{"id":319,"date":"2006-08-20T19:56:09","date_gmt":"2006-08-20T18:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onlinefocus.org\/?p=319"},"modified":"2006-08-20T20:05:49","modified_gmt":"2006-08-20T19:05:49","slug":"simon-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onlinefocus.org\/simon-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Simon Says…"},"content":{"rendered":"
Credit where credit is due…. Rayleigh Tory councillor Simon Smith has a busy life, having to combine council work with being a schoolteacher and also attending education conferences. He’s now gained a lot of attention following a recent teacher’s conference speech he made. As the Evening Echo <\/a>reported it:<\/p>\n Children should not be encouraged to be “clever” at school because it is uncool, a Rayleigh teacher has told a national conference.<\/p>\n Instead, youngsters should be told they are “successful”, in an effort to encourage pupils to try harder in lessons without the stigma of being the teacher’s pet.<\/p>\n The bold statement was made by Sweyne Park School teacher Simon Smith during his speech at the Professional Association of Teachers conference, in Oxford.<\/p>\n Mr Smith, who is also a Conservative councillor on Rochford District Council, said: “I am sorry to say that at the moment a culture has developed that mocks being clever.<\/p>\n “<\/p><\/blockquote>\n His views weren’t totally popular on the BBC website:<\/a><\/p>\n As ridiculous as this is, there is a point – it is not seen as “cool” to be “clever”. Surely, though, this is the cop-out solution? Rather than arguing semantics, why not address the problem and make being clever cool? Reward high-achievers, rather than hiding their talents from the world and rewarding mediocrity instead!<\/em> Sorry to tell them, but ‘cool’ is not a cool word anymore. <\/em> My sons have been bullied throughout their schooling for being “boffs” (the term used in our area for those of above-average intelligence). Merely changing the language used by teachers will not resolve the problem.<\/em>
\nBen, Loughborough, UK <\/p>\n
\nAl, Southampton, UK <\/p>\n
\nAngela, Wallingford, England\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n