Rullsenberg Rules OK!

I began a 'conversation' over at Rullsenberg Rules but "events, dear boy, events" intervened and I was unable to continue it.  Ever since it has been digging away at the back of what passes for my brain, rather like a pebble in a shoe, and I feel impelled to clarify my thoughts.

I am rather assuming that the hostess of this site is a teacher of some sort, or at least, an 'apparatchik' in the non-education bureaucracy.  I shall paraphrase as best I can whilst urging you, dear reader, to pop over and see for yourself.  She was praising the words of some head honcho in this worst of all public so-called-services, who complained that middle-class parents were subverting the comprehensive system.  Apparently, "Social inequality is more rife than ever and education is not addressing this."  Our hostess added  "[t]hat fundamental changes have to be wrought to address how and why access to education: the means of understanding and then challenging the social system?" which may not be good grammar, but which, even so,  begs an enormous question, apparently quite beyond the ken of the great and the good in what is laughingly known as our education system, to wit, what on earth has the education system got to do with "social inequality", or with "challenging the social system"?  (I leave aside the notion that there is nothing wrong with social inequality lest I cause undue distress.)

In the brief exchange under 'Comments', our hostess trilled rather breathlessly that "[e]ducation can have a transformative effect: alerting people to disputes and realities beyond the usual scope of their experiences" (and no, I don't know what that means either.)  She went on, "I do believe that education can provide voices with means to understand and challenge, and ultimately change the economic structures."  According to this latter-day pedagogue, "[t]he problem is that the education SYSTEM is currently a key means by which the economic system is supported and promoted".  She appears unaware of the fact that it is this very same "economic system" that actually pays her considerable wages and her forthcoming pension-for-life.  For her, education is all about "stimulating thought, enquiry, awareness and debate."  Oh yeah!  Well, we'll see.

Let us suppose that teacher 'A' , imbued with great idealism wishes to use education as a means to alter society in the direction of, say (to be neutral), classic, Athenian democratic ideals.  However, teacher 'B' will have none of that.  For him the ideal social system is classic Sparta, and as far as he's concerned he intends to use the education system to reach that end.  Is that all right with Ms. Rullsenberg?  Can one visualise the education patriarchs (and matriarchs!)  nodding benignly and telling teacher 'B' to go ahead - all in the spirit of "stimulating thought, enquiry, awareness and debate", of course.  'Not bloomin' likely', as Eliza put it, they'd run him out of town before he'd picked up his chalk.

There is one other question that never seems to have entered the heads of 'la Rullsenberg' and the other grand panjandrums of the non-education service, which is this: By what right do you take other people's children and inculcate them with your own personal political and social views?  What business is it of yours?  How dare you thrust yourself between children and families all in furtherence of *your* own political agenda?  Would 'la Rullsenberg' be happy for me to come over and enthuse her kids with the benefits of free market capitalism, red in tooth and claw?  I think not!

My ever-astute reader will have noticed already that nowhere in Rullsenberg's vapourings is there even the hint that education might be concerned with placing facts inside hitherto fact-free heads, and ensuring that these facts are understood and remembered.  That used to be called 'teaching' back in the days when teachers were not concerend with the next revolution.

Comments

[Lisa Rullsenberg]

David,
ooh ... too tempting.

I could get into a long debate about my ill-expressed opinions (yes, I am quite happy to accept my writing isn't all it should be - forgive me: I have not long come out of having to write a PhD in the humanities: deeply ironic smile.) I'll try not to because other more eloquent bloggers can probably explain things better than I can. Suffice to say that I do not believe in inculcating anyone into my beliefs, merely opening possibilities for engaging with debates, not accepting anything at face value, critically analysing all sides of debates and considering the evidence/ideas that support them. That is what education can and should encourage. The right is no less prone to undermining those who disagree with them than the left (but do so from the left is frequently vociferously criticised as a fundamental attack on 'correct thinking').

I would just like to correct one remark:
"pays her considerable wages and her forthcoming pension-for-life" - erm, no actually. I am on a very fixed term contract. I expect any pension accumulated by the time I retire will be much less than modest due to the erratic nature of my employment history (see http://rullsenbergrules.blogspot.com/2004/10/rullsenberg-rants.html).

Also, no kids. Am sure you will find something to criticise in me not breeding... (again, ironic smile). So that makes me a hard-working, but not part of a family, worker: a status that probably renders me non-human under most of the major political parties...

[Hilary Wade]

Ahhh … proselytising teachers, dedicated to moulding the pliant minds of Youth. Happy days.

How well I remember the Head of Sixth Form who used to play us all his records of “We Can Work It Out” and “Give Peace A Chance” in assemblies during the Falklands war. “You’re the most right-wing sixth form I’ve ever met,” he used to fume, apparently believing this would startle or perturb us, as the boys filed out to mark up the morning tally of crossed-out fighter planes, Belgranos etc on the blackboard before class.

Teenagers can spot propaganda coming a mile off in my experience; it’s more likely to be counter-productive than anything.

You should welcome these posts, David!

[David Duff]

THanks, Hilary, you restore my faith in the low nature, cunning and intrinsic intelligence of your average sixth former.