Aaron Cohen-Gold, is a first year student from the University of Leeds. Aaron volunteered at Recourse and Teacher Support Network last month and attended the ATL conference.
In the opening week of April 2012 I was fortunate enough to attend the ATL annual conference – a conference designed to offer debate and discussion for college tutors, lecturers and teachers in all areas of the education sector. As a university student living through massive educational and political change, I saw these few days as an opportunity to see how such developments are affecting the roles, obligations and stresses attached to life as a lecturer or teacher. As many Recourse and TSN surveys have demonstrated, the pivotal nature of teacher-student relations has the capacity to induce massive success and failure for lecturers, teachers and students alike, and the dedication with which so many members addressed the hall was inspiring for students like myself who felt supported and even represented on the national political stage.
The content of conference was broad and open minded, with motions varying from video games to lecturer and teacher induced stress and even, believe it or not, toilet training! The scope that was covered by such motions permitted all aspects of student, lecturer and teacher lives to be carefully considered and evaluated before reaching a final decision. The fact that so many professionals so often aggrieved by young adults of my age, cared so passionately about our future only reinforced for me the importance of organisations like Recourse and Teacher Support Network. If we are reliant on the strengths and services of staff for the wellbeing and success of the next generation, then we must continue to work tirelessly to ensure that everyone in and associated with the profession are adequately cared for and protected, for our own benefit if nothing else. For me, the changes that are developing in the education system today make this point more valid and important than at any other stage in recent history. The challenges that are increasingly faced by students, whether in relation to higher education tuition fees or primary eligibility for Free School Meals, is likely to increase the burden on staff who are already suffering from the public sector cutbacks as much, if not more, than many other professions. As a representative of the student body in this country, and as someone who has experienced a variety of schooling in no less than six different institutions across the country, I feel much more still needs to be done to stress the importance of mutual understanding and respect between the student and teacher populations. Our mutual reliance on one another is something that could and should bring us closer together – a feeling that resonated strongly at conference in April.
The fact that the Organisation for Economic Corporation and Development (the OECD) recommends class sizes of 21 for optimum learning illustrates the strides that we have yet to make. Our national class average currently stands at 26, and with increasing strains and pressures on the both the student and teacher populations, this is only likely to worsen over the coming years and months. If I learnt anything from conference, it was the value of listening to and understanding the other side of the debate. I know all too well the strains my fellow students are suffering, but we cannot hope to make the necessary changes alone – and neither, in my opinion, can the education community. We must try to reach out to one another, work together and hope that between the two of us we can lead the next generation to a prosperous, fair and just future for us both.
by Aaron Cohen-Gold
That’s the motto for this year’s National Stress Awareness Day held today, Wednesday 3 November.
