Spaced Out

There’s no two ways of looking at it. I ain’t no city girl. There’s something about space that frees the mind and takes all the stresses away. The buzz of a big city may be exciting, but the black nights where you can see the stars glistening without the glare of neon and the absolute silence, for me, wins every time. When I come North, it’s the change of pace I long for. One might laugh at all the stereotypical Highland portrayals in films, but there are times and places where they’re not far wrong. There’s an ability to sit back and take stock, or just sit back. For me, it’s about being able to find clarity.
So, it made me think about the traditional school environment. Closed classrooms with sometimes 30 pupils crammed in. No matter how stimulating the wall display is, there’s no getting away from the four walls. My Department used to be open plan and I miss the environment and I have to say, the buzz that went along with it. Ok, there were times when having several sets of S2 in at the same time proved a little challenging, but hey, what’s a little challenge. Like life, it seems that many feel more secure having things in little boxes. Shame really. It’s like these supposedly radical changes in the education system at the moment. What radical changes? Dangle the carrot of a progressive way forward, only to halt any radical ideas by providing no money, limited development time and red tape barriers that only make things difficult. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, education is so much more than passing exams. Pupils have to be exposed to an environment that is appropriate to their learning objectives- and that is not necessarily in a classroom setting learning in the traditional context. Mind you, define classroom setting. Maybe that’s what needs to change for some. Walking through a park studying texture and colour. Strolling along a coastline looking at erosion. Sowing seeds in a greenhouse…of course this is all done, but how many people truly see these things as being as valid as a bit of paper? It’s like the ‘base’ kids who get out of classes on an afternoon to do an activity. How many times
have I heard the cry of ‘but they’re getting treats for being bad’? To many. Again it comes down to educational value and for some education is not about knowledge of a subject or unit of work. Scrap that. It shouldn’t be about that all the time for anyone. This is not a new idea, but for many it’s an idea that will not be acknowledged. Frustrating really.
I think I’ve had too much space today.

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~ by zoewalker on April 2, 2011.