I’ve been on Twitter a while, but only been actively involved in the various “great education debates” over the last few months. I’ve learnt a lot and had many fantastic, constructive dialogues with people from all over the spectrum. Obviously though, things have not always been pleasant or rosy.
One of the things which really irritates me has been the consistent and widespread conflation of traditional education with right wing politics. Sometimes it is simply an innocent misconception. Other times it is outright rude and on one occasion I was informed that Michael Gove was my father (which came as quite a surprise). Last night, I had a discussion with someone who thought it was “funny” that people who wrote teaching and learning blogposts about the most effective ways to educate people from low socio-economic status never spoke about about the current cuts to education. The conflation of educational and political philosophy is rife.
Does traditional teaching necessitate right wing politics and vice versa?
I am a traditional teacher – and proud to be so. I am also a proud lefty. I should not need to prove my credentials but in recent elections I have voted Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat. Hardly a Tory shill.
Most importantly, I like to think that I am a traditional teacher because I am a lefty. I believe that everyone, regardless of their background, should be able to access society at any level. I believe that a highly effective way to achieve that is by transmitting the cultural goods of society; its finest discourse and mores. I also believe that our cultural and intellectual goods are the right of all citizens, whatever their backgrounds.
I do not believe that rich people were born rich because their parents somehow worked harder; earned their wealth. I do not believe that poor people should be philosophically or practically bound to a cycle of poverty. And, once again, I believe that the most effective way to level the field and to pass on society’s goods is through traditional teaching.
But traditional teaching is the darling of the Right!
This is true. Gove and Gibb certainly favour a particular style. But I don’t see how this is connected at all to economic, foreign or health policies. Some Conservative education policies are clearly particular to RW politics, such as academisation (free market engines) and grammar schools. Gove’s war with the unions was certainly characteristic of a RW mindset. But a person who wants students to have knowledge of “the best of that which has been thought and said”? I don’t see the connection between that and RW politics.
I could be wrong
I could be wrong; both about methods and philosophy. I certainly used to have very different ideas about the purpose of education and the best methods by which to achieve that purpose. But even whilst I was running whizz-bang group exercises featuring inquiry, discovery and higher order thinking skills my politics were still left wing. The two are not related, and if I ever went back to my halcyon days as a progressive NQT I don’t see how my political beliefs would change.
The worst from of whataboutery
The accusation levelled at those who have not been seen to condemn the cuts is, in my opinion, outrageous for a number of reasons:
- It is ad hominem; it addresses the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.
- It is ignorant; just because you haven’t seen someone do something doesn’t mean they don’t. For example, I spend a lot of time on Facebook arguing economic policy with my RW friends. I don’t do much of that on Twitter.
- It ignores the fact that individuals are entitled to focus on one issue at the extent of others. No-one can be involved in everything. When I post about what I think are good ways to teach, I am also not posting about an infinite number of other issues. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about them or think they are important, it just means that my particular focus is elsewhere.
You aren’t poor, so you have no right to an opinion
It was also argued (and I have seen before) that traditional teachers argue their case from a fundamentally middle class perspective which invalidates their position. Even if it were the case that all traditional teachers grew up wealthy (they didn’t) I do not see how the conclusion follows the premise.
I doubt your motivations!
During the discussion on Twitter, the original poster said that they doubted the motivations of people who do not write about cuts. This is grossly unfair and logically unjustified. Absence of evidence is far from evidence of absence, and it is not for you to judge my or anyone’s motivations in such a wilfully unfavourable light.
Hanlon’s Razor and judging favourably
As an Orthodox Jew, I carry many of our ancient teachings into my daily life. One is dan et kol adam l’chaf zechut: to judge everyone favourably. If you see someone doing something which you wouldn’t normally approve of, assume that there is some context which explains it. Always assume the best, not the worst, in people. The more witty version of this is Hanlon’s Razor; to never attribute to malevolence that which can be adequately attributed to ignorance.
In short, stop assuming the worst in people. I can choose to assume that we are all here with the same aim; to do right by our students. I assume that, because we all want the same thing, our dialogues can be fruitful and mutually beneficial. Until someone conclusively proves to me that they are more interested in self-promotion and aggrandisement, then that will continue to be my assumption.
May 7, 2017 at 11:03 am
Absolutely spot on, thank you for putting this so well.
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May 7, 2017 at 6:15 pm
Always glad to see other frum yidden show up in my teaching blogs. Enjoyed the post, too!
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May 7, 2017 at 6:18 pm
The internet makes the world a very small place
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May 9, 2017 at 12:08 am
Next we need to gather the crew to lobby for a non-Shabbos ResearchEd.
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May 9, 2017 at 5:24 am
Oh man so true. I’ve had a go at Tom so many times!!
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May 8, 2017 at 8:32 am
Reblogged this on The Echo Chamber.
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May 9, 2017 at 9:42 am
Brilliant.
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August 22, 2017 at 6:14 am
Problem with “the best of that which has been thought and said” is who decides what it is. Control of education system has increasingly been centralised since 1988. It was a Conservative government that centralised it, but of course that’s suited governments of left and right ever since.
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August 22, 2017 at 7:28 am
I think the question thought and said is a good one. It should be down to Society writ large to determine, however difficult that might be.
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August 22, 2017 at 10:07 am
Who does that is quite important. Used to be teachers, schools, LAs & exam boards between them – ie distributed responsibility. Should be curriculum authorities now, but government appears to have quite a big say, which I think is asking for trouble.
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August 22, 2017 at 10:16 am
I suppose so. I’m no fan of this government but they were still democratically elected and ultimately it must be a democratic process
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August 22, 2017 at 1:51 pm
That doesn’t make it the role of central government. Local government is elected too.
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August 22, 2017 at 2:03 pm
Also fair. The local gvmt could ensure that local people learn their local culture etc and a more centralised one that there is more global work too. Basically parochialism should be avoided
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February 13, 2018 at 6:46 am
(view from Scotland but currently sitting in England)
The SNP, which has displaced Labour to 3rd place (tories currently 2nd in Holyrood) & thus may be considered leftish is renowned for centralising & has suffered as a result particularly with Police Scotland. Edu-wise they have been constrained by first the Local Auth traditional control but also the dubious Education Scotland, SQA & GTCS. To be fair the SQA, which imploded earlier this century, is back on track and indeed addresses your point below: “local people learn their local culture ” with the exams at end of 2ndary majoring on Scottish issues.
However, what do you mean by “Local” control. Headteachers is Scotland have quite limited authority with various stakeholders out to give them a kicking. This has been exposed recently when the central govt has trying to increase their powers and the following have come out against: EIS (the teachers’ union), LAs via their body COSLA: “untrammelled powers”, ADES representing Edu Directors, Parents bodies reps, etc
It is intriguing to observe the political stagnation/inertia compared to England but also the plethora of initiatives of educational nature from IT to behaviour management.
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August 22, 2017 at 8:47 am
Hi,
I enjoyed reading this and agree with a lot of it. One question though. At one point you say you are a trad because you are a lefty. Later you say “But even whilst I was running whizz-bang group exercises featuring inquiry, discovery and higher order thinking skills my politics were still left wing. The two are not related.” Happy to apply Hanlon’s Razor here, so what am I missing?
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August 22, 2017 at 9:02 am
Ha fair enough! I think it’s because however I was teaching, it was because I wanted my students to be able to achieve the best they could. That used to be the whizz bang, I believed that was the best way for them to become better people and to access society etc. Now I teach in a different way, but still because I want to help them become better people and access society. It’s a bit more complicated than that and I think my definitions of a “good education” have changed but that’s the basic point. Makes more sense?
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August 22, 2017 at 9:45 am
Yep. I assumed that’s what you meant but the pedant in me just couldn’t let it go….
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