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Letters
Star letter
Citizenship – too vital to drop
I qualified in 2007, having completed a PGCE in citizenship at the Institute of Education.
After the London riots last year questions were asked about how we engage our young people in society and help them play a productive and engaged role – a logical response to this would seem to be through teaching them citizenship, which deals with precisely those issues, among others, which are relevant to young people.
I teach citizenship alongside two other subjects. Since the curriculum review was launched in 2011 the future of citizenship education has appeared uncertain. The impact on the subject of becoming non-statutory would be huge. Head teachers are considering the curriculum for next year, and may choose to devalue the position of citizenship, which could leave those of us teaching it in a precarious situation.
For specialists in the subject, our students, and society as a whole, this is a serious concern.
Catherine Tookey, by email
Young teachers are our future
Reading the Ask the Union pages in the last Teacher – with Q&As concerning lowering standards of school premises, changes to the national curriculum and Ofsted’s new inspections – my heart sank. A retired infant teacher, having left early due to increasing pressures of workload (not the children), I find the load for teachers continues to mount.
I moved to the Letters page. Here were teachers crying out for someone to hear them as they give the best of themselves but are thwarted by Mr Gove – “how much longer I can keep up the breakneck pace of change…” – and the brilliant spelling rhyme “Does does not rhyme with shoes…”
It seems not only are the pressures continuing, education is being transported back to ‘the good old days’ of Mr Gove’s dreams. How can he think that by moving backwards he is moving forward? Truly the future is with these young teachers who, against the odds, stand up for the children even when Ofsted’s ‘satisfactory’ turns into ‘requires improvement’.
Jean Ryan, Hampshire
I’m with Julia all the way!
On reading ‘I’m with you all the way’, the interview with Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson (The Teacher, Nov/ Dec) I can only agree with her on all counts. Her views on education are held by a lot of teachers.
Learning to read is a complex process. Phonic tests do not test reading. Phonics help, but are an aid rather than a prescriptive method and not all words can be phonically decoded.
As for reading to children, it is a time for teacher and class to relax and imagine together. For slow- or non-readers it is a chance to experience literature at their interest level, not their ability level, making them equal to their peers.
Long may Julia Donaldson’s tours and influence last.
Anne Veneear, Cornwall
Read right
The idea of ‘false phonics’ is bizarre – for goodness’ sake use common sense. Use the time wasted on this to read to the child – stories, poetry, their own compositions. Let them tell you in their own words their ‘news’, let them write it in their own way.
Continued on page 47
Please write
The editor welcomes your letters but reserves the right to edit them. Write to: Your letters, The Teacher, NUT, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD or email
teacher@nut.org.uk
Letters for the March/April issue should reach us no later than 4 February.
Please note we cannot print letters sent in without name and postal address (or NUT membership number), though we can withhold details from publication if you wish.
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