First it was Gareth Malone with his 'Extraordinary School for Boys'.
Then, Jamie with his 'Dream School', and now I see that the military are also getting in on the act with the Troops to Teachers program.
My initial reaction, particularly to the 'celebrities' who want to offer their solutions to all problems educational is one of immense irritation. It's not like I go and give advice on running a Choir or a restaurant!
Their motives for wanting to innovate, and their expertise in the area seem to be based on their own experiences of school. In Gareth's blog, he describes his own positive experiences of school and how he uses these and 'research' to develop methods which will improve schools for boys. Jamie describes in the trailer for his Dream School project how his own less positive experiences of school have motivated him to offer more inspiration to children. Something he aims to do by employing teacher 'experts'.
Maybe I need to accept that those outside the field of education can have something to say, after all, education effects all areas of society. Also, they may have something to add by helping us to imagine things in different ways, think differently and look at different solutions.
The cynic in me though can't help but seeing some of this altruistic 'do-gooding' as a bit of a show. In Gareth's program, the teachers he worked alongside seem to be particularly stuck in their ways, boring and contrasting heavily with Gareth's dynamic style. In Jamie's program teachers in the 'Dream School' appear to have been chosen for their status as celebrities rather than any particular teaching abilities. Apparently, David Starkey, chosen for his expertise in historical knowledge, his ability to bring the subject alive for students, etc, can't control the class and ends up being disrespectful towards them.
Undoubtably, questions need to be asked, everyone has a right to ask them and we have a responsibility to look at things in different ways. However, I resent the profession being cast as 'stuck in the mud', boring, and unquestioning. We may not know Daley Thompson, but we are innovating all the time, trialling new ways of doing things whilst working within very tight constraints. I welcome opinion but use the expertise which we have too please!
