Read on Twitter
1/ OK. I’ve been in the #Education game for 10 years & there is something that has been increasing bugging me the longer that I teach which is pressure we put on our teens to make the ‘right’ choices.
For some of our kids it’s totally unfair & damaging to their mental health.
For some of our kids it’s totally unfair & damaging to their mental health.
2/ At KS4 level, the pressure that school & society can put on our kids is astounding. We (the adults) are asking 15-16 year olds what they want to do for the next 50 years of their lives with pinpoint precision.
As we grow older, we evolve & change. If someone told me that
As we grow older, we evolve & change. If someone told me that
3/ I would be a teacher, I would have absolutely laughed my head off!
But Life has a habit of surprising you when you least expect it.
Another thing that we must accept is that Industrial Era career path is dead. The ‘40/40’ plan - 40 hours a week for 40 years of your life
But Life has a habit of surprising you when you least expect it.
Another thing that we must accept is that Industrial Era career path is dead. The ‘40/40’ plan - 40 hours a week for 40 years of your life
4/ doesn’t work anymore. I read somewhere that the average millennial could have 8 different careers before retirement compared to just 2 from Baby Boomers.
Are we preparing our kids to constantly retool & adapt to the changing marketplace?
Are we preparing our kids to constantly retool & adapt to the changing marketplace?
5/ Also the over-empathise we place on academic achievement rather than so called ‘soft-skills’ needs to change.
I still hear teachers say to kids ‘if you don’t go to university, you will do nothing with your life.’
Patently untrue! University is an option not a certainty.
I still hear teachers say to kids ‘if you don’t go to university, you will do nothing with your life.’
Patently untrue! University is an option not a certainty.
6/ Research has also proven time & time again that the factors that determine a person’s career progression is their communication skills & the strength of their social networks.
Many of us (including myself) have got opportunities through friends & connections that took us to
Many of us (including myself) have got opportunities through friends & connections that took us to
7/ a new level in our careers. Some of the training contracts I was awarded were because of personal recommendations from good friends rather than formal applications.
My point is academics are not evil. Of course our students getting the best grades gives them better options.
My point is academics are not evil. Of course our students getting the best grades gives them better options.
8/ But we should no longer pretend that our current system reflects the real world pressures that we face out there.
What really upsets me is looking at students who didn’t get the grade they wanted & tried their best & think their life is ruined because they got the wrong
What really upsets me is looking at students who didn’t get the grade they wanted & tried their best & think their life is ruined because they got the wrong
9/ letter or number. As I always tell my kids. Your life is not defined by a 2 hour exam.
We need to as the late great @SirKenRobinson said foster creativity, curiosity & wonder in our schools as those are the things that lead to innovation, success & our students’
We need to as the late great @SirKenRobinson said foster creativity, curiosity & wonder in our schools as those are the things that lead to innovation, success & our students’
10/ improved mental health & well-being.
I’m many, many years over 20 & I’m still learning about who I am & what I can do. We need to allow our students to discover themselves in their learning rather be destroyed by it.
Fin.
I’m many, many years over 20 & I’m still learning about who I am & what I can do. We need to allow our students to discover themselves in their learning rather be destroyed by it.
Fin.
