Ambience and atmosphere OR "Life wasn't meant to be easy" is a load of bull!

I've always had a problem with the old saying, "Life wasn't meant to be easy." I've always liked the response, "Compared to what?"

Some teachers and external commentators (usually the ones who think the 'cane' is a teaching tool and say things like, "...never did me any harm.") insist that we should make things difficult for students. They're convinced suspensions and expulsions are thoughtful and useful ways to deal with 'tough' kids - as though sending them home to the environment and people who created them will make a difference. They're convinced, in some sort of 'George W' kind of way, that good and evil are assigned to people and therefore need to be bombed or belted into us - or out of us. They're convinced that nice is something you save up for people who've earned it - and everyone else should just put up with the arrogance and ignorance and incompetence that generally follows those who like to send their problems to someone else.

I think if you push someone down long enough they either learn how to stay down or fight to get away. They certainly don't become better versions of humanity. Funny though, that when they don't become better versions of humanity, the naysayers have a problem with that too.

So, how do we make life unnecessarily hard?

How about judging them constantly by measurements that have little real world value and even less personal value? How about giving them just one chance with said assessment because it'd be 'unfair' if some kids wanted to try again? How about placing them in rooms most of us wouldn't work in unless we were changing oil in old cars? How about pretending to understand that it gets hot in those classrooms from your comfy air-conditioned government offices? How about making them work to 'time' not 'quality'? How about treating them like they don't matter because they don't vote? How about making them do stuff just because we had to? How about...

Yeah, it goes on, doesn't it?

We already change everything because of the 'worst common denominators' of society. Sue someone else because you messed up? Higher insurance rates for everyone. Solved! Clearly it was just that we all had too much money that made us decide to sue for more. Small number of people behave like jerks on the drink? Close the pubs early and ban shot glasses (I'm looking at you, Newcastle). Solved! Clearly it was just when and how people drank that was the problem. Bomb something? Increase security for everyone else. Solved. Clearly it was just having poor security that made people want to go to such horrendous extremes.

Kids hate school? Make school tougher. Solved! Suspend everyone. Let the paint peel off the walls. Keep your textbooks from the 60s. Don't let them try anything they weren't supposed to. Assess stuff that doesn't mean anything. Teach them to be boring too.

I've always thought schools should be stunning. They should be how we judge our society. We should look at schools and say, "That's what we think of humanity. That's how we want to treat the next generation. That's how we become even greater.


"Why am I ranting about this? Because I want it to end. Let's make schools places where statements like these aren't fancy hallmark quotes:

Huge, printable version

Big, printable version

Big, printable version

Big, printable version

These are the gigantic posters that adorn the Educ8 classroom. They are bold statements, perhaps even over-statements, but who cares? Aim for the sun.

These posters are slowly being surrounded by the work of students that best befits the nature of the words and the kids are striving to get their work high up there on the wall, next to the words that embody their spirits and hopes and dreams... not their mistakes and flaws and shortcomings. They want their words to resonate too:

Year Seven student work - a 15 minute 'flash' writing challenge.

Are they are just posters and words? No. Not even a little bit. 

They create (with the help of many other facets within a room, including you, the often maligned educator) the ambience and atmosphere that will let the kids feel safe enough to challenge themselves. Safe enough to fail. Safe enough to risk. Safe enough to achieve.

And therein lies my challenge to all teachers. Make your room a place where both you and the kids can escape, be challenged, find safety, dream and, most of all, think.