Education: The Thinking Man’s World

Posted on Apr 4, 2019 by TanGental

Norah Colvin, one of the first three bloggers I followed when I started, asked me to write about my school days and offer up some thoughts on the state of education now. This is the link to Norah’s post of my thoughts. Please explore her blog. It’s a treasure trove of good sense and entertainment.

As a teaser for what you’ll find there, here’s what I wrote about where education works well.

Ah me! Maple Road Primary School uniform, circa 1965

What do you think schools (in general) do well?

When they do it well they inspire lifelong learning and in my experience that comes from the spark of an individual teacher capturing a child’s imagination. They give a child tools to learn, to teach, to educate him/herself – reading and writing and, no doubt today IT skills and after that to be inquiring, not to accept what they are told is the answer but to question – the ability to frame the right question is perhaps the greatest gift a teacher can give a pupil.

About TanGental

My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline. I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy. I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere. These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.
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32 Responses to Education: The Thinking Man’s World

  1. Rebecca Moon Ruark says:
    Apr 4, 2019 at 2:00 pm

    Love that: “be inquiring.” And then, I’d add, learn to compile, organize, and synthesize–your thoughts, research, etc., etc. That’s still my mantra!

    Liked by 3 people

  2. Darlene says:
    Apr 4, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    I so agree. I attended a small country school but I had some awesome teachers. One in particular made a huge difference. She certainly sparked my imagination and made me a life long learner.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. Ritu says:
    Apr 4, 2019 at 4:07 pm

    Aw! His Geoffleship’s knobbly knees!

    Liked by 3 people

  4. Violet Lentz says:
    Apr 4, 2019 at 4:45 pm

    Thanks for sharing this little window to your world!

    Liked by 3 people

  5. trifflepudling says:
    Apr 4, 2019 at 5:05 pm

    Are you old enough to remember “Singing Together” on the radio? We were asked fairly recently to contribute to an article in the old skool mag about what things we enjoyed the most at junior school. I managed to send in “Sinning Together” ! Blooming corrective thingy!
    I enjoyed your reminiscences and thoughts on education.

    Liked by 3 people

  6. Erika Kind says:
    Apr 4, 2019 at 8:30 pm

    Awh, how sweet! I used to admire kids in other countries for their uniforms when I was little…but when I grew older I was happy that I could wear my own style… hehe.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. Elizabeth says:
    Apr 4, 2019 at 9:07 pm

    I learned a lot from this interview she posted. I didn’t realize that England had succumbed to the same nonsense about filling kids with content rather than encouraging their thinking. It has been a disaster here.

    Liked by 3 people

  8. arlingwoman says:
    Apr 5, 2019 at 1:37 am

    I agree that the goal of education should be turning out people who know how to keep learning an enjoy it.

    Liked by 3 people

  9. Norah says:
    Apr 5, 2019 at 12:14 pm

    I’m pleased you shared your lovely interview and insightful responses with your readers, Geoff. There are so many gems that shouldn’t be left undiscovered. I don’t think I knew I was one of the first three. Now I feel extra honoured. Thanks for hanging out with me all these years. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. willowdot21 says:
    Apr 5, 2019 at 2:37 pm

    I do agree Geoff an inquiring mind is a bonus.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Charli Mills says:
    Apr 6, 2019 at 10:31 pm

    I continue to be grateful to the sparks given by those individual teachers.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. emilydragoo says:
    Apr 24, 2019 at 7:06 pm

    One of the main reasons I became a teacher! Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Zvonimir Duric says:
    May 18, 2019 at 11:50 am

    Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!

    Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.