In the past couple of months I have had the interesting experience of having a number of MoE people, some of them senior managers, tell me they follow this blog. I have also been asked (instructed) to ‘correct’ things I have put up here. My response has been digital (in the finger sense) and to suggest the appropriate thing to do is leave a comment if you don’t agree with a blog post I write.
This blog is MY opinion and MY ideas, not CORE’s (if you look a the url it is theirs but simply a hangover from when I was seconded to the National Facilitation Team of ICT PD in 2006), not Outram Schools ….. MINE.
I believe what I say. If anything I am quite circumspect in voicing opinions because of the url, and that my wife works for GSE, which is part of the MoE. To be too vociferous would not necessarily be fair on school, Jane or CORE.
There are plenty of others who agree with my sentiments on things like National Standards. Podgoranni and the crew from Invercargill maintain we should send the whole package back, ‘return to sender’. Conversely I know of high decile schools who are in competition with their neighboring schools who can’t wait to sock it to them in a league table to ramp up their marketing.
The different opinions are to be encouraged. We all believe what we believe. The MoE are watching and use blogs to find out what we think. Lets use the medium to let them know! Silence and inaction will be taken as passive agreement with the changes.
UPDATE – well written response from Paul. Kerry is telling us the emperor is naked.
Entries (RSS)
Greg
I am appalled if indeed you have been ‘instructed’ to change things.. keep up the thinking..
Cheers
Robin
Good on you!!!! Back off I say!
BTW. Thank you for the blogs about ULearn. I wasn’t able to get there this year and it was great to catch some of the flavour.
You go Greg. How dare they!
Greg, I salute you.
It is my opinion that it is only through healthy disagreement that true debate can rage. We are all in education but that does not mean that we have to put up and shut up. On the contrary. You, we, all of us should take our positions in the education system seriously and become instruments of change (for the better).
Thanks for posting your thoughts so openly. I am always happy to listen or read what others (in education) think and enjoy the conversation more when ideas differ. I will happily leave any comment if I feel the need.
Hi Paul. Some in the MoE agree with our stance on dissent from government policy etc and some don’t. It is the ‘don’ts’ I have an issue with. Blindly following what others say is not one of my traits – ask Jane …..lol.
yip i feel the same way with my blog, yes i try to be somewhat careful. like you its a bit scary being a principal prepared to publish online- we could have our names crossed off some list somewhere.BUT our blogs are not our schools, they are personal. no-one has suggested i tone down, maybe because i let fly occasionally (and they are a bit scared), but those who know me, know that i laugh as i type.
keep up the gd work
From a classroom teacher’s perspective I learn a lot from your blog about how it is in the real world and what the current issues are. Thank you for your honesty – keep it up!