The King is dead… Long live the King!
Understand this from the off. I am only writing this blog because I am a deeply jealous and shallow human soul… So watch me contradict myself.
I am getting pretty sick and fed up with the rise and rise of the ‘celebrity’ teacher and head teacher. I have become pretty ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’ about it… I really do think, “I can do that”. But can I? What has suddenly happened in education and why is it a little bit ‘sexy’ all of a sudden to teach on TV or in the media? Leaving me badly dressed and in the corner whilst the younger, funkier and braver all do their stuff out on the floor.
I blame twitter. I would be a liar if I said I didn’t check my followers each day or how many blog hits my mum has added… How sad am I? On one level I am in direct competition with @theprimaryhead (I need followers and I will pay…). I can not live comfortably knowing he is looking down at me from lofty heights – this is born from educational debate though. It is practice competition and to a degree healthy. But is all of this linking, publicity and propaganda positive for education? Here are a few observations…
I was following the Mr Drew twitter feed the other night and after every other, “Those kids parents should be slapped/ imprisoned/ punched” tweet there was a “Mr Drew is amazing/ so patient/ super calm/ incredible” one. I have known quite a few Mr Drew’s in my time. Amazing people who have a certain way of making you happy you are part of their world. I see nothing different in terms of his ability to inspire/ teach than many colleagues I have worked alongside but there is a significant difference… He is one of a few pioneers. Dangerous because he is putting his values, beliefs and habits as an educationist into the very public eye (As did the Educating X series). I think about the times I have felt I wanted to do something like this but pulled back because I did not have the courage to follow it through… The difference is ‘he has’. He has gone beyond his authority as an educationist. He has also done this very publicly. By going beyond his authority I mean he has put his credibility and position on the line in order to tackle the problems at hand… how many others would? In fact look at Twitter and how many of us have pseudo names? Usually we do the opposite we hire people to provide protection or we create systems to ensure security and stability within our role… Solutions with a minimum of disruption. When Mark Grist (@montygristo) tweeted his new poem ‘Why I Am Angry?’ on the back of his appearance on Mr Drews Boys he was clearly saying something different. It was refreshing and having listened to it again I know why he has my attention (Not just his love of brilliant board games)… I feel bad that I use celebrity because it is suddenly crass… This is educations alternative scene bought to you by talented and skilled people who share something in common with many of us. They are passionate about young people getting the chances they deserve rather than making excuses for not doing it. They are suddenly representing my world via the media and people are talking. They are celebrity because they are ‘doing’ it and showing it rather than just writing or talking about it from the shadows.
At this stage I could talk about my week and if I had a camera and editing team I am sure there’s a TV program in it. That shot of me inspiring minds in assembly (Oh those inspired Reception children!); defusing violence; sorting complex situations; watching another person being invited to have my job; calming senior leaders; getting angry about social care, talking to the local shopkeeper about Y6 shoplifters, being grilled for this or that etc etc etc… It’ll need Nick Bloomfield to direct and edit it to add some excitement but I know that I could look pretty good on TV just on one weeks material… But I am not Stephen Drew or any of these others who have made themselves niches recently because I still let the myth of fear drive my decisions around what I say and do… I am still guarded even though I say things that some would not.
I still have:
The fear of being left behind;
The fear of watching others win;
The fear of presiding over monumental failure;
Therefore, why put yourself out there? But this is where TV seems to make a difference… I think I can predict the rest of Mr Drews’ Boys because I know ‘documentary’ a little. Somehow, I feel that the script will show how the beautiful happens alongside the tragic. We will see blood, tears and sweat but ultimately we will grow to love the complexity of each character, willing them on and relishing the successes of those that were so scorned to begin with… Does this have anything to do with our daily jobs or is this TV and celebrity culture controlling education?
I don’t really know… It’s complex as I said. What I do know is I am happy it is happening and I like ALL the comments made about it – even the damn right offensive ones – because they allow education to be debated around the sofa in a slightly different way than in the pub or the coffee shop. It shows the challenges in all their raw and uncomfortable reality rather than in misty, “I can do that” fantasy…
So, I am looking forwards to this years Grazia of education and the Bafta’s for teaching. I like coming home at night and watching others prove to the world that it’s not a simple job, “Open your text books at page 134. You have one hour.” And for that I am grateful. But I know that their stories on screen are replicated up and down the country every day. I hope others see that as well? But in the meantime, follow me so I get MORE followers than @theprimaryhead.
Oldprimaryhead 