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| "Yummy mummies love Sherlock, don't they?" |
So, what has the young Hunt done? He's looked at a labour sector rife with teachers suffering from stress and long hours, of children under intense pressure to pass archaic and confusing assessments, at the dismantling of public education in favour of "free" schools, and decided to take a swipe at.....
Professional Development.
Parents, according to this man who has clearly never developed in any way, let alone professionally, are "baffled" about why a group of postgraduates in a professional career may occasionally need time for staff training. This pronouncement was backed by a handwringing helicopter spokesmum from website Netmums (note, not mumsnet, which carries more political clout than most print newspapers) who said that staff-only days are "Awkward" for parents (note, not caregivers. If you're not the parent then clearly you don't need representation at this level). She went on to say that she was "suspicious" of the timing of staff only days, as they are usually after holidays or weekends.
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| We do so little work as it is, let's add in some extra days for skiving! |
Where to start with this torrent of patronising bollocks?
Dear
Netmums, real mums, politicians and journalists looking to give
something else a kicking now Judith Collins and the Maori party are old
hat: Schools do not exist for your convenience.
Schools are not office-hour holding pens so you don't
need to pay for childcare for 40 weeks of the year. Teachers are not
babysitters with diplomas whose sole role is to keep little Foccacia and
Mumford out of your hair while you work on your career in marketing.
The education system does not exist for your convenience.
Our role is to educate your child. To socialise them, to
give them the skills they need to operate in the same society that you
are busy working in. How well this is done is a discussion for another
time, but that is at the core of what we do. In order for us to do that
effectively, sometimes we need to have training to improve our
performance. You don't stand outside your local opticians that's closed
for staff training on Wednesday
mornings, banging on the glass demanding that you either be let in or
that they post up exactly what is happening in there, as it's "awkward"
for you not to pick up some contact lens solution at that moment.
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| Of course, if working class kids were allowed to work, then all these inconveniences would disappear! |
Same goes for holidays. You may be a successful 35 year
old careerist who never gets tired ever, but your six year old, who is
learning the fundamentals of reading, of becoming a person, does. They
need that time out of class to be kids, to absorb and reflect on what
they've learned over the previous eleven weeks. It's not always about
your convenience, it's about (you guessed it) the needs of the children
who are ultimately the most important people in all this, and
incidentally the ones who are talked about the least.
Now I'm not saying that holidays and staff only days
aren't a pain in the arse for caregivers. But to hear politicians
promote resentment at teachers for wanting to improve their teaching,
and education ministers attempt to legislate longer terms and hours
to better suit working parents, shows just how little regard they hold
teachers and the education system in. Perhaps instead of attacking
teachers, netmums and their ilk need to consider the societal conditions
that have led to them require so much childcare in the first place.
