I was alerted to this (see link about how the conservatives are actively preventing career progression https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-60491719 the next tweet on my feed just happened to be from Dr Nicole Christian Brathwaite a child and adult psychiatrist talking about the effects of psychological trauma on the child’s brain taking into account the latest horrific shooting in Texas. How children can’t learn when they are afraid and the pressures on teachers literally putting their lives on the line, again (see link https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/texas-elementary-school-shooting-05-26-22/?tab=The%20Victims.) Where’s the action to safeguard children from guns maybe even by the same people who are saying they want to protect unborn babies. At this point my mind wanders to the teachers, were any pregnant? No one safe guarded from this latest horror.
Anyway, talking to Muhammed he has agreed to go with my idea for now, that we write together about school until we can do something more. I told him that when I went to school the teacher used to shout at us. The maths teacher used to swear and throw things. My earliest memories are being scared of my teachers. Though I loved English and my English teachers and all my other subjects. It was just the maths that let me down, though not enough to prevent me from getting my degree.
When I asked about Muhammed’s schooling he assures me that he always worked hard, until he had to drop out because his Dad died. I too tried my best at school but O Levels were disrupted when my Mum died. Everything turned upside down. Muhammed was in school from age 13 to 19 while his father was alive, me from 4 to 16. I left because it was the expectation to go to work, I guess for Muhammed it was the same.
Muhammed’s moto is “Never stop trying, never stop believing, never give up. Your day will come.”
So when governments roll back on access to education, impacting those who can’t afford it they need to know that it has a direct impact on the poorest.
Education has always been my sanctuary. The sacred nature of education we discuss “Oh Education it’s not easy Jane all you have to do is to step an try ur best God will help u the rest”.
And I wonder what those in a position of power feel when they know they are actively taking this away. Are they still talking about levelling up? All I see is the domination of power used to take hope away. By design.