| Memories are good. History can teach us. | | | | Nostalgia is giving up. Standing still is going |
| Nostalgia is giving up. Standing still is going | | | | backwards. |
| backwards. | | | | Memories are good - we remember how it was, |
| In Part 1 I wrote that a few days ago I watched | | | | half the world map that hung in every classroom |
| a YouTube link that had been sent to me by a | | | | was red. We were proud. We stood for the |
| friend. It was a wonderfully thought-provoking | | | | national anthem and were proud. |
| short "presentation" called ShiftHappens. It took a | | | | History can teach us - it taught us then to be |
| while to put my thoughts in order. There were | | | | proud and that hard and tough won. It still teaches |
| lots of wonderful statistics - numbers to make | | | | that grit and determination wins. |
| your eyes water. | | | | Nostalgia is giving up - it is the reverse of the |
| We have all read about the so-called | | | | memory coin. It dreams to back there, not |
| dumbing-down of the populace and the | | | | working hard to stay ahead, or even to claw |
| improvement of exam results by reducing the | | | | back to the success level of yesterday. |
| educational standards as well as the introduction | | | | Standing still is going backwards. We have stood |
| of "easier" subjects. | | | | still for the best part of 100 years and we have |
| Lets just remind ourselves of some statistics | | | | slipped in real terms, financial terms, in standard of |
| about the UK in: | | | | living terms and in terms of self-esteem as a |
| 1900 | | | | people. |
| That time when the United Kingdom (Great Britain | | | | We are being fooled by statistics. Our youth has |
| as it was called) was | | | | been taught to have no pride. We are going |
| Richest in the world | | | | backwards. |
| Largest military | | | | But, where does change start? |
| Centre of world business and finance | | | | Change is a cultural issue. It has to start in two |
| Strongest educational system | | | | places at the same time. Home and school. When, |
| World centre of innovation and invention | | | | as a nation, we accept that education is a joint |
| Currency the world standard of value | | | | responsibility of parent and teacher, that success |
| Highest standard of living | | | | is to be proud of and must be rewarded, that the |
| So, 100 and a bit years later, where are we?: | | | | concept of competition is healthy and that there |
| Pretending that we have some of those same | | | | will be winners and, of necessity, losers, then we |
| parameters. But, we have stood still so long, we | | | | will start to change. When parents accept that the |
| have disappeared backwards. | | | | child's success as a scholar, as a citizen and as a |
| Somewhere we lost the plot. | | | | contributor to society is not solely the |
| Richest in the world - no - not by a long way. | | | | responsibility of the teacher, but that parents are |
| Largest military - no - but we like to think | | | | responsibility for the acts of, the education of and |
| ourselves successful exporters of munitions and | | | | the social behaviour of their children, then change |
| armaments. | | | | will come. When we teach that success is not to |
| Centre of world business and finance - fighting | | | | be despised and something to be jealous |
| third maybe. | | | | desirable, but to be emulated and copied. |
| Strongest educational system - no - education is | | | | The teachers lost the plot. Its not about teaching |
| not seen as desirable as it is not valued. We have | | | | by rote the what and how and looking for the |
| taught our children that brightness and winning is | | | | easy way. Its about teaching how to think from |
| bad. Mediocrity is desirable. Even in the darkest | | | | first principles and work out the answer. Only that |
| days of the Soviet Union, education and success | | | | way can anyone learn the technologies and how |
| were honoured and rewarded in an otherwise | | | | to adapt when they haven't even been invented |
| egalitarian society. Even our teachers don't want | | | | yet. We have to train the trainers. Technology is |
| to compete, how can they teach the children to | | | | not a dirty word, science is not for geeks. |
| do it. 98% of kids in school want to do well. 38% | | | | Without it we are doomed to slide ever faster |
| like going to school. Kids live in a competitive | | | | and deeper into national poverty. Reward the |
| electronic world. No technophobes there. Teachers | | | | winners. Reward the teachers who promote |
| live in a technophobe world trying their best not | | | | success, for they too will be successful. Reward |
| to be measured and competitive. Dichotomy here. | | | | the teachers of forward looking advance. The |
| World centre of innovation and invention - still | | | | curriculum must move, but we cannot teach |
| some good ideas, but please take it abroad to | | | | technology that has not been invented. No. We |
| develop, manufacture and be successful. Success | | | | have to teach thinking. The ability to analyse, |
| in any field breeds jealousy. Tabloids, that unique | | | | define the problem and think how to work to a |
| invention thrive on it. If it's a gain, it must be | | | | solution. The answer to the question cannot come |
| ill-gotten. | | | | pre-chewed on "page 38". The answer has to be |
| Currency the world standard of value - probably | | | | deduced following analysis of the question. |
| closest to still being true, but 20 more years will | | | | Answers are right or they are wrong. Just like in |
| see Rouble, Yuan and Rupee joining the merry | | | | real life. Black is black, white is white. They are |
| throng of Dollar, Euro, Yen, .... But must keep the | | | | not just the opposing extreme shades of grey. |
| pound, nostalgia dictates. That and the Big 4 | | | | So, its true. Memories are good and history can |
| banks conversion billions that help to keep the | | | | teach us. However, just admitting that nostalgia is |
| treasury afloat. | | | | warm and fuzzy, but does not bring us forward |
| Highest standard of living - flippantly, a joke. Live | | | | and that standing still is going backwards is not |
| and work internationally as I do and you quickly | | | | enough. We must work to bring the change that |
| see a country that cannot maintain its transport | | | | turns a back-sliding loss into a forward-charging |
| infrastructure, where its health service compares | | | | win, accepting that it is more important to teach |
| unfavourably with most Second World countries' | | | | how to find cause, analyse and solve and work |
| and where by any measure the old, the weak | | | | out how to find answers and use technology |
| and the deserving are treated as pariahs, while | | | | rather than wait to be spoon-fed the answers, |
| being told how important they are. | | | | because then we stand-still - go backwards. |
| It took 100 years to get here, but the climb back | | | | Write me, join me in the fight against mediocrity. |
| would be hard enough even if we had no | | | | Put the lie to the politicians who would have |
| competition. | | | | people believe their statistics on mediocrity. |
| Memories are good. History can teach us. | | | | |