I really like to watch TV while I'm ironing. Of course I have to select programmes to watch carefully - too interesting, stimulating or annoying could easily lead to triangular burns on my best T-shirt - so I've had a scan of tonights offerings and there is Jamie, yet again with his latest attempt to save our children. Not happy with simply sticking to what he knows by highlighting, extremely effectively, the disgraceful diets of modern children it seems he is now casting his expert eye over the education of our young people too.
I have already watched 2 of the previous programmes in the series and so I am seriously doubtful that tonights instalment will make safe viewing whilst wielding a hot iron. What on earth is Jamie talking about? What is the overarching idea behind his 'Dream School'? Is he suggesting that the only way to engage young people is to employ celebrity smarty pants as teachers? Are we to imagine that the set-up he has devised (or some clever production company devised for him) could be rolled out across the entire country, nay the world, so that no child misses out? I think we would all agree that that is simply not possible.
OK... Dream School: American Dream: American Helpxers. This was the chain of thoughts whilst watching the programme last week. Recently we had some young people staying with us from the US and during one of our conversations we covered the topic of education and employment in both Europe (mainland) UK and the US. One of the comments that struck me was that 'If you have a job like bartender in the US you are considered to be a failure'. This social attitude I am certain is not confined to the US. In fact I think it is implied by Jamie in his latest outpouring and is heard echoing around the education policies of all the major political parties. More and more of our children are going to go on to higher education, we are promised and it seems that according to some hopeful politicians that every young person in the UK will soon be the proud recipients of a degree at least. Hooray!
But here's the thing. Not Hooray, not yay at all. First of all, without sounding like a great big snob I seriously doubt that all young people are capable of achieving that level of education and more to the point we, as a society, would be buggered if they did.
There is a notable difference in France and The Netherlands in the attitude people have to the various jobs that people do. Here in France being a barman or a waiter is not considered to be menial job - one you do if you can't find anything else - but an actual career. Graham and I witnessed with genuine delight the way in which the Dutch interact with each other, on an equal footing seemingly regardless of what a person did for a living. I'm not saying that neither the French nor the Dutch are ambitious, simply that there seems to be a greater recognition that a functioning society needs people with a very broad range of abilities.
What has happened in the UK and the US? I don't think I am misremembering the attitudes I encountered when I was a child, that is that people who did practical jobs commanded a great deal more respect. Having lived in cities for part of my life I can honestly say I was truly grateful that someone was prepared to keep the streets clean, maintain the sewage system, service the street lights and carry away the refuse. To put it simply, I think every overpaid footballer could leave the UK tomorrow and the country would not find itself in a state of emergency - not so if every sewage worker left. We would truly be up shit street.
Anyone who has read my blog before will have heard me quote my wonderfully wise Nana. One of her favourites was the 'ideas above his (her) station' comment. This comment could be wheeled out on any number of occasions and at the time used to strike my liberal heart as rather unfair, smacking as it does as an attack on social mobility. Now, however, I am beginning to wonder if we have not indeed, inadvertently, made social mobility seem like a right and not just a possibility. I think that approval of our peers is an essential part of our feeling of well-being and so would it not be far better for young people who are not academically able to be encourage to do the utterly essential jobs our society demands and to be highly respected for the important part they play in the smooth-running of all our lives.
These days TV seems to be full of dreams - a great example of this being 'The X Factor', 'The Apprentice' and all their bastard children - where the premise seems to be that if you focus, work hard and stay true to your dream then anyone can achieve anything at all. This idea of course is absolute nonsense. Let's just take the low level dream - the 'dream holiday' that seems to be the asperation of many a person. It wouldn't be much of a dream at all without the cleaners, chambermaids and general serving staff smoothing the way.
Jamie repeatedly assures both us the audience and the shell-shocked 'teachers' he has persuaded to stand before the second-chance pupils that they are 'bright' or even 'bright as buttons'. This is all very well but the question is are they actually being assessed correctly and guided towards jobs and careers they are actually able to do?
Can you imagine the stunned silence that would ensue should one of their teachers suggest that they might make very good cleaners, bartenders, bakers or chambermaids? Oh no! How awful! By today's standards - and following the example of our American cousins - they would have FAILED. But this is what I ask myself... How can it be that the very people whose labour we all depend on in order to live our day-to-day lives do not command our respect and wages that reflect the very real contribution that they make. It seems that the evolving attitudes of society have robbed our essential workers of dignity and therefore the possibility of contentment. This in turn is robbing society of young people who are happy to fill these jobs not least because to do so would indicate to them a failed life.
I really feel that Jamie (or the clever production company) has not considered the complex issues involved in effective education. Jamie did a great job with the dinners. Stick with the dinners, please. Stop with the ideas (above your station).
