It’s a sad reality isn’t it? How one child has an abundance of choice when it comes to choosing what they want to be whenever they grow up no matter their ability as the parents bottomless bank fills in any struggling areas leaving tutors happy and select pupils outstanding in the classroom surpassing those ‘less capable children’ as they just can’t afford to be as ‘intellectually gifted’.
But that’s just my unconscious bias talking, and this will indeed have had its fair share of influences on the way in which I have viewed education over the years.
Just as i have mistakenly analysed the education system, there are various situations that are misinterpreted by teachers and parents alike when it comes to those that are more disadvantaged than others. Put yourself, first of all, in a parents situation. What they can and can’t afford is down to their occupation and that, in itself, is purely down to their own educational background, which flows right back onto their parents and how affluent they were and so on, so forth. So you see, a parent is going to want the best education possible for their child in order for them to grow up with a decent job and therefore able to afford and and support a family of their own. If you can comprehend these factors, you will understand that it is therefore not a crime to invest into a child’s education if a parent has the funding to do so.
Now transition to a teachers perspective, your palms are sweating coming up to assessments, you want every child to do well. You want the best for everyone but you just can’t seem to get little Jonny to understand fractions and you can’t focus all of your time purely on his struggle as there is a small handful others in the same boat in different subjects. With exasperation you think to yourself ‘why can’t Jonny just go and get the extra help he needs?’ You get irritated with him in the days that follow as he seems disorganised and distracted. Your reputation is on the line. You think life is so unfair.
Unfair… it’s funny that this word should crop up so quickly.
Maybe there should be a reminder at this point as to the 4 areas of the GTCS SPR which include, Social Justice; Integrity; Trust and Respect as well as Professional Commitment. Jonny didn’t have breakfast this morning, his mum hasn’t been paid yet and she couldn’t afford a loaf from the local supermarket, just like she cannot afford to send Jonny to a tutor, she’s frustrated too and this leads to disruptive behaviour from him. Remember the integrity, how are you treating this class with an equal mindset, examining critically the attitudes and beliefs of those parents whispering about Jonny and his ability in the car park whilst picking up their children. What can you do to make life better for the children in your care? It’s a simple matter of social justice; ‘committing to the principles of democracy and social justice through the right principles and policies.’ Trust and Respect are also as equally important and go hand-in-hand with improving the education of the children within the care of teachers. If teachers respect each and every pupil as an individual and trust that they are doing the best of their ability to get the best out of each child, the children should then be able to follow this example and therefore respect each other of differing ability which can also show parents and others that, every child is trying their best and is using the resources available to them in order to get the most out of their education. If there is no respect communicated there will be severe issues within the classroom which will impact the children’s future as well as their self-esteem. Of course none of these factors can be followed wholeheartedly without Professional Commitment and always following GIRFEC in order to shape and be shaped in a positive way within the classroom, demolishing inequality and regenerating the Education System.
