Diary of an NQT
ASBESTOS ASBESTOS
Making the most of my voice
ON MY PGCE course, I remember a series of losing my voice, but I didn’t think that excuse would
sessions or workshops called TEGs, which would wash with the leader.
(quite rightly) crop up with a fair bit of frequency. The session covered various exercise techniques
It took me a while to actually figure out what the and effective use of your voice to assist in classroom
acronym stood for. Any guesses? management, which I’m sure most reading
Failed asbestos policies must end
It stands for Teacher Education this will be fully aware of, but in my case it
Group, and this name is apparently has proved to be better late than never in
a throw back to the old days. Now learning about this crucial issue.
TEGs are more commonly known I really feel that regardless of which
as “professional studies”. route you enter teaching by, you are
Eight years ago, Michael
I do wonder if there is any other always thrown in at the deep end.
profession that is as full of acronyms However, this basic training Lees lost his wife, a
as ours? should be paramount and certainly
Anyway, my cohort had mixed should be covered before you enter
teacher, to the asbestos-
feelings about the TEG sessions, but the classroom for the first time.
on the whole I enjoyed them and After all, an apprentice carpenter
found them to be very useful. wouldn’t be seven months into their job
related disease
They were a valuable means of before receiving training on how to use
introducing us to some specific tools of the hazardous circular saw. Maybe not
mesothelioma. He argues
the trade, and if anything else it gave us quite the same thing, but the point is
time to socialise with the other subject that we are talking about health and
why the policy of asbestos
cohorts within the university. wellbeing here, which is vital to all
I remember one TEG was on the professions.
management has failed in
use of your voice. I was unable to Statistics show that 20 per
attend, but actually felt that I hadn’t cent of teachers have had to take
missed out on too much. After all, time off because of voice-related
our schools
each one of us has a unique voice, problems, and some even have
and are able to use it uniquely too. to leave the profession due to
However, speaking to my peers permanent damage. This is serious food Y WIFE Gina was
after the session, I realised that I had missed for thought.
out on something very practical and useful, and Anyway, I feel more prepared now that
which would be hard to read up about on my I have acquired some techniques to make my st, the coroner
own. Anyway, others things engulfed me and I voice more effective, and ensure that it lasts a gave a verdict of death
didn’t dwell too much on this. good while longer. from industrial disease,
That was until this week, when my scheduled M
51 when she died of
mesothelioma. At her
inque
and as I sat there
NQT CPD was on the cards and the topic was – you • This year, our weekly NQT diarist is Charles listening to his summing up, where he spoke of
guessed it – use of voice! Aubeeluck, a qualified citizenship teacher who the dangers of asbestos in schools, I thought to
When it came around, I wasn’t up for it. I felt like teaches sociology and health and social care at myself why on earth should a school teacher die
I had the onset of man flu and, coincidentally, was Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls in west London. of an industrial disease?
In the eight years since Gina’s death, my
investigation into her asbestos exposure has
widened into a comprehensive investigation into
Teach it like Torno!
the whole issue of asbestos in schools.
Gina’s teaching career was similar to that of
so many other teachers, for over the course of 30
years she had taught in about 25 schools, some
Wake up and smell the coffee
full-time and others as a supply teacher, in both
the state and the independent sector.
The majority of her schools contained
asbestos in one form or another with some
“Good teachers light candles in dark places.” We need to get the message across to society in containing large amounts, and yet some school
(Anon). a much more powerful way than we currently do. authorities had no idea that asbestos was
I attended a course last Monday on the Chartered The adverts about donating blood, for example, present as an asbestos survey had never been
London Teacher (CLT). It was designed to raise are extremely effective because they play on the carried out.
awareness of the CLT qualification, which recognises emotions. I remember seeing one such advert where In some schools, there was no system of
London teachers and provides a one-off payment a person recounted the names of certain individuals, asbestos management, so the asbestos could have
of £1,000 to those who qualify. As usual, before explaining that they had saved his life. We then learnt been damaged on a daily basis, releasing small
the course began, the delegates were invited to help that they had donated blood. (The background music quantities of asbestos fibres. I could not identify any That was despite the fact that the industry which
themselves to coffee and biscuits and engage in added to the inspiring nature of the advert.) specific incident that had released large levels of fibres, made these claims knew them to be wrong, for it had
getting to know one another better. This is precisely what the TDA needs to start however mesothelioma is also caused by cumulative imported and manufactured many thousands of tons
While this was all taking place, I was doing. The advert could start with two low levels of exposure, and I have no doubt that over of materials containing not only chrysotile, but also
trying to operate the coffee pot, and people naming individuals who they then the years frequent low-level exposures caused Gina’s amosite and crocidolite. It was also aware at the time
was determined to do so. As a result of suggest have saved their lives, almost mesothelioma. that people had died of mesothelioma from asbestos
my frustrations, I roped colleagues like a game of “teacher tennis”. In the In my investigation, I have obtained many documents exposure of “an astonishing slight degree”.
into the task and surprise, surprise background the music of Ludovico from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the The Board of Trade strongly supported the asbestos
they struggled as well. Einaudi Due Tramonti can government under the Freedom of Information Act industry’s stance, so that the warnings were not
If you know anyone who is be played. (FOI), which reveal the inner workings of education heeded and the use of asbestos continued unabated in
offering INSET on operating The viewer will not departments and the thinking behind government the construction and refurbishment of thousands of
coffee pots, I will happily be the first necessarily know it is about policies and decisions. schools.
to sign up. Next time you are on a teachers until the advert Regrettably, too many of those decisions and policies Although the import and use of amosite and
course, try the coffee pots yourself, nears its end. As the advert relating to asbestos are not made in the interests of the crocidolite was banned in 1985, the use of chrysotile
and let me know the result. You can goes on the message slowly occupants of the schools, but rather they are made for continued, and because of political pressure from the
then join me and we can learn the art becomes apparent – that political and financial expediencies. industry and from the Canadian government, its import
of pouring coffee together. I am sure good teachers save lives. More than 40 years ago, in 1967, the Department for and use was not banned in this country until 1999.
there is room for initiatives such as this. It can end with a powerful Education was warned about the dangers of asbestos Chrysotile, or white asbestos, has been used in
Let’s face it, some companies charge message – text presented and of the particular vulnerability of children. Because schools and can cause mesothelioma, but amosite is
£295 on “how to make effective on a white background. A of this it was told that it must take preventative measures 100 times more dangerous with thousands of tons
wall displays”. variety of slogans can be used to stop the release of asbestos fibres. It therefore issued being commonly used in the walls, columns and
Anyway, I digress. Going back – “Good teachers light candles a warning. ceilings of schools. Crocidolite was used to a lesser
to the conference, it began with Sir in dark places”, “The purpose However, the asbestos industry was so alarmed extent, although it is 500 times more dangerous than
Mike Tomlinson congratulating of education is to change lives”, that harm would be done to their business, that it put chrysotile.
the teachers present about the or “Save a life – become a teacher”. pressure on the department to water down its message, Following the Second World War, there was a large
rate of progress in London Whatever slogan is used, it needs to be erroneously claiming that asbestos in buildings had increase in the birth rate which led to thousands of
schools. hard-hitting and appeal to the emotions. never harmed anyone and that the most dangerous type, schools being built. The HSE estimates that of the 3,400
He was then asked a question This is just one way of raising our crocidolite, had not been used in building materials. secondary schools and 20,400 primary schools, 13,000
for the validity of league tables profile. Another is to use billboards and
and whether they should be even buses to continue this message. Perhaps
scrapped. Predictably he skirted this year’s Teaching Award winners can have
round this question. Being a former their pictures shown nationally. We should be
head of Ofsted this was not a shock. proud to project ourselves as a profession.
However, one of the issues raised As we know, the media presents us with a
in his speech was the low attainment particularly powerful vehicle which we can use
of certain groups, one of which I have to influence the opinion of a nation.
written about before – White working Whether we like it or not, this is one of the
class boys. Mr Tomlinson stated that any ways in which we can and should celebrate the
further strategies would be welcome, so I will use this joy of being a teacher and make the public aware of
forum to put my ideas forward. the immense importance of being a member of the
Admittedly, over the past few years, there has teaching profession.
been a focus on the recruitment of good teachers, and So here is a new strategy for Mr Tomlinson and
while I find this very encouraging, I still believe there the TDA to try. I really think it is time to wake up and
is much not being done. smell the coffee.
The current Training and Development Agency for
Schools’ (TDA) adverts focusing on the recruitment • David Torn is professional tutor and an advanced
of maths and science teachers should be applauded, skills teacher at St Edward’s Comprehensive School
but there needs to be a much bigger focus on the in Essex. He is the London Secondary School Teacher
concept of teaching as a whole; on getting the right of the Year 2007 and is passionate that the purpose of
people into teaching, whatever their subject. education is to change lives. He returns in two weeks. Campaigner: Michael Lees and his late wife
Gina, who died from mesothelioma
8 SecEd • March 12 2009
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