This is the time
of year when school teachers inevitably turn their thoughts to the academic
year ahead. Awaiting them is the cycle of lesson planning, reports, assessment
work, school shows and meetings with parents. Obviously, much of this has to be
planned well in advance. Alongside this necessary planning cycle, there must be
some scope for a ‘personal enrichment cycle’: this is a modest but well-ordered
ambition to support our teaching with some solid reading material consisting of
both fiction and non-fiction texts. The literary classics can be complemented by
some modern fiction – and let us not forget the need to become increasingly
familiar with the history and philosophy of education and culture. This need
not be onerous undertaking – a quarter of an hour per day would be sufficient. Try
it and see what happens!
