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TheRevolutionThatTurnedEducation

Sentimental

Atsomepointinthemid-1960sthepictureoftheclassroominthenational

,itconsistedofranksoftraditional,slope-surfaced

woodendesksatwhichsatuniformedchildren,theirheadsbowed,beforean

,thereweretablesorganizedinto

groups,nouniformsandanice,friendlyteacherwhoprobablylikedthesamepop

musicashispupils.

Thisisacartoonview,neducational

revolutionthatwaswell-meant,benignlyinspiredbyconcernforourchildrenand

apparently,alwasto

irleyWilliams’

abolitionofmostgrammarschoolsandtheintroductionofcomprehensives,the

planwasinplace.

Itwas,asweandthePrinceofWalesnowknow,anunmitigateddisaster.

Understandingwhywediditandwhyitfailsisagloomybutnecessarybusiness.

teachers

shouldhelpchildrentogrowup;ofcourcomprehensivesshouldbreakdown

classdivisions;ofcourgrimauthorityshouldgivewaytohappyenthusiasm.

Theweresimpleideals,buttheywerecreatedbyathoughtprocessanditisthis

thatnowhastobedismantled.

’steachersarenotthe

,morethan50%ofthem,

accordingtooneestimate,voteConrvative.

Thisrealrootoftheproblemisinadequatelyunderstoodandmisappliedtheory.

Take,forexample,thespecificissueraidbytheprince-whyShakespearewas

ediatereasonisthat

educationistsandteachershavecolludedonaviewthatcontemporaryand

multiculturalworkismorerelevantandthatShakespeare,indeedallpre-1990

literature,islefttobeinaccessibletolessablepupils.

Atonelevelthisisaresultofthe“child-centered”philosophydefinedbythe

owden’scommitteeledusallinto

unstructuredclassroomsandtheaccompanyingglorificationofchildishignorance.

Iteffectivelywrotethescriptfortheliberaleducationestablishmentthathas

dominatedourschoolversince.

KeepingthePlowdenfaithalivenowisthewildlymisguidedfigureofFrank

Smith,preacherofthe“realbooks”theliberaltheory

initsmostdecadentpha:childrenareexpectedtoreadalmostsolelybybeingin

ith

andhisfollowerscannoteisthatreadingisanartificialactivity,anarbitrary

codedemandedbyourculture.

Emergingfromill-digestedFreud,which,inturn,wasmodifiedNietzsche,anda

corruptedversionofRousau,thebeliefsofthepeopleaspiredtoturn

le

educationalemphasisswungfromtransmittingaculturetonurturingindividual

uragedntimentality,theprimaryemotionalevilofourday,

armingly,itofferedteachersthechanceto

besocialengineers.

Inpracticalterms,t

necessary,indeeditisimpossible,foraprimaryschoolchildtounderstandthe

softheoristsovertheworldwould

ld-centerednessdemands

understandingratherthanlearning,sotablesarenottaughtproperlyandchildren

areveredfromaculturewhichdependsforitscoherenceonthesimple,

authoritativecertaintythatventimeightis56.

Literatureinschoolswasspecificallycompromidbyothercadofremote

ate1960sand

theearly1970s,structuralismsweptthroughBritishuniversitiestobefollowed

laterbypost-structuralism,awholegenerationofFrenchthinkersappearedto

havediscoveredthatliteraturewasdead.

Allthatwasleftwas“thetext”.Greatauthorsandtheirintentionswereexpod

gwasunconsciouslyembodiedinthetext,andtext.

Hamlet,fromthisperspective,hasnogreaterintrinsicworththanthelistof

ingredientsonacanofbeans.

BarthesandDerridawerebrilliantandRousauandFreud,thecultural

grandfathersofthe1960srevolution,rageteacherhas

probablyneverreadanyofthem,butwithoutknowing,hehasabsorbedand

intellectualtraditionthathaddistortedtheirthoughtintocheapntimentality.

Handingsuchtraditiontoalow-gradeeducationalestablishmentislikegivinga

Kalashnikovtoafour-year-old.

Thereisonefinallayerofintellectualcorruptionthatneedstobeexpod-cultural

themostdeeplyhiddenofallbecauitisthemostpervasive.

Inesnce,itisthedeadeningconvictionthatallculturesareequalandthat,

therefore,venbeglimpdinthecurrent

moronicNationwideBuildingSocietytelevisionadvertimentinwhichdancing

nativescarryingspearsareunquestioninglycharacterizedasspringingfroman

“older,wir”ng

canbetaught.

Whydowefeeltheneedtobelievethis?Whyhavewelostthepowertocelebrate

whatweare?

Yetculturalrelativismistheinstinctivebeliefofourentireeducational

establishmentand,conquently,ainsallthesuppodly

“relevant”materialthatmakesitswaysintoclassroomsaswillastheabject

“multiculturalism”thatdestroysourabilitytoasrtthatHamletisbetterthan

eitherabakedbeancanorthelatestrapstar.

PrinceCharlesbegantoethepointwhenhereadofaspeechdeliveredby

GeorgeWalden,theToryMP,istheJonathanSwiftofour

agehurlingdangerouslyliterateabuatthetatandtrashofourculture.

Thespeech,ostensiblyonthesubjectofdiplomacy,veeredintoawithering

evocationofaculturallydepravednation-whoeconomicrecoveryisasrecentas

itislikelytochange,whoeducationalandculturallevelsremainlamentably

low,andwhomainconurbations-whichalreadyincludesomeofthemost

de

spokeof“atrashedsociety,trashybroadcasting,trashynewspapers,trashyvalues,

anationalpasttrashedbyatrashyeducationsystem”.Wewere“thethickmanof

Europe”.

en,

whoisveryclever,metCharles,whoisnot,andhelpedtosteerhiminthe

directionofeducationastherootofthemalai.

Aswitharchitecture,emed

,as

witharchitecture,throwingtheprinceintothismorasswastoplayahighlyrisky

wildcard.

Thekeytowhattheprince,andthereforeWalden,issayingisbewilderment.

After12yearsofradicalToryruleandinaclimateofpopularconvictionthatthe

stateeducationsystemhasbeenadisastrousfailure,whyareourschoolsstillso

bad?Andwhydotheystillemsovulnerabletothekindsofideasthathave

provedsodisastrousforsolong?

ThepoliticalproblemwasthatschoolsnevermadeMargaretThatcherangryin

tthatpeopleoughtto

lookafterthemlvesandbadschoolsbecame,inthiscontext,akindofbracing,

lf-improvinghazardoflife.

Itwasaterrible,hefailedestablishmentsofpost-war

Britain,

herministers,withtheirchildrenatprivateschools,neverdidenoughtoforceher

tore-examineherprejudices.

Sothebewildermentoftheprinceisinspiredbothbyapoliticalfailureandby

emustbethathisintervention

willfocusthepopularconvictionthatsomethingisbadlywrongandforcethe

issueoutofthewildernesstowhichThatcherconsignedit.

Unfortunatelytakingontheliberaleducationalestablishmentisliketryingto

usstheissuewiththemistorunintoa

llfocuson“resources”,onthe

specialistexpertiofteachersorontheavailabilityofShakespeareonvideo.

Whattheywillnotdoistoacceptthebadandviolentfailureoftheeducation

,of

cour,becautheythemlvesaresubstantiallyignorantofthatculture.

romWalden,isthiscountrythe

historian,CorrelliBarnett,hasdamnedtheeducationsystemforproducing“a

gregated,subliterate,unskilled,unhealthyandinstitutionalizedproletariat

hangingonthenippleofstatematernalism”.AndinAmerica,AllanBloomwith

hisbook,TheClosingoftheAmericanMind,hasindictedliberaleducationistsfor

thealmosttotaldestructionofthenation’sculture.

Butthetruthisthat,bothintheUnitedStatesandBritain,thereprophetsare

ult,bothcountrieshave

resignedthemlves,tolivingwithaswelling,disaffected,subliterateunderclass.

TeachingShakespeareortableshasnothingtodowithsuchvastsocialproblems,

roristhattheystillbelieveit.