Dear Mr Gove: Michael Rosen's letter from a curious parent

[JansenClone]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/201 ... creativity

[emilystrange]

exactly.

[Nikolas Vitus Lagartija]

At least in England he won't have to suffer the "Curriculum for Excellence" we have up here (as someone once said, "self-praise is no praise"), which isn't even half thought through yet the first cohort of guinea pigs are already facing their first exams next year. I note that Mr Gove went to a private school up here, and therefore is doubly removed from the curriculum he is now seeking to influence.

[emilystrange]

you've not seen the draft of the new primary curriculum for down here, have you...?

[DeWinter]

Employers are complaining they're receiving functional illiterates, and our universities are claiming students require top-up courses despite high grades. I fondly remember watching the A grade, A-level student on the telly confidently claiming you put food down your trachea. I hope she didn't go on to a career in medicine..
So somethings going wrong. Whether it's useless teachers not being booted, children being ungovernable little s**t who refuse to do anything they don't want, or parents regarding their children as darling angel who shouldn't be told they've failed I have no idea.
Going back to what I remember back there, I would have said the issue is children being little s**t, and whenever disciplined, in marches the parent full of righteous indignation. God knows how how you're meant to teach or learn in that environment I have no idea.

As for the "creativity" thing..I don't know anyone who had any talent that way that didn't nurture it outside school. Good luck nurturing artistic ability in a school art class where all the kids are throwing wet sponges at each other, or anything musical when listening to 30-odd kids arse raping "Frere Jaques" on the keyboard..