Jonathan Allday

Spoken in English. Their words, as they said them.

I wish more teachers would understand that you're a performer.

Maybe it's a bit more extreme if you're in a subject like physics or mathematics or something because the chances are that 90% of the people sitting in the classroom in front of you are going to have no interest in your subject whatsoever. I just want to get out that door as fast as they humanly can. But if you're interesting as a person, if you're quirky, if you talk to them, you know, about the Marvel movie, you know, if you just reference some aspects of what's going on in their lives, if you're interesting fundamentally as a person, then some of the subject will will sink in because of that. And we all think back to the teachers that influenced us the most when we were children. You don't remember the subject, you remember what they were as people. And I think that's all this educational theory and psychology of learning is all very well and good, but in the classroom and the chalk face really comes down to a personal connection between you and a student, and I think far too many teachers don't realize that. And I think the educational structure that we have makes it very difficult to be that because wrong one one wrong word, and the fence is taken, and then all of a sudden, it it it I wouldn't wish to be starting as a teacher in in this day. It's too hard, I think, to be a person because that gets you into trouble. I don't see how you can do it. I can't do it any other way than being me. Maybe an overemphasized, overdramatic version of me, but you're a performer, and that needs to be you just have the freedom to be that. Obviously, you can't for certain you just can't say certain things and neither should you be saying, but you're just so closeted in now that I don't think you're allowed to be a person.

Where I see glimmers of hope is in just in young people themselves. You know, I think the young people out there are fed up with us, and rightly so, and they're gonna stand up and rebel against.

And, also, although I think it's a very hard way to tackle this, I think there's a mental health crisis amongst the youngsters.

And I think there is some enlightened attempt to try and tackle that. I know schools where well-being is practiced. I know schools where meditation is practiced. In a completely and rightly, in a completely secular way. But anyone that takes on a meditative practice is gonna bump into wider things at some point. So maybe this is the groundswell of the mental health crisis will lead to more and more of this mindful awareness, which will lead to more and more opening up of possibilities. And maybe not the current generation, but the way they approach education for their children. Maybe that will be the answer. If you leave it up to us, I think it's too late. The world's gone past us.