[learn_press_profile]
The Brexit Result just won’t hold. Any teacher can tell you that!
About Brexit and Teaching
As teachers we are encouraged to engage pupil voice in the work we do. We ask pupils to reflect and improve their work, to self and peer assess, and in pastoral situations we run questionnaires, and pupil councils to ensure that their voice is heard and we are representing their thoughts and ideas.
If we have a selection of activities to offer we can frequently take votes on what pupils would like to do. Often these votes can produce relatively equal outcomes which means that a significant number will not participate in their chosen activity.
In restorative practice the objective is for reconciliation through communication. Rather than take a vote I ask a group to choose an option where everyone is satisfied. It may not be the first choice of all involved, but everyone involved is content.
As I reflect on Brexit I do feel we have made a mistake. To me the vote seems to close to make a nation changing decision. We have the first past the post system in elections to avoid this scenario. The result we have is a criticism of proportional representation. As teachers we would not choose an activity that alienates almost 50% of a class. We would work it out further.
This is what needs to happen with Brexit. Whether it be a second referendum or further negotiations, a better solution needs to be found other than “leave”. We need to realign the 48% with the rest of the country and find a solution that may not be first choice but is accepted as a compromise.
This would take immense leadership, and unfortunately I am not sure where that is coming from.