It takes something unexpected to nudge you
off the path you’re on
It was discovering Betty’s dyslexia, and
then watching this famous TED talk, that made me start questioning
everything about education.
And I realised we’ve been accepting a system
none of us really supports. Because, despite apparently giving it lots of thought, we never
stopped to ask the right questions
We’d chosen a good school. The girls are
doing well. Everything seemed fine. Until this made us ask a simple
question
What is a good school good at?
The answer is obvious. Good schools are
good at getting good results.
But what does that mean? And why is that
important?
The logic flow goes like this - Getting
good grades now are important, because they’ll get you on track to get more As
in more GCSEs. And that will help you get better A Levels, which will help you
get to the university you want. And then you’ll be able to do what you want in
life
But (setting aside happiness in the present), supposing we work back from that ultimate objective – being able to do what you want in life. What will best help them
achieve that?
Getting great results at a great
university?
Maybe that helps.
But how much? If I think
of all the interviews I’ve conducted, I doubt that everyone who made our
hour together feel like 10 minutes had a dizzying first from somewhere with
dreaming spires. And I know for sure that the ones that made me wish I had an
ejector seat didn’t all have a 2:2 from somewhere a little disappointing
Being able to think, talk, create,
collaborate, make and do have always been the things I valued most. They’re what I
always tried to teach my students. They’re the reason I ran away from Oxford.
And the reason I chose to work in the communications industry.
But that’s just about reflecting my values.
More important is ensuring the next generation is fit for their future.
In a world where google knows more than
each of us ever can, it’s thinking, creating, questioning that becomes really
valuable, not just knowing.
But our school system often encourages knowledge and
understanding rather than creativity and questioning, in its haste to get as many people through as many GCSE’s as soon as possible.
Hmmm...
Maths and English aside, and assuming you're over 21, when was the last
time anyone asked you how many GCSEs you got? Or what your geography grade was?
Is the holy grail of 13 A* GCSE’s a
currency with any real value? Are we chasing impressive sounding numbers rather than
meaningful, valuable outcomes?
And now I’ve started questioning, I just can’t stop
Why is it a good idea to try and take exams
earlier than ever, when these kids will be working and living for years longer
than previous generations?
Why don’t we create space to experiment,
and fail, and learn from it?
Why do we split subjects up, separate them
out, when often ideas develop through the connections between things?
What’s actually important vs just expected?
What do we really want to achieve?
Is the system set up to enable that to
happen? And if not, what can we do about it?
They’re big questions.
And most of them
don’t just apply to schools.
So I’m busy exploring alternative education
systems, ones that are built to deliver the results we find truly valuable
Of course, I desperately hope my girls will
be happy with the decision we make.
But any time they’re not, I at least expect them to
be able to question my judgment incisively and confidently, and think
creatively about alternatives
Because I’ll take active questioning over
passive acceptance any day
