Teaching

Yesterday 2 PhD students wanted to discuss secondary teaching as an option. Both of them reported that their supervisors had responded negatively tot heir idea. Both had a sense  – and I paraphrase here- that the academic felt they could ‘do better’.

Several things occurred to me. One was “How dare they?” Is this an example of the infuriating snobbery (class based I believe) that dissuades bright young people from entering the absolutely crucial teaching profession.

Or was it the tutor using the  ’challenging’ guidance technique to test the motivation of the client. Possible though in my judgement not likely.

But it got me thinking that I was in a position of judging a ‘guidance’ process through a headline. Thats what the genral public does all the time and gets cross when it disagrees with it – to our detriment.

The other issue would be value judgements in guidance. When and where is it appropriate to express them? Ever? Thats a big topic. I cannot say I never express value judgements in guidance ( such as the ones I expressed a couple of paras back), but its clearly a key ethical crux.

Need to think about this more, because I have always been pro the practice of ‘advice’ in career Guidance. Many of my colleagues disagree but I think the clue is in the job title. Notwithstanding the fact that the commonest mistake new advisers make is to ‘give advice’. In a careers interview, advice is the last thing you should do. Literally.