Are you school choosing folks happy that Ed Balls will tell your children what they can and can't read in school? Is that normal? I thought state prescribed textbooks were the mark of a totalitarian society.
Anyway, soon it will affect us all, no matter what we do. The government might set up a free service to tell me what colour coded clothing I should put on today. Or what days I can eat beans. And is there a state approved hotline I can call about the length of hair you can sprout from your ears? I think Dig is well out of bounds there.
Bah. Do I care. Life is short. My job here is to tell you about our daily life in home ed land. Just in case it might be normal, and somewhat close to yours. Or different, in which case you should get out more. Especially if you have to live with Ed Balls coming home in your child's satchel.
Ed Balls, this sight is for you. The gritlets took over two metres square of the library floor today and spread out all the audio CDs they could lay their hands on, then whittled that choice down to two. Tsk. Choosing for themselves. I might have to beat them when we get home.
7 comments:
At least your critters are safe and picking out their own audio books. Let's hope the rest of the parents are as sensible. It's a damn shame to see so much power in the hands of one megalomaniac, here I am assuming he is one, anyway.
Meanwhile a group of MPs have actually dared to suggest that "Ministerial meddling must stop" and even, shock horror, schools should be able to opt out of the NC!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7977358.stm
Naturally Ed and his minions are having none of it. Schools Minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry said: "The national curriculum has been at the heart of raising the quality of education."
Hmmm .... yeah .... OK, whatever you say Sarah {looks to audience and taps side of head meaningfully}
But this is nothing new. The state curruiculum is goverment set up and controlled anyway, right? And there never WAS any choice what to study for gcse or alevel - not for the person studying. The school does that.
I've done both GCSE and Alevel english and I can tell you that!
Now, in both cases there was a number of books to study, the point was to extend our range and in many ways it's an interesting dicipline to read books you are given, rather than choosing them. I discovered some I will love for the rest of my life but never would have picked up myself - Brave New World and To Kill a Mockingbird for example - some I initially hated but came to grudgingly respect (Jane Eyre)and
I also had to slog through some I hated and despised (Oliver Twist and To Kill a Mockingbird), though that in itself has, in hindsight, taught me a lot.
I think what is cause for concern here, is that one single person could have so much potential power, right? It does smack rather scarily of totalitarian censorship, and Nazis running around burning books. And Pol Pot shooting people who wear glasses...
I'm doomed.
I think Mr. Balls was very aptly named.
Balls to Ed. If my kids find a book that they enjoy, then I get the rest in the series for them. Books are such precious, precious things. Reading such a wonderful pastime. Imagination such a valuable asset. x
i want the list of banned books. there must be a list, right?
think the ministry of magic might me interfering at hogwarts!
Post a Comment