Walk a Mile in My Shoes

An idiom that perfectly captures the importance of empathy is ‘before you judge a man, you must walk a mile in his shoes’. It is of course an extremely well-used phrase that is regularly seen on artistic posters that adorn offices or bedrooms and in the present-day context of a significant rise in the number of people experiencing mental health issues it has taken on increased relevance.

We are all now far better at recognising the need to understand someone else's situation and to avoid jumping to swift, inaccurate judgements about them. As a society we are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of showing due regard for another person’s thoughts and feelings and I am optimistic that this caring trend will continue be prominent in our every day lives.

In primary schools, teachers have always worked to develop empathy within children through accepted practices and protocols that exist within their educational settings. Teachers have historically challenged pupils when they have witnessed uncaring behaviour, striving to develop awareness in children who traditionally have a tendency to put their own feelings first. It is all part of growing up and becoming socially aware. Don’t we use ‘stop being a child’ as a comment of derision when someone is acting simply from their own point of view. That is why PSHE lessons and RE lessons are regularly employed to encourage compassion and care, as we unfortunately encounter children who can only think about themselves and have a total disregard for another child’s feelings.

While I believe that this aspect of education is being suitably addressed there is however a slightly different angle that I feel we should be aware of as teachers and leaders. A derivative of the idiom I have been referencing is ‘before you start to judge me step into my shoes and walk the life I am living. Then you will see how strong I really I am.’ My version is slightly different as it is focussed upon the daily experiences of a primary school pupil. It would say, before you start to judge me come and sit in my seat. Then you may see how bored I really am.’

The problem with much of the present-day curriculum offer and approaches to teaching in general is that they have all been created from an adult’s point of view. I genuinely believe that decisions have been taken by people who are totally remote from pupils and have a lack of awareness about what really works for children. What makes the situation more annoying is that the majority of good teachers know this. These teachers regularly question why they are being asked to deliver some curriculum plans that totally disengage pupils but unfortunately they feel help-less.  They are in a trap of having to do what the outside powers tell them to. The Ofsted framework has a stranglehold on teachers who are fearful of deviating from the particular themes that the inspection process promotes. As a result, we now have teachers who are less creative, imaginative and stimulating than previously and the ones who suffer most are of course the pupils.

The purpose of education is to educate pupils for the world that they are entering. In far too many cases the curriculum is designed for a past world, and we are preparing pupils for something that no longer exists. A world that has gone.  Perhaps the best example of this is the content of a grammar curriculum that inhibits writing. The content appears to be a knee jerk reaction to the perceived deterioration of language that we seem to be experiencing with the reliance on digital communication. We now have a more formal grammar curriculum than ever before.

I would strenuously defend the need to teach grammar, punctuation and spelling but the influence that it currently has on the English curriculum is not healthy. Pupils are being turned off writing because they feel restrained. The joy of writing is being repressed.

The diet of English teaching that pupils are receiving is not the culprit in boring pupils there are more examples and perhaps these can be explored in the future. The main point here is that we can’t take pupils engagement for granted it our job to excite them, and we must keep trying no matter how hard it gets. The rewards are great.

I am not sure if our pupils of today would readily employ the historical proverb to express a wish that others could walk in their shoes but I am certain they want teachers to fully appreciate the issues they face.  I am confident in my assumption that pupils are becoming less engaged with learning than they have in previous years. The evidence is staring us right in the face! Falling attendance rates, more behavioural issues, and at best a plateauing of standards if not an actual decline.

Teachers who are children at heart are the ones who understand this. They are the people who strenuously believe that delivering lessons that are in essence, actually boring, should be a criminal offence. They question lesson objectives that are designed to meet the requirements of assessment rather than pupil engagement. They know that lessons should be fun and interesting and most importantly they are up to the challenge of educating pupils whose attention span is being eroded by a constant stream of media snapshots that are becoming the norm.

It is these teachers who we should be listening to.