Michael Gove... Is he for real?......

Two of his memorable utterances: ..."union hardliners (are) "itching for a fight"..... and "all children are the same" fill me with dread that this is the calibre of person in charge of our education system.

Perhaps with the latter statement he simply WISHES children were all the same in our mainstream education system i.e. future 'cannon fodder'.

Unfortunately the sentiment seems to have worked its way into popular thinking as in a recent episode of 'Waterloo road' a character was heard to utter the immortal line... "I have yet to meet a failing pupil only failing teachers " Good Grief!! Perhaps a few years teaching in various schools i.e. inner citys, rural villages, and private fee paying ones might enlighten our two misguided 'Arseh*les'.

 

One of the reasons that I eventually lost heart - there is a belief that all children are the same and that they can all be fitted into the same size box and ticked off. It's heart wrending, believe you me.

 

All children are the same but only until they start learning, so for perhaps a few hours, days or possibly even the first 3 or so months, then they pick up stuff fromt heir families and environment and then from nursery/playgroups etc, then friends and finally school.

Everything that happens to children (and remember, we are all children) makes them who they are, individuals.

 

So you don't believe in genetics then? Some children grow up to be musically artistically gifted even where their family, family background or environment have had no obvious influence whilst others are naturally athletic/sporty when, again, there is no family background. I think there was some guy called Montesori who belived you could take a child like a piece of clay and mold it into whatever you wanted. Personally I think environment only enhances or inhibits the potential of each and every individual. If you aint got it in the first place you cant be given it.

 

To be honest I have given up reading the tit for tat bitch fest between both camps. This country is rotten from the top to the very bottom.

 

Nature v Nurture. I don't think either have been proven.

 

I believe in genetics, but it's influence is nothing compared to environment, that's why humans are so succesful, the pre-programming bit in us is tiny, we have to learn 99.9% of the stuff we need.

But do you believe in genetics?
>Some children grow up to be musically artistically gifted even where their family, family background or environment have had no obvious influence

Surely for it to be genetic then it would be in their parents genes.

Maybe it is randomly genetic.

 

the best thing on Gove recently has been the photos of him manning the picket lines on a journalists' strike up in Scotland in 1989; smiling with his placard saying do no cross the picket line which is what he's asking folk to do now.

 

he's uncomfortable with the stance he is making and also on other govt policies. the bloke is a careerist deserves everything bad that hopefully bestows itself on him