At the chalkface
News
Invincible voices
I sit in an empty 11th year This room echoes with them.
classroom. Empty until September. All those languages fighting
Climate change schools unite
The racket, the Babel of language, to be heard. Trillions of verbal
has gone. Their voices have gone. I transactions. A Babel of voices
recall something that the late Harold coming at you. All the put-ons, put-
by Chris Parr
Rosen said about English teaching: downs, wind-ups, inchoate rage,
“Whatever language the pupils dumb insolence, odd epiphanies,
possess, it is this which must be built light-bulb insights, and always the Students from schools across the
on rather than driven underground. fierce wit. Of Dave Mania. UK and beyond came together to
We must help them become “David, have you done your share ideas for battling climate
confident of the full acceptability of homework?” change at the Change-Makers
their own experience.” A “Not as such!” “Ah!” Conference, which took place in
pretty good credo. “What with the London last Thursday (July 2).
I did my PGCE fighting and the dogs!” The event, which played host
with him at the Institute Did the dogs do to eco-conscious pupils from 14
of Education in 1967 it? Eat it? Kill it? Who secondary schools, was organised
– along with major knows? Dave didn’t by the InterClimate Network – a
influences like Basil care to explore his dark not-for profit organisation that pro-
Bernstein and Jimmy hinterland. Our duologue motes innovative solutions to cli-
Britton – and Jimi Hendrix went on verbatim for five mate change.
down the road. whole years. The youngsters present got the
A thrilling, inspiring Or of Shaka, whenever chance to showcase their individual
time. Linguistics and he caught his dreadlocks in projects to the other schools, and
politics and rock ‘n’ roll! the electric fan: “Quick sir! their ideas will now be put to the
English teachers would Dreads! Mash up! Losin’ my UN Climate Change Conference in
change the world. Of dreads. Losin’ my religion, Copenhagen in December.
course we would. We charged mon!” His dreads – and faith Schools across the UK are also
into the classrooms of London’s – were usually saved. being asked to voice their concerns
comprehensives. We’d give Or of Decibelle or Dervish about climate change, and 1,000
them back their voices. We taped or that prince of perpetual mirth, of these issues will be taken to
United: Teacher Erick Ng’ok with students Obrein Telly and
them, plastered them all over the Ronald Crumlin. Invincible voices. Copenhagen by representatives from
Nelson Cheruiyut (left to right) from Nakuru Boys High
walls. Walls that are now plastered Our job is to accept and the InterClimate Network schools.
School in Kenya at the Change-Makers conference. Also
with charts and targets. recognise them. Snuff them out at Among those taking part last
there was year 8 pupil Joseph from The Long Eaton School
Things have changed. The your peril. I couldn’t if I tried. week were students from The Long
Thatcher and Blair governments Shadows fall across this Eaton School in Derbyshire, who our school eco-committee, which is Tom, also in year 12, added: Nelson told us: “Our school has
rather clobbered our pedagogy. classroom. This little universe, so were showcasing their achieve- made up of students.” “At the moment we have to run the a dairy farm on site, so we came up
Things were no longer so rich. often so much better than the world ments in developing their outside Sibford School in Banbury, power day and night to keep the with the idea of using cow dung as
Voices were stifled. Experience outside. Rosen was right. Listen space, and planting a staggering Oxfordshire, was also present, with water heated, but once we have the fuel in our ovens, instead of wood.
denied. Our pupils had to acquire to their language. Recognise their 1,750 trees and shrubs in the school students demonstrating how they right cover we will be able to save This means that we have less waste
other slicker voices and sometimes experience. It’s still a good credo, if grounds – one for every student and were hoping to save £2,700 per year money and energy, and help reduce from the farm, and we are able to
betray their own. Creative a tough one. It’s their real voices I staff member. – drastically reducing their energy the school’s emissions.” save our forests.
writing conked out. Speaking will remember. They may fade into Joseph, a year 8 student, told consumption – by fitting a cover to The conference also attracted eco- “We also weave baskets, which
and Listening exams resembled summer, but they will not fade for SecEd that the school was very con- the school’s swimming pool. savvy schools from further afield. we line with tin foil and unneeded
Dragon’s Den interrogations. The long. “Not as such!” cerned about the local environment. Alex, a year 12 student, Nelson Cheruiyut, 19, is a student at plastic bags, and this allows us to
wheezes of buffoons. He said: “We have tried to make explained: “We have been testing Nakuru Boys High School in Kenya, keep food warm for longer instead
But they didn’t quite succeed. • Ian Whitwham returns in the school grounds as environmen- different materials to see which is and he was at the event to demon- of having to throw it away.”
Those voices are pretty invincible. September. tally friendly as possible, and we the most effective, as we’ve never strate what his school was doing in For more information on the
talk about new ways of doing this in had a cover for the pool before.” the battle against climate change. event, visit www.interclimate.org
NPQH SecEd ad1304.AW:Layout 1 02/07/2009 11:51 Page 1
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