ONLY AT the age of nine was Jack seen to be walking for the
first time. It was with the aid of the water in the school baths but his
achievement inspired the whole school and all his family.
John Blackall, secretary Knowsley NUT
It started when another pupil noticed his concentrated and
determined attempt to cross the width of the pool, on his own, and without the
attention of his peers. When half way across the awed witness shouted,
"Jack is walking!" A moment’s silence followed and then the whole
class began to chant in time, "Jack is walking, Jack is walking, Jack is
walking…."
When Jack reached the other side he raised his arms in
victory and screamed with great vigour, "Yeesssss!" The chant then
changed to "Jack! Jack! Jack!" The teachers were exhilarated and gave
the class ‘Free Time’.
While the children enjoyed themselves the staff stood
silently remembering what they had been privileged to witness, some wept with
joy. One teacher said he had never experienced a more fulfilling moment in his
entire teaching career.
Later the teacher in charge, after some thought, realised
this was an opportunity to be built on and went to see Jack’s teacher. He
suggested that Jack followed a week-long programme devised to develop the
potential they had all witnessed.
The teacher said no. The next year was Year 6 and Year 6 is
SATs year. There’s no way we can have any pupil out of class in SATs year.
Literacy and numeracy are too important.
The other teacher, astonished, made clear his feelings
about this decision, muttered his profanity under his breath, and walked away.
This is a true story, which can be authenticated. Sadly it
reflects the deterioration in education as increasingly the curriculum is
further narrowed and distorted at every level. The fact that common sense is
also now a casualty for many in the profession is a clear sign that things have
gone far enough.
Teachers must campaign to build a leadership, which will in
turn build its members’ confidence so that we can end the damage being done to
a generation of children.
