Should parents leave all the teaching to the teachers? Discuss | thearticle

Katharine Birbalsingh has been ruffling feathers again — this time by telling parents that they should not leave all their children’s teaching to the teachers. “Don’t assume they are being

taught well at school,” tweeted the founder and headmistress of Michaela, the free school in Wembley, whose name is now invariably accompanied by the sobriquet “Britain’s strictest head”. Ms

Birbalsingh, a contributor to _TheArticle, _goes on: “You might get lucky. Great! But don’t assume it. Teach them after school. Daily. Always.” And the punchline: “Other parents do. They

just aren’t telling you.” As usual, Ms Birbalsingh (whose Twitter handle is @Miss_Snuffy) appeals directly to families, regardless of what the teaching profession might think of her. A

decade ago she was sacked as a teacher for airing her “knowledge-based” principles at the Tory party conference as a guest of Michael Gove. She had to fight hard to open Michaela. The

so-called Blob, the progressive education establishment, has tried to silence her ever since. But on teaching at home Ms Birbalsingh is, as usual, right. The only teachers who will be

annoyed are those who either have no confidence in poorer families to educate their children or who pretend to a monopoly of wisdom. Some people will remember an inspirational teacher at

school who set them on their path in life. Many, however, will not. Parents may want to believe that  all teachers are excellent, but the truth is that most are, by definition, average.

Plenty are mediocre — and headteachers worth their salt know it. As usual, Ms Birbalsingh is saying out loud what others keep to themselves. Parents who want their children to fulfill their

potential may indeed keep quiet about how they set about encouraging their ambitions. Yet the pandemic has brought differences between schools into focus: some have kept their pupils

learning without interruption, others have largely left parents to their own devices. Having the additional responsibility of teaching thrust upon them has been a shock, but millions of

parents have risen to the challenge. Their children will have weathered the storm better than others. Drawing attention to disparities in outcome between children can make anyone in

authority very unpopular — which is why no politician would dream of uttering such home truths. Sure enough, this supposedly strictest of authoritarians (a cruel caricature of her firm but

fair methodology) has been chastised mercilessly online for this tweet and, in effect, told to get back in her box. For Ms Birbalsingh, though, a Twitterstorm is water off a duck’s back.

Last October she was appointed to chair the Government’s Social Mobility Commission and almost immediately subjected to protests when she casually mentioned Original Sin in a tweet. Some

accused her of indoctrination, merely for reminding people that children can sometimes behave badly. Far from having a pessimistic view of human nature, however, she is a great believer in

unlocking the potential of every child. This is why she rejects woke ideologies, such as the notion of inherited “white privilege”, which perpetuate racial discrimination, only in reverse,

and create a toxic culture based on guilt and resentment. She is equally dismissive of the inevitability of privilege based on gender or class. Among the key weapons in her armoury are

knowledge (including self-knowledge), discipline (including self-discipline) and pride (in yourself, in your family, in your school, in your community and in your country). Such virtues

cannot only be instilled by schools: parents, too, must play their part. She isn’t urging parents to usurp the role of teachers, let alone doing children’s homework for them. Just a few

minutes of discussion in the evening, perhaps about whatever the child has learned that day, perhaps about current affairs, perhaps enjoying a family quiz or watching one on TV, is enough.

Americans use the phrase “teachable moments” for chance encounters with unfamiliar facts or moral choices. Stretching the children’s abilities, expanding their universe, unlocking the

pleasures of reading, building their confidence and giving them the courage to think for themselves: none of these things are at all unusual, yet so often they go by default. In many

schools, it is uncool to be a “boffin” and teachers often expect too little. If parents have high expectations of themselves, their children are unlikely to suffer from the tyranny of low

expectations elsewhere. There are few wholly authentic figures in British public life. Katharine Birbalsingh is one of them. Many parents are weary of “home schooling” in lockdown and don’t

want to hear her message. Many teachers, who work hard and feel unappreciated, may also reject her views. Yet she is not rapping the nation over the knuckles — she is inviting us to be our

best selves and to do the best for our families. Whether or not you agree with her, we should treasure her unique contribution to the national conversation.