruntled, ag­gres­sive pupils see to that. The staff will per­haps join the pupils and rebel{{dash}}give up. An un­likely event, since their liveli­hoods de­pend on it. Or they{{ll}} stifle their dedi­ca­tion and save their nerves. |
{{tab}}… So the head­master looked up from the book he was read­ing and I felt guilty. | {{tab}}… So the head­master looked up from the book he was read­ing and I felt guilty. | ||
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{{p|261}}{{tab}}{{qq|Yes, Mr. P.?}} | {{p|261}}{{tab}}{{qq|Yes, Mr. P.?}} | ||
− | {{tab}}{{qq|He just doesn{{t}} like Science{{dash}}that{{s}} all there is to it,}} I said. {{qq|Can I put him in the library during these periods? He won{{t}} learn. He hasn{{t}} | + | {{tab}}{{qq|He just doesn{{t}} like Science{{dash}}that{{s}} all there is to it,}} I said. {{qq|Can I put him in the library during these periods? He won{{t}} learn. He hasn{{t}} a cap­acity for Science.}} |
{{tab}}{{qq|We can{{t}} help that.}}<!-- end quotation mark single in original --> A few papers were point­less­ly shuf­fled. {{qq|Don{{t}} accept so many ex­plana­tions from these boys{{dash}}they only make your job more dif­ficult. Tell the boy you ex­pect the work done. If he doesn{{t}} do it, keep him in after school{{dash}}and keep him in until it IS done.}} | {{tab}}{{qq|We can{{t}} help that.}}<!-- end quotation mark single in original --> A few papers were point­less­ly shuf­fled. {{qq|Don{{t}} accept so many ex­plana­tions from these boys{{dash}}they only make your job more dif­ficult. Tell the boy you ex­pect the work done. If he doesn{{t}} do it, keep him in after school{{dash}}and keep him in until it IS done.}} | ||
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{{tab}}{{qq|Don{{t}} look for ex­cuses. These boys must do what is asked. You always seem to get<!-- 'ge' in original --> emo­tion­ally in­volved. Don{{t}}. It doesn{{t}} help your dis­cip­line. Just do the teach­ing and take it for granted they{{ll}} follow. They will if you insist. Don{{t}} get side-<wbr>tracked on these sort of issues.}} | {{tab}}{{qq|Don{{t}} look for ex­cuses. These boys must do what is asked. You always seem to get<!-- 'ge' in original --> emo­tion­ally in­volved. Don{{t}}. It doesn{{t}} help your dis­cip­line. Just do the teach­ing and take it for granted they{{ll}} follow. They will if you insist. Don{{t}} get side-<wbr>tracked on these sort of issues.}} | ||
− | {{tab}}Problem solved. The book was care­fully re­opened at the page to in­timate the inter­view was over. I was left won­der­ing how any | + | {{tab}}Problem solved. The book was care­fully re­opened at the page to in­timate the inter­view was over. I was left won­der­ing how any teacher could in­spire with­out being emo­tion­ally in­volved. Surely it means just that{{dash}}an emo­tional in­volve­ment with one or more pupils. Of course, the system of pack­ing thirty boys into a room with one teacher who is ex­pected to be a light and in­spir­ation to them all is absurd. The {{w|Ancient Greeks|Hellenistic_philosophy}} knew the answer, but un­fortun­ately their method was not ex­tended to the masses. No Govern­ment can af­ford to ex­peri­ment along those lines because in our too com­plex so­ciety the in­di­vidual doesn{{t}} count any more. The Greeks gave the warn­ing long ago{{dash}}the in­di­vidual must be more im­port­ant than the so­ciety. |
{{tab}}{{qq|The great­est train­ing (not edu­ca­tion) for the great­est number}}{{dash}}this is the adage of our school system. The Govern­ment, that far remote body with its hier­archy of serving of­ficers, is well out of touch with those who are ex­pected to apply their rules, and even further re­moved from those who are forced to obey them. Of course, amen­it­ies are avail­able for the re­cal­cit­rant in the form of Child Guidance Clinics, but I have never yet suc­ceeded in getting a boy into the hands of a person who has done more than the merest super­fi­cial re­medial work. The sur­pris­ingly high number of stam­mer­ers in our schools shows this: little, usually ab­so­lutely nothing{{dash}}is done to help them. | {{tab}}{{qq|The great­est train­ing (not edu­ca­tion) for the great­est number}}{{dash}}this is the adage of our school system. The Govern­ment, that far remote body with its hier­archy of serving of­ficers, is well out of touch with those who are ex­pected to apply their rules, and even further re­moved from those who are forced to obey them. Of course, amen­it­ies are avail­able for the re­cal­cit­rant in the form of Child Guidance Clinics, but I have never yet suc­ceeded in getting a boy into the hands of a person who has done more than the merest super­fi­cial re­medial work. The sur­pris­ingly high number of stam­mer­ers in our schools shows this: little, usually ab­so­lutely nothing{{dash}}is done to help them. |
Revision as of 14:59, 25 October 2017
Teacher’s dilemma
When a boy was caught looking at pornographic photos we all thought it would break the trend but it didn’t.
“Where did you get them?” the head asked in a dull monotone. He could even have been thinking of the weeding still to be done in his back garden. The boy said he found them on the floor of a public lavatory.
“Which one?”
“… The one by the Green, sir.”
The head turned in that direction before he replied.
“I doubt the story. Go away and think it over. Then come and tell me the truth.”
The incident was never referred to again. I admired his attitude, but soon realised it was right not because of deliberate motive but because of a dreadful indifference. Thirty years of State School teaching had tainted the head’s enthusiasm with cynicism. He was in that vacuum when the curve of success flattens and when there is nothing ahead but retirement. But in all sincerity—
… So the headmaster looked up from the book he was reading and I felt guilty.
“This boy David,” I began. The book closed. Sad, tired eyes raised themselves up enquiringly. His face reflected an assumed interest.
“He just doesn’t like Science—
“We can’t help that.” A few papers were pointlessly shuffled. “Don’t accept so many explanations from these boys—
It was hopeless, of course, but I persisted.
“The boy is unhappy. His mother has no affection for him and there is tension between his parents.”
A little more useless paper shuffling, then:
“Don’t look for excuses. These boys must do what is asked. You always seem to get emotionally involved. Don’t. It doesn’t help your discipline. Just do the teaching and take it for granted they’ll follow. They will if you insist. Don’t get side-
Problem solved. The book was carefully reopened at the page to intimate the interview was over. I was left wondering how any teacher could inspire without being emotionally involved. Surely it means just that—
“The greatest training (not education) for the greatest number”—
I have 32 boys in my form. They are in their third year—
1. Father and Mother separated. Mother regards son as a husband substitute and appears amazed to find boy is uncontrolled. He has been unruly but has responded to a very personal approach, and welcomes opportunities to be a child and not an adult.
2. Repeated migraine keeps this boy away from school. No action or treatment from his doctor. Parents are quite indifferent and lack common sense, though they are kindly.
3. Noisy, boisterous child, who has been in the courts for petty 4. A difficult child who gets temper tantrums and has tried to injure himself by banging his head against the playground wall. Father a dominant ex-
5. A long history of truancy, dishonesty, migraine and asthma. Mother is baffled by his disorders and says she can’t understand the child. After successive interviewing her confidence was won and she admitted the boy is illegitimate, but he has been led to believe that the man he regards as his father is his father. Mother says his real father was a cruel man who “used the belt on me often.” The boy feels a tension at home, especially with his “father”. There is lately an added burden—
6. An inaccessible, quiet, introvert with no personality. Parents show no interest in his education and have not appeared at the school. Boy now opening up a little and has become emotionally upset because of the frequent quarrels between his parents. There are repeated threats that they will part and the boy doesn’t know which side to take.
7. This boy has no interest in anyone or anything. He seems spoiled by well-
8. A pleasant lad who is experiencing difficulty with certain teachers who use an authoritative approach. This makes him react aggressively. His father uses this method and the boy resents it, but is unable to demonstrate his resentment. His father lost one arm during the war and is envious of the boy being able to be “the man of the house” by doing all the jobs he cannot do. He says the boy is trying to usurp his authority and tries to make him feel inferior in the home.
9. An extremely pleasant boy who is very emotional, craving affection. He shines academically only when shown affection and whn a special interest is taken in him. His father and mother live together but decided three years ago to go their own ways. He is rarely at home—
10. A stammerer. Father and mother are keen Salvation Army workers who have little understanding of the problems their child is experiencing. Mother says, “He’ll grow out of it. We have faith, both of us. We know.” I hope, for the boy’s sake, they do.
In my form there is also an Indian, a boy from Hong Kong, another from Morocco and two from Ghana. I had one from Cyprus but he was removed to a remand school because he was discovered by a police constable masturbating a boy of twelve behind a bush on a common.
How is it possible with such diversity, to make them fit into a scheme? It is to be expected that any teacher, however conscientious must by the sheer force of the burden, break under the strain and adopt a less serious attitude if his sanity is to be kept. How can he gain the confidence of every pupil? A man cannot turn himself into 32 personalities. And how can he cope withy the boy who is resentful because he has been made to feel a failure by finding himself damned to a “lower stream”, no matter how hard he works? The Grammar Schools are streamed into A, B, anc C forms in just the same manner. Naturally the reputation of the school rests with examination results, so the A’s are favoured—
As well as this, the scramble after “special allowances” for supposed responsibilities can only be compared with what goes on in the worst type of business concerns. These privileged members are naturally envied, and the jealousies ferment. It is the fault of the system which does not recognise that all reachers, no matter whom or what they teach, are valuable contributors of equal importance.
Of course, this system exalts only the few academically minded pupils who, with their crushed individuality, succeed in knuckling down under the pressures. All incentives go to create schools which fit these and tolerate the rest. If the majority of pupils leaving our schools leave them free of bitterness, it is more luck than planning, for there is only boredom for those who do not shine at examinations. This is the age of Science and Technology and the Government intends to glorify only those things. No politician sincerely believes that the mind of a child is sacred—
I see no way in which the position can be improved—
The tragedy of it all is that schools can make a child into anything—