I often compare the Primary Education System to the decorations you find in the attic. Every time you try to untangle a knot, a new knot appears and after a while, you just chuck them over the tree and hope nobody notices the mess. The problem is that I’ve never managed to make that analogy … Read more
Primary school teaching is most likely one of the least diverse professions in the country. In this episode I explore why this is the case. I don’t think there are too many surprises as to why but what can we do about it?
Does it annoy you when someone who isn’t a teacher calls themselves a teacher? If you’re in any way sensible, it probably doesn’t. In this, less-than-serious episode, I’ll be taking a break from serious issues and trying to find out whether we should trademark the title of teacher, or change it to something better. Lead … Read more
There are some terms that give any teacher the fear. Put the letters WSE together and you’ll get a wave of panic. Drive-by does something similar. Principals also have another term that brings the fear to them – it’s called a Section 29. In this episode, I’ll be arguing that if I were the Minister … Read more
Back in March/April, most schools had come up with a plan for remote learning with the schools closed and all. It only took the Department of Education 6 months to come up with a circular for communication and remote learning. Here’s my live reading of the circular, where I slip from apathy to outrage in … Read more
It’s probably be fair to say that education is no longer the sole function of primary schools these days. Over the last decade or so, schools have now taken on functions of meal-providers, counsellors, psychologists, occupational therapists, web safety gurus, sex educators, religious missionaries, dieticians, social workers, attendance officers, and so on. For every ill … Read more
October 23rd. A fairly insignificant date. But to principals this year, it was the date they couldn’t wait for as it was to signal mid-term break, and for most of them, their first day off work since mid-February when there was a small mutterings about a virus that had come from Wuhan in China and … Read more
Since 2011, schools have been inundated with new initiatives from the Department of Education. However, other agencies have also dumped their workload on schools too. In this episode I point the finger of blame while proposing a solution that if a new initiative is to come into schools, one must be removed first.
Schools are to remain open in Level 5 but can we do it safely? In this episode, I explore what’s been happening over the last few days and ask the Twitterati what they think we need to do to keep schools open safely.
If you work in a primary school, one thing you can probably be sure about is that the Department of Education will pay you. Well, that is unless you happen to be the school secretary or another member of what is affectionately called ancillary staff. In probably one of the least controversial episodes of this … Read more