Katy's Dream School

In a bid to emotionally release my teacher frustrations, I hereby present a proposal for my dream school. Some parts will be idealistic, but I also hope to provide realistic solutions to the things that frustrate me in school. Being an English teacher, I will keep my focus purely in that department. I certainly can't begin to tackle the wider issues faced in schools today!


1. Creative license:

In a department where controlled assessments are dominating teaching and learning, I feel like a slave to the 'modules'. I am bound to teach Macbeth and Frankenstein in 6 weeks - that's 24 lessons! I have to teach by extract and closely target the assessment objectives, which is fine; we get great results. However, I'm not sure that my students' knowledge of the two texts is sustainable or deep enough.


In an ideal world, I would be able to read both texts with my class. From start to finish. We could stop at key moments to discuss how we feel about the developing action. We could use the texts as a stimulus for art, poetry, music and film. We could have a thorough overview of writers' effects and character motivation. Only then would we prepare for the assessment. At that moment, I would definitely whip out the objectives and guide students with their essays.


I'd like to think that I can be trusted with that amount of time and freedom. To prove it, I'd happily invite observations of my lessons and students' work. We're killing the students with this hasty, assessment-led style of 'learning' and I don't like it. 
*Throws rattle out of pram*


2. A genuine reading culture:


This one should be a whole school initiative. By seeing their teachers apply a love of reading, our students can develop their own habits. Reading should be a mandatory component in a teaching and learning 'contract', where all members of the school dedicate time to reading everyday. The texts that we read (and I'm all for a multi-modal approach here) should be discussed and explored collaboratively. I won't patronise you with the merits of reading here; you know it makes sense!

3. A broader range of texts:


Of Mice and Men? Carrie's War? Holes? Heroes? These are good books, I can't really dispute that. But are they the only option for our students? I propose that, with each academic year, English teachers are allowed to buy a class set of a book of their choice. In my department that would be 15/16 new novels each year; Budget Schmudget!


These new books should be broad-ranging and truly represent the English literary heritage. Personally, I'd focus on bringing in more texts 'from other cultures'. A few poems by our 'token' black writers doesn't really cut it for me. At the very least, I'd ensure that my students had studied Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou with the same rigour that they study Steinbeck and Shakespeare.


4. A trip every term:


Some of my everlasting memories from school are from when we went on trips: Cheddar Gorge in Somerset; Macbeth in Bath; The 'Big Pit' in Blaenavon. As a result, I still know a stalactite from a stalagmite, Macbeth inside out, and what it feels like to be 100 metres underground! I really feel for our students, who are rarely given the opportunity to explore learning beyond their school grounds.

In my dream school, I would take each of my classes out every term. Ideally, there would be no budget or cover issues to resolve; I could take them to the Himalayas for creative writing, or to South Africa to visit the District Six museum. Realistically, it would probably mean trips the the cinema or theatres. Or walks through our community. We could certainly stretch to an out-of-county trip at least once a year. 


I want to show my students the world and help them to figure out their place in it. 


5. Visits from authors, musicians and actors:


I can only be interesting for so long. I try to keep the little lovelies entertained and inspired all the time, but sometimes we have a lull. They get bored of me. I get bored of them. I'd like to arrange regular visits from literary/media icons to speak to my students about their craft and routes into their careers. As a bonus, I could quietly worship them from the back of the class!


6. More time to mark:


This is a big one. I never get marking done at school. Ever. With just 3 free hours (used to plan, email and print) it is impossible. I have to lug books and folders, to and from work, everyday. It obviously plays havoc with my home/life balance, in the sense that it is non-existent! I'd like to be given a timetabled hour a fortnight, for each class that I teach, dedicated to marking their work. I guarantee that they'll improve at a much faster rate.


So there you have it; school 'Miss Ryan' style. I think that most of these issues could be met, at least half-way. With a bit of creativity and innovation, it could be so much better!