At the chalkface Charlie Brown
“WHO WALKS in the classroom, cool and slow? Who calls the English teacher, Daddy-O?” Who this? Ofsted? No,
they’re never cool. Another drear consultant? No, they charge in. My Dave Mania? Or Shaka Lynch? Could be. But it is, of course, Charlie Brown. “Charlie Brown, Charlie
Brown. He’s a clown, that Charlie Brown. He’s gonna get caught. Just you wait and see. Why’s everybody always pickin’ on me?” Brilliant! Beyond
analysis! Eliot? Pound? Never – beyond them! This fabulously dumb rock‘n’roll cartoon was written by the great Leiber and Stoller and sung by the immortal “Coasters” – and is still the coolest take on fast, flyboy pupils. You need, of course, to hear the music with its yackety sax and dumb ass voices to really appreciate its seminal insights. It should be a key text on any PGCE course. Charlie Brown is up there with Nigel Molesworth or Bart Simpson or Ronald Crumlin, all archetypal schoolboys. But aren’t they all incarnations of delinquency? Au contraire, they are celebrations of creative wit. The song explores the – hem!
hem! – inviolate space between teacher and pupil, without which both cannot freely function. Me ugly boss. Him larking fool. It took me so long to suss this. As Bruce Springsteen has observed, “I learned more from a two-minute
record than I ever did in school” – well, the Institute of Education. But the song has a richer
resonance. I bought this single in 1959 from the only rock‘n’roll record store in High Wycombe. Apart from affording me the chance of dancing terrifically badly in Mr Snave’s Baroque Chamber Music of the Renaissance lessons, I was contributing to the greater good of mankind. How? Listen up the back! The Coasters were on the fabulous Atlantic label with the likes of Percy Sledge and Otis and Ray and the sublime Aretha, also essential parts of my education and, one
hopes, yours. Now, Atlantic was owned
by the legendary Ahmet Artegun, who died in 2006. And? And yesterday his widow donated £26 million pounds to
the Humanities Department of Oxford University for “the future
of human understanding”. It could have been to a less rich university, but at a time when the dread Gove is in malign cahoots with the Dark Lord Murdoch, who cares? What a benign and noble gesture! So I was contributing to very High Culture and human progress all along. Marvellous! Now, where are those “Coasters”? I’m ready. Bring ’em on! Here they come, Shaka Lynch, or even Charlie Brown. Walking slowly and way too cool for school. They better not call me Daddy-O!
• Ian Whitwham is a former secondary school teacher.
News Dame Ellen takes D&T lessons by Daniel White
World record breaker Dame Ellen MacArthur inspired students to engage in their education and think about their future as she took on teaching duties this week. As part of the annual Teach First
week, which kicked off on Monday (March 12), a number of celebrities, sports stars and business people have been entering the classroom to teach students for a day. Guest teachers include television
presenter Adrian Chiles, football legend Gary McAllister, editor of The Independent Chris Blackhurst, and Marks and Spencer chairman, Robert Swannell, who will join many others in stepping out of their comfort zones and experiencing the excitement and thrill of teaching. Dame Ellen taught design and
technology to year 7 students at Kingsford Community School in London, drawing on experiences in her professional life. It has been seven years since
the yachtswoman broke the single- handed, non-stop, around-the-world record, and she is now at the helm of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity which is calling for a redesign of products and services to address current climate challenges. During her day at the chalkface,
Dame Ellen was supported by Teach First teacher Liam Isaac who helped with the planning of the day and provided “teacher tips” to ensure the lessons made as great an impact as possible. Dame Ellen said: “I’m delighted to be part of the Teach First Week
and raising awareness of an issue close to my heart. “The work we do at the
Foundation is all about inspiring young people to rethink the future; the way we make things, the way we disassemble things. In a world of finite resources the most important available to us are our creativity and imagination. But it takes inspirational teachers – and opportunity for all – to unlock that potential.”
Plain sailing: Dame Ellen MacArthur inspires students at Kingsford Community School in London Teach First recruits and trains
high calibre graduates to become effective teachers in schools in challenging circumstances. More than 2,050 Teach First teachers are currently working in schools and nearly 900 who have decided to stay in teaching beyond the two- year programme. Founder Brett Wigdortz said:
“Teach First Week acknowledges the urgent need for us all, regardless of our day job, to play
a part in eradicating educational disadvantage, and ensuring that a generation of young people from low-socio economic backgrounds have the same chances in life as their wealthier peers. “We hope that the outstanding
commitment these guest teachers have shown continues beyond the week, and they go on inspiring young people to believe that no profession is beyond their grasp.” Visit
www.teachfirst.org.uk
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SecEd • March 15 2012
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