Why the long summer break is vital for teachers
I NOTE the possibility that the school summer holiday break could be shortened because of how Covid has affected education. While I can see some advantages in such a cut to the break, I suggest we weigh up carefully all considerations.
Writing as a retired teacher in comprehensive schools, I can only say that the long summer break kept me sane. The pressures of the job certainly increased from the ’70s onwards and by the end of the summer break (a) I felt, to my surprise, a return of the enthusiasm and idealism I had felt as a new teacher; (b) I had had time to ponder what I had done that worked well in the classroom and knew what was less successful, needing re-planning; (c) with a heavy A-level load of teaching, in one school, I had time over the break to visit libraries (remember them?) to help me plan lessons; (d) I had also been able to plan themes and lessons for the other years – without tackling such a task feeling shattered and trying to finish in time for the next day (term-time feelings).
From the pupils’ point of view, the long break enabled them to enjoy full-time childhood, the ability to meet friends for whole-day fun and exploration and games and, for the older ones, perhaps a chance to take on a part-time job, earn some money and begin to understand working for a living, plus learning more about people and society.
Just because a pupil is not in school does not mean that (in normal times!) they do not benefit from foreign travel, travel to other parts of GB and life in general.
If a shorter summer break is a once-off, OK maybe. But please think carefully before shortening that life-saving summer break which stops many in the profession from resigning or retiring early. John D Rogers Nantymoel
Benefits of executive housing
I WAS delighted to read that there are to be 100 new homes in Llantwit Fardre raising £1.08m for the community to spend on infrastructure (CIL).
County councillor Joel James often complains of the high council tax in the area, but that is because the houses are worth more than other areas.
It was my policy at the 2017 election to have more executive housing to raise revenues, not only in the form of CIL, but council tax also. I’m concerned, however, that in raising such funds there is no sacrifice of affordable housing. It is important to ensure that all socioeconomic groups can be part of the community of Llantwit Fardre. Councillor Jonathan Bishop Efail Isaf
Unconscious mind still a mystery
THERE has been quite a bit in the Press recently about so-called “unconscious” discrimination. I won’t pretend that I have delved deeply into this topic but I did do some brief research on the internet before writing this letter.
To start off, straightforward discrimination against anyone on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, religion, sex or many other possible reasons is unfair and undesirable. I am old enough to remember decades ago when there was little legal protection for minority groups not to be discriminated against. I almost became a victim of such discrimination in London’s Notting Hill Gate in 1961 when I was seeking rented accommodation and I overheard my future landlady, ironically a Polish lady, question my apparent Irish nationality (because of my name) in telephone conversation with a lady in the letting agency I was using. This letting agency reassured my future landlady that I was the “right type of Irish person” to become a tenant in her large house. Anti-Irish discrimination was not uncommon in Britain in those days. To clarify, I was not even of Irish nationality, although some of my relatives took Irish nationality much later in their lives as adults.
It is well known that, from the 1970s onwards, laws were introduced, mainly by the Labour Government between 1974 to 1979, to deal with these issues. In the first instance, it was overt behaviour, actions, opinions expressed in writing or in conversation which were covered not just in the field of letting property but, very importantly, job applications too.
When we bring in the unconscious, we are in possible difficulties. Someone like Sigmund Freud drew up a picture of human beings as being composed of id, ego and super-ego. And he investigated the unconscious mind in his writing about dreams. By definition, what goes on in the unconscious mind is not readily apparent, even to the individual concerned, let alone third parties. I also feel that attempts by apparent good people to investigate the contents of job applicants’ unconscious minds could end up in a form of brainwashing, however well motivated by those using or advocating such methods.
If people write or say insulting things about others on grounds of their racial background, it is legitimate to call it out and penalise those engaging in such behaviour. What goes on in their unconscious may be another matter, however. Undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge colleges are presumably among the brightest of their generation and is it not insulting to play such games in their recruiting? It has the potential to become a form of brainwashing, especially the requirement that a 100% pass is required, which is not
This letting agency reassured my future landlady I was the ‘right type of Irish person’...
Michael O’Neill Penarth
demanded in any other tests.
It is good that the legal rights of minorities are so much better protected now than, say, 50 years ago but excess in anything could be bad by definition and lead to a society where even one’s hidden thoughts are open to investigation and censure.
I consider myself unprejudiced and, as a tutor in London, a significant proportion of my students were either black or Asian and in most, if not all cases, I felt I could achieve a suitable rapport with them. If I disliked any of them, it would be as individuals as with any other European nationalities.
Michael O’Neill
Penarth
Education has been dumbed down
I AM amazed that the decision has been made to have teachers grade their pupils for GCSE and A-level exams.
How can these assessments be impartial when they will be judging their own work? People from my generation keep saying that education standards are dropping. How can universities and future employers rely on these gradings when they are not part of a national standard? Would we allow driving instructors to give out driving licences to their pupils?
Exams are set to show a universal standard of achievement and this will definitely not be the case. Now that the vaccines are starting to affect the level of infections we should be looking to sort out our
education problems and push our standards back to previous levels; the world will not wait for us to catch up. Bill Symons
Cardiff
No roadmap in WWII
GERMANY dropped more than 32,000 tonnes of bombs on cities across the UK during an eight-month reign of terror, which resulted in 44,652 people losing their lives. Up to now, the UK has lost 121,000 people in the pandemic.
Still, there are Covid doubters, and some media pushing for dates out of lockdown.
During World War II the media and people never demanded a roadmap for the end of the war from Churchill. Andrew Nutt, Bargoed