DHT and MFL teacher #pastoral #thefuturehaschanged #worldschooling #futureofassessment #internationaleducation
England
Joined October 2011
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“This train has been cancelled due to lack of train crew.”
Translate this into a school context and see what happens.
We learn to fit in by watching what happens to those who don’t. Do we? Blimey that’s got me thinking. I don’t think that’s something I do. Not that I’m necessarily known for being compliant.
I read a book about neurodiversity recently which claimed to be inclusive.
It was inclusive in many ways. The people whose stories were in those pages were racially and ethnically diverse. They had different sexualities and gender identities. They had a range of different backgrounds and careers.
What was missing was anyone with intellectual disabilities. Anyone who lived in a residential setting. Anyone who had attended a special school as a child and had never learnt to read or write. Anyone who lived in a non-western country. They weren’t just missing, there was no reference to them at all.
And, crucially, it was not inclusive of anyone who disagreed with certain ideological premises. No one who thought that we need subgroups in the autism spectrum, for example. No one who thought that perhaps overdiagnosis might be a problem. No one who questioned what neurodivergence actually meant. No one who argued for functioning labels.
Despite the claims of inclusivity, it was a strangely homogenous group. And here is one of the paradoxes of neurodiversity. There’s the appearance of diversity and inclusivity, but there’s a conformity of opinion. Everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. Book after book is published with exactly the same assumptions.
Humans are social beings and we want to fit in. We learn to do this by watching what happens to those who don’t. It’s just too risky to do anything else. Don’t mistake this conformity for an objective truth. It’s a bit more complicated than that.
"You can't HANDLE the truth!"
This isn’t criticism, it’s a hatchet job. We should not pander to individuals or groups whose demands risk dismantling exceptional schools. I’ve visited both Mossbourne schools, and they are outstanding institutions.
If parents are genuinely unhappy, they have the option of moving their children elsewhere. Yet many choose to stay because they value the academic outcomes while objecting to the discipline and standards that underpin them. You cannot demand the results while rejecting the very approach that delivers them.
And to those who believe they can achieve the same outcomes through a different approach, establish your own school and demonstrate that it works. Otherwise, stay in your lane and allow those who have built exceptional institutions to get on with the job.
What's the best way to corrupt mortal souls, broker infernal contracts, and try to conquer or plunder the multiverse?
Asking for a fiend.
Monsieur Durrant 🦡 🦔 🐽 retweeted
“Women talk a lot about how scared of male violence they are, but from their behavior it's clear they never actually consider it a possibility”
When I was eighteen I was out for the night with my bf and some friends, we were barhopping in Kings Cross. I was tipsy & occasionally lippy & obnoxious towards strangers (who were asking for it!).
My bf quietly & discreetly at one point during the night said “babe, I love you, but fuck sometimes I worry that you’re writing cheques I won’t be able to cash, if it comes to and I’m on my own”. I was like “wtf are you talking about?”
He literally had to explain to me that if I was being a fuckwit starting trouble, he’d obviously have to defend me if anything went down, and if I’m being a massive smart ass and it’s just like him & me & my best girlfriend, then he’s going to be in a fight on his own. All because I was being an antagonistic smart ass to some strangers who couldn’t take a joke.
The idea that I needed to be able to back up my words with violence if it came to it, was something that had literally never occurred to me. Ever.
It was a total revelation. Suddenly i realised talk wasn’t “cheap” in this context, it was expensive. The idea that I could effectively get him beaten up, or put him in real danger, by being a precocious little shit arguing with idiots because I could, was horrifying.
From then on I was extremely reluctant to ever argue with strangers or act like a smart ass unnecessarily, because I was suddenly keenly aware that the guys we were with could potentially be expected to pay with their lives for any poorly received flippant comments we made.
It really was totally novel to me. This isn’t how women see the world, at all.
Ideally, he wouldn't have reacted like this
But any guy is aware that when you shove another man, getting lightly swatted (or more) is 100% on the table, so they won't do it unless they're being intentionally aggressive
Women talk a lot about how scared of male violence they are, but from their behavior it's clear they never actually consider it a possibility
We don't live in the 60s. You're shoving a steroid user on an athletic scholarship in the middle of a football game. You have to understand that this inherently comes with a degree of danger
Owned and controlled by a 16 year old and out n about on the streets sexually assaulting women.
I told you, we're doomed. We're not going to make it out of the decade at this rate.
I know I'm turning into one of those 'the end is nigh' sandwich-board weirdos but...I'm also right.
Monsieur Durrant 🦡 🦔 🐽 retweeted
We invest heavily in our Early Years team.
Because we know that if we want our kids to succeed at 11 and then 18 we need to invest in them when they are 3 and 4.
Doesn’t happen often but I give up. I just can’t read Tale Of Two Cities. Dickens can get in the bin. Well, back in the library.
I totally fucking stand by this actually.