It is with profound regret that I have reached the following conclusion: The middle ranks of the ASTI don’t seem to read Undaunted.

This time last  year I wrote about the joys certain 16 year olds would take from seeing teachers behaving like, errmmm, 16 year olds. But alas, they did it again yesterday.

In fact one delegate went as far as bringing in a megaphone into the conference hall to make sure the Minister heard him. Of course the minister heard him. His darling pupils would have heard him, and seen him, as well. 

Then a more charitable colleague posited the notion that teachers are just like us and sometimes need to show frustration when things go wrong. And the reactionary old fart in me inwardly sneered at the idea - but then a small lightbulb went off.

The Minister’s big idea is moving away from rote learning and having pupils  think for themselves.

So let’s say that Mr Megaphone will be invariably faced with a rake of paper trombones as he starts his first class after the holidays? Could we hope he might grasp the opportunity to begin a discussion on the nature of debate? Could he start his class thinking about why unions are there?

Or could he even drill down far enough to ask whether teachers, and other public figures, deserve to be able to hold views and air them in public?

Would the teacher want to do this? I hope he would have the confidence.

The first question would lead the class back to the beginnings of civilization. The second would introduce workers rights, while the last could open up a discussion on where a life lived in public ends and the right to a private life begins.

A pretty relevant debate for teachers there.

Now that would be  a learning experience.