Thursday 10 April 2014

The BIG Questions? Oh, you mean the REALLY BIG questions...?

What is everyone so worried about?  What’s the fuss?  It can’t be that awful, can it?

As a professional, surely we should be taking our creativity and expertise into overdrive, shouldn’t we?  Why should we be asking “why?”? Why aren't we demanding, hands-on-hips indignation, “why not?”?

I think this can be great, can’t it? In fact, could we go so far as to say that this could be our finest hour?
Only when we ask the big questions do we get anywhere, don’t you think?  That’s why we had the idea that the new curriculum should be loaded with questions, shouldn’t it?  These are only our first suggestions – we hope you like them – what do you think?

“How do you make the purple, and how does it sound?”

“How many Bristols are there around the world?”

“Where did that mountain come from?”

“Was Hadrian's building firm the first example of private enterprise?"

“What do those musical notes actually mean?”

Don’t you think that sometimes we get far too obsessed with answers?  When did the questions become less important?  The joy, the craft, the sheer art of discover surely never started with someone saying “I know that already thanks” did it?  Did we get as far as we have by people like Mozart / Moliere / Michael Angelo / Madge from Neighbours saying “It’s alright lads, we’ve got this one covered”? 

Did the code breakers at Bletchley, or the people who deciphered the Rosetta Stone, or the people who attempt to listen to Shane McGowan, all start with an answer?

Don’t you think this could be great?  Shouldn't we be using this as an opportunity to design and build something really exciting?  For once, couldn't we do it as a united profession that shows everyone how creative and passionate we are?  Did I leave the iron on?

Could we not take this new curriculum, with all its little idiosyncrasies, and transform it into something truly amazing that children up and down the land will be desperate to discover?  (Maybe the kid who put question marks after everything in Thunders and Lightning had a point after all?)

It could be amazing, couldn't it? Why not?


That is all….?