Tonight as I cast my all seeing eye across the 'Twilight Session's' rabble it struck me that I am surrounded by a bunch of cripples.

Now I'll be the first to admit that I have a few anger management issues (as illustrated by that unfortunate incident with the tub of yogurt, the kitten and the Bunsen burner) but sometimes we have to get angry to show our disapproval of the status quo. Alas... I digress again. Stay focused! Breathe! Breathe!

Ahhhh.... So tonight's 'facilitator' (which I quietly suspect has her own issues) asks in her condescending tone...

'So BT, what do you feel is the place of interactive whiteboards in 21st Century schools?'

'Overpriced toys,' I exclaim, 'I believe they have NO place in schools what so ever!!!'

'Thank you for sharing your novel & interesting perspective with us' she says and proceeds to ask the same question of the next cripple.

'No...' I interject, 'I'm serious! The sooner this fad that raises the most mundane elements of curriculum to sacred cow status passes the better!'

Not wanting to hear me out she quietly ignores me with a roll of her eyes and a flick of her hair and proceeds to tell the whole group why IWBs are fantastic. NB Her finest point was that you can project your Powerpoint notes onto the screen and have the students copy them down while you do some marking.

So, my loyal fans, why did she ask my opinion in the first place if once she had it she then went on to ignore it? Is this the face of twenty first century learning? Only question if the vendor says it is Ok?

Next thing you know I'm getting in touch with my inner mongrel and I just have to be heard.

'I hear what you are saying Ms Facilitator (I feel so cheap for using here flaccid words) but if I asked you which one of these does not belong? Constructivism? Vygotski? or Interactive Whiteboards? Which one would you pick?'

She laughed knowingly and continued on her merry way. She had no idea what I was alluding to.

Cripples!!! I'm surrounded by CRIPPLES!

BT

PS Sincere thanks to that other, 'voice in the wilderness' Gary Stager for being such a good sport about me including his wonderful quote in this little opinion piece. Hip hip hurrah!

Yesterday I received an absolute tirade of an email accusing my fine self of, 'having a problem with authority'. What a load of bollocks!!! My problem lies with people who are in positions of 'authority' but are NOT actually 'authorities' in the field.

Let's take for instance the rugby player who at the end of his career goes on to become a Physical Education teacher. He then climbs the executive ladder by jumping through all the right hoops and kissing all the right butts so that by the age of thirty-seven he becomes the principal of a rather large private school. Yes the lad is in a position of 'authority' yet is not 'an authority' in anything other than the skills of rugby. Not curriculum. Not leadership. Not management. Not pedagogy. Not staff relationships.... and the list can go on & on.

So the next time you find yourself saying, 'Management just DON'T get it!' take a look at the path they took to their position of authority and you will soon understand why. It is not rocket science people!