Consultation.

I sat in a meeting last week an watched as colleagues were advised they were to relocate merge or close their schools. I learned new educational terms, consolidate and rejuvenate! These words were placed beside schools that are to close?? How is that you can rejuvenate something that is closing? The word rejuvenate means to restore to a former state; make fresh or new again: to rejuvenate an old sofa. How the hell can you close a school and call it rejuvenation? Big brother, I know you will be reading this as you tend to check up on principals, so can you add a comment and explain to me how these weasel words explain to communities and families that what you are doing is good for education. Oh and by the way, where exactly was the consultation?

Craftsmanship.

I was involved in a conversation recently that described true teaching as a craft. We are not a production line designed to stamp out hundreds of clones who think act and feel the same. To be a good craftsman you have to know your craft. You must read the latest techniques. You must invest in you craft. Time and resources. Good teachers don't start and stop when the children arrive and leave school. They continue the development outside the work environment. A great craftsman knows all about the items they are working on. They know the tools and how they will enhance the finished product. Do you?