Do any teachers on here support Michael Gove's education policies?

[SummerExhibition]

Just wondering. Everything related to curriculum changes, academies, free schools etc gets a bashing on here and just wondering if there's another side to the argument really.

I think he's brill and I was educated back end of the 1950s. I started teaching decades ago and standrads have fallen hugely.

^^ Look! We've found someone!!

You are not his mother are you Aliceinthelokingglass?

Er.. that would be biologically impossible given our respective ages.

But I could be his wife. Or mistress :)

Are you still a teacher, Alice?

Doubt you'd have much competition for that job, Alice .

I don't know a single teacher who doesn't want to shoot him in the face with their wall stapler.

Gove makes me want to punch something. Preferably his smug face.
Words cannot describe what I think about him and his ignorant, ideology driven policies on education. I really hate the man, though as a single parent and a teacher I think it's probably pretty mutual.
You know, he did 'pledge' to shadow a teacher. I think one of us teachers in deprived schools should take him up on it (I would personally but I know I wouldn't be able to meet him and not rant at him and then punch him). I was thinking... a wet and windy Friday afternoon (I teach primary) near the end of term, maybe with my TA out doing interventions. Then maybe I'll be called away for 5 minutes and the kids would be let loose on him. I'd let them know there will be no questions asked afterwards.

I think any Secretary of State for Education should be forced to spend 6 weeks actually - er - teaching in a state school. Doesn't even have to be a challenging inner city one, an average one anywhere will do.

Let them see what it is that teachers have to cope with every single day before they start spouting bollocks about how badly teachers are doing...

I went through the (Dutch) school system in the 70s and 80s. My DDs are in perfectly normal state schools. They are able girls. Both are doing stuff in Yr 4 and 6 that I didn't touch on until secondary, and I was considered able back then.

Gove does not have a clue.

This is really interesting. thanks so much all for responding. Didn't want you to think I'd posted and disappeared - I've just had a busy few days without MN time. I'm not a teacher, but know a few. I'm a parent obsessing spending far too much time thinking about state schools, because of my DCs and it struck me that I'd not really come across anything positive really. I have heard of one teacher who agrees with what Gove talks about, but she teachers at a highly selective grammar, so this perhaps impacts her view point. I always try and make sure I understand both sides of the argument but have basically really struggled to find anyone defending the other side of this one.

Alice can you be more specific about what you agree with and what makes you think that Gove's reforms can be successful and have an impact for children like mine? (Who happen to be bright, MC, inner city kids; but they could well be struggling, WC, rural kids...!).

I'm particularly confused by the fact that Gove seems to be making the NC more and more prescriptive while at the same time encouraging more and more schools to become academies/free schools and therefore not bound by the NC. Can anyone explain the rationale of this to me (from Gove's perspective??).

If only we could...

I heard him say on radio 4 that Science was a list of facts to be learned. For that alone...

Summer, it's impossible to guess Goves perspective. This is one of his main inadequacies. You're right though his policies are completely contradictory.

The man appears to be, at best, deluded and power crazed.

I find it hard to believe that he's really in power sometimes, it is so ludicrous.

He's just a bit dim, I'm afraid. He doesn't know anything about education; he certainly doesn't care about education. He's been given this particular portfolio & he's floundering.

About all he does know is that he doesn't much like teachers. Other than that, it's all sound bitey bollocks. Free Bible for every school anyone? With a foreword by one M. Gove? Exactly what we're needing. Thanks for that, Michael.

(Oh & btw, I went to a highly selective grammar. It was great, actually! For me. Obviously not so good for the 90% of applicants who didn't get a place & went to secondary moderns instead. But if my knowledge of secondary education was restricted to my grammar school experience - as it was, until I began teaching in a very successful comp 13 years ago - then I too might be hurrahing some of Gove's ideas. They aren't realistic in a wider context, though)

Is there no way teachers could stage a massive vote of 'no confidence' and try to oust him?

Maybe some massive fb or twitter campaign? I might actually join and work out what Twitter is for if that happened!

Unfortunately not-or they would have done it years ago! Even the unions don't get far.

There have been/are ugov petitions but exotic is right, they don't get far. He appears to be untouchable. It's not democratic at all really.

Perhaps MN should ask him if he's bright enough and brave enough to come on MN for a Q&A session?

Then we can poison his tea find out what biscuits he likes.

Isn't he trying to get academic rigour back into the curriculum? We have English as a first language yet apparently our spelling, grammar and basic Maths skills are very weak. Our children will face fierce, global competition for jobs. I agree his plans seem unclear.

Times are going to get very tough. Europe is terrible trouble.

Hamish, he occasionally says those things, yes. However, is actions make it clear that he cannot deliver them and has no idea how to even start effectively.

Saggar, I fear he is neither bright nor brave enough.

EBDTeacher There was a twitter thing - askGove. You could tweet questions to him, that were put to him at a conference / meeting thing.
It was a wonderful mix of 50% thoughtful and provocative questions, and 50% imaginative insults.
I watched the conference online, and despite the many excellent questions by people in the profession, only a handful of 'light' questions which he didn't really give a shit about answering. it was thoroughly depressing

I have great faith in and a lot of time for the views of Matthew Parris who wrote a good summary of Gove's aims in The Times a few months back. I can't link as you have to subscribe to Times to read it. However, the point was that the rot is so great that not even Gove will be able to resuce the state system in his time in office.

The NC in English at secondary level has deteriorated beyond belief over 30 years, and levels of literacy have stalled at primary level. many private schools now omit GCSE from the curriculum as they have lost true value.

I wish that teachers would not be so blinkered and take any changes as personal attacks on their competence, when often the eudcation system has gone to pot as the result of decades of political intervention- often for the worse.

Those of you who can see no good in Gove, could perhaps construct a logical argument over why and what you think ought to be done- instead of simply ranting and being obtuse over the plans-or lack of plans if you think that's the case.

Oh- and what I applaud him for is saying that spelling and punctuation will be given greater importance in the marking of exams- as they were 30-40 years back.

You only have to listen to what employers say about levels of maths and literacy often of graduates, to appreciate the slide in standards in education over 3 decades. Much of this has been due to the way that A levels are constructed- with lots of course work, multiple choice answers, no need for essays demanding thought- just reiteration of facts - jumping through hoops etc.

I seem to notice that most of the posts here are from teachers of younger children- if you were to ask employers, teachers in higher education etc what they think, I think you would find they want more rigorous education.

Incidentally, there was a MG webchat before the election. He didn't really say anything of any substance, though.

www.mumsnet.com/onlinechats/michael-gove

I think what we would all like instead is a separate thread Alice. We were all just answering the question.

I agree, Alice.

Alice, what I don't understand is how I got two A's at O'level in English yet DD's English is waaaay better than mine ever was and she is only in Y8. And she's not a genius or anything - if it has deteriorated that much, how is she (and her peers) doing so well?