The Madness of Gove - discuss

[LizzieVereker]

Explore and analyse the extent of the the Education Secretary's insanity. You must support your answer with evidence (despite the fact he doesn't).
Gove's latest "plan"

[HedgeHogGroup]

He is a tit.
Evidence: See any statement or decision he has made since 2010.

This thread is now closed - there is nothing left to say on him

[EvilTwins]

We were talking about his ideas on discipline at break today. Running round the field is an excellent plan. I am looking forward to supervising with a whistle and a hip flask of gin.

[Tiredemma]

He is a fucking idiot.

He must be Labour in disguise- his ideas alone will get the Tories ousted at the next election.

[Feenie]

Yes, brilliant Gove - let's reinforce the idea that exercise = punishment, shall we?

Tit.

[brokenpurpleheart]

Careful what you say, he'll give you lines ....

[LizzieVereker]

Hedgehog A* - your response is succinct and meets all assessment objectives. To earn extra credit, you could explore which plans Gove is intending to sneak through quietly, whilst distracting us all with his Common Entrance barnstormer press release.

(For evidence see previous ideas such as EBACC which were retracted whilst surreptitiously changing grade boundaries without notice)

[HedgeHogGroup]

Thank you Lizzie. You'll be glad to know I wrote to him & told him he is a tit (in flowery Headteacher Speak). He disagreed utterly with me. He thinks he's great & reasonable . He declined my invitation to the real world (my school), probably rather fearful that I would set the staff & pupils onto him with eggs & flour... they wouldn't take a lot of persuading!

[LizzieVereker]

Hedgehog, you are pupil headteacher of the week. Of course he disagreed with you - when he looks in the mirror he sees a noble creature, a modern day Mr Chips, with a hint of Atticus Finch, if you will.

Whereas when I look at him, I am waiting for him to rip his skin off and reveal himself to be one of the Slitheen.

[notnowImreading]

It's not madness. It is a carefully orchestrated campaign, aimed at the readers of The Mail on Sunday, to make him King of Everything. When he is elected King of Everything by people who say harrumph and In My Day, he will organise a cull of pinkos such as teachers and educationalists in general. Then he'll come for the rest.

[LizzieVereker]

Interesting...after he's culled all the pinkos who will he get to teach the children? Do you think he'll import more Slitheen, or will he teach All The Children of The World himself, via a giant screen, Orwellian stylee?

It will be quite tiring for him, especially as he wants all the children (even the nasty common ones) to be at school for 21 hours per day, so that they can decline Latin nouns whilst learning the harpsichord.

[mrsminiverscharlady]

He looks like Pob

But Pob speaks more sense

[BatterseaGirl]

Every time I read about his latest ideas I want to scream. I met him a few years ago before the coalition started and he's even more rubbery and slimy in the flesh. Whereas Ed Balls was a dreamboat (honestly he really was - amazing eyes and incredible presence).

[TamerB]

The thing that I don't understand is that he seems to think that every child is the same and you merely have to have them for a long school day and drill them and they can all get to Oxbridge. It appears to make no allowances for intelligence and the fact that only a small percentage would have the ability. There are no allowances for individual learning styles.
If he wants state schools to be like private schools he will need to invest a lot more money!
I would just love to see him with 30 children for a day!

[OddFodd]

I was quite pleased to hear on PM that Matthew Parris (who considers Gove a friend) thinks he's going mad. Well, not pleased that a madman is in charge of the UK's education but pleased that even his 'friends' are starting to realise that he's lost most of the contents of his pencil case

[wetaugust]

Wondered when he would get called 'mad' for attempting to raise standards.

[rollonthesummer]

The thing that I don't understand is that he seems to think that every child is the same and you merely have to have them for a long school day and drill them and they can all get to Oxbridge.

Yes, you're right! There's also the assumption that if you keep children at school longer hours, productivity (ie learning) will occur at the same rate and they will learn more. He doesn't seem to care that little children get tired and hungry!

Imagine if the general workforce were told, 'oh, you can't stop work at 6pm any more, you'll need to stay until 8pm but we'll expect as much work between 6-8 as we do between 9am-10am!'

[rollonthesummer]

Wondered when he would get called 'mad' for attempting to raise standards.


?

[OddFodd]

wetaugust - I didn't call him mad, Matthew Parris did. I don't think it was connected to Gove 'wanting to raise standards'. Shall I ring him to check?

[Grockle]

notnowimreading, I fear you are right

Hedgehog...

[wetaugust]

So why else is he doing it - for fun?

[Weegiemum]

I am in awe that he was ever state educated - and very glad he no longer lives or has power in Scotland. I'm a (charity sector now) teacher and have children in school. I'm more than delighted that we are not within his jurisdiction!

[wonderstuff]

Thank fuck we've got him raising standards! All these bloody teachers and academics who have studied education and stuff just don't give a shit, they don't have his vision, where would we be without Gove helping us with such gems as 'make children redo unsatisfactory work'

[wetaugust]

When you start playing the man and not the ball you have lost your argument.

As the mother of a DS with Aspergers I find your last post quite offensive Soul2000.

[soul2000]

Sorry wet.. I suffer from Dyspraxia so I am sorry for offending you.

I do think though he struggles to tell Fantasy from reality...