Beyond A-C

This week I took the day off to volunteer at a school to talk to 14 -16 year olds about their career options. I pushed my judgement that the majority of children have aspirations of being a footballer, wag or rapper aside and walked in armed only with water, Strepsils and my note book.

The set up was like speed dating. Fourteen volunteers like myself sat at a table with their name and career titles on the desk. Each pupil had 4 minutes to ask any questions or concerns they had before moving to the next desk indicated by a bell.  I cannot tell you how may pupils I spoke to that day only that the Strepsils came in handy and at the end of the day I left feeling intrigued, happy and concerned. So how was it? What did I learn?

I remember what it was like when I was their age like it was yesterday. I felt apprehensive and pressurised to do well in my G.C.S.E’s because my WHOLE life depended on it. Opening my results was the scariest thing I had to do at that age (scarier than cleaning out a whole chicken) and I remember the relief when I saw the first 3 letters of the alphabet stare back at me with one star thrown in on 10 subjects. I was happy and it felt like this black cloud and heavy weight instantly lifted. The relief was short lived as immediately after the next challenge was to go through clearing as although my results were good, I didn't get what I needed to get into my preferred university. The biggest myth is that your future success is dependent on what grades you receive. This is not true, which I'm sure many of you will now know.

Sixteen years later and the same dread is alive and kicking amongst the young. Education is important, there is no doubt about that, however the obsession with league tables has become the death of education. The education system has always been one that values results. Good results mean that teachers have done their jobs well. Pupils seek validation from teachers and teachers feel validated over their own worth and performance by how their pupils perform. This is a system locked in external approval and validation. It is a co-dependency and more so now with the government wanting to pay teachers based on their performance which is based on pupils results. This country has always had a strong academic structure however what appears to be lacking is pupils own passion to learn.  Does the pressure put them off?

Pupils are individual people with individual capabilities; however this is not always recognised within their grade. Not everyone is academic, for those that are not, are their other abilities and skills ignored due to time constraints and resources?

For the pupils that had received their predicated grades I noticed two things. Pupils who received expected grades of A-B were confident and tended to have their further education planned and careers mapped out.  Although their expected grades were good they identified they could do better and work better. For those who had expected C grades and below had become resigned to this “fact” and didn't really have any future plans, hopes or dreams which shocked me. They had already given up or were willing to do just enough to get a C as “It’s a pass miss”. It made me question the benefits of expected grades. Yes the idea of it is obvious and the hope is that they aim for a better grade than their expected one. However this could also work the other way and become a self-fulfilling prophecy for those who aren't in the top grades. How well you do in exams is determined by how well you perform on the day, which needs to be stressed.

In my blog Rat+bird=fish?  I spoke about the rising issues within one to one communication as a result of social media. I saw it first-hand amongst the pupils through their lack of eye contact. Whilst I acknowledge shyness can also be a cause for this, I don’t for one seconds believe all the pupils I interacted with were naturally shy. I can count on one hand the amount of pupils who spoke clearly confidently whilst meeting my gaze. I have no problems holding a gaze and for the first time I had to think whether my level off eye contact made them feel uncomfortable. It was definitely a serious thought but an action I was not going to change.I invited them to look at me when they spoke instead. 

I understand this...  

 But not this...

Lessons in how to communicate face to face is a new reality and a necessity. Attaining good grades is great but so is having basic social skills.  The majority of children today spend a lot of time with their heads down as they tweet, text, whatsapp, bbm and whatever else the world of apps has to offer, which is clearly having an impact. Whilst the level of engagement in social media is apparent it appears using it as a source of research is lacking. When I asked pupils what their ideal job would be, three pupils gave me really amazing sounding titles. When I asked them to break down what the job would entail and what qualifications they needed, none could elaborate. Gone are the days when research needs to be done via books or through the advice of career advisor's  There is a wealth of information at a click of a button and yet I get the sense many are not utilising the internet in other ways that could really benefit them.

In spite of my above observations all the pupils I spoke to had potential, it just needs to be recognised, identified and nurtured which needs to extend beyond school.  I also saw a handful of truly gifted and special pupils who were not necessarily in the A-C bracket. They are entrepreneurs of the future. If I was to put an association/title to it, then I have seen the next David Attenborough, an inventor to a new type of aeroplane never seen before, the next great presenter to come out of the UK and a multi-skilled musician and composer.

I love working with children, I always have. I laughed with them, offered guidance whilst being very challenging to push them beyond their perceived limitations. I heard way too many “buts” for my liking. But is a defeatist word, a dream killer that doesn't provide space for other considerations…in my dictionary. Adults need to communicate positivity and reveal to all the potential they see, whilst encouraging them to stretch their imagination and see other paths and solutions. A lot is going on for pupils at this age from growing up, finding out where they fit in, questioning whether they fit in, on top of understanding who they are , what they like and what they would like to do in the future. We need to give them hope, and help them create their ideals. If we don’t instil the possibility of everything, than at what age will they know and believe this to be an option?

“Miss are you psychic” a pupil asked in response to me telling him of all the things he could do as a career based on his interest. “No, but I see all that you are and I want you to see it for yourself rather than listening and being intrigued by what I'm telling you”.

This is my aim whilst working with children and to be honest this should be the core infrastructure of education. Work with potential, passion and spark and better results will be the outcome, coupled with young adults who enter into the big wide world with confidence and the belief they have something to offer and can be anything they put their mind too; rather than as individuals who believe they have to wait for an opportunity to be offered and can be anything they want only when it is behind the computer screen.

© Lisa Bent 2012