Back on 18th March the Governemtn announced that for the duration of the Olympics Sunday trading hours would "relaxed" to cope with the extra demand created by the games. That day I sent the following email to my MP
I am very disappointed to hear this morning that the Government is intending to scrap the remaining restrictions on Sunday trading during an 8 week period over the summer.
I have to say I wholly echo the thoughts of your colleagues Nadine Dories who quoted on the BBC web site said without debate and vote of whole house.
"Is the coalition government secretly implementing an anti-Christian agenda?”
And equally another of your colleagues Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey warned that a temporary lifting for the Games was likely to lead to a permanent change and could stop staff enjoying the "once-in-a-lifetime" chance to enjoy the sporting spectacle.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17419351
Sunday is a sacred day for Christians certainly. But actually most major faiths have a day of rest. And that is there for a purpose for people to rest, to be with their families and friends. I know of far too many people who feel burned out by the long hours culture in this country. That is not saying that hard work isn’t important. But hard work needs to be balanced by hard play too.
This change is shameful.
I got the following reply:
Dear David,
Again I am afraid we disagree.
This is an excellent chance to maximise the opportunity that the Olympics presents us, and will give our retail sector a major boost.
I answered:
I could just about see that in London (where most Olympic events are going to be held) extra opening hours would be useful and retail would draw in extra tourist pounds. But In Swindon? In Bristol? In Cardiff?
It’s just a ploy to sneak this in permanently. How long before Easter Sunday and Christmas Day go the same way?
Regards
David
He replied:
Dear David,
Thank you for your e-mail of18th March about the decision to suspend Sunday Trading Laws during the Olympics and Paralympics.
As you are aware, the Chancellor confirmed this decision in last week’s Budget and clarified that this suspension of the normal Sunday trading laws will be in operation for 8 Sundays during the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. I appreciate your concern about the impact that this change will have on small, independent retailers and I know that this has been taken into consideration when making this decision, as the Government is determined to help small and medium sized businesses as much as possible. However, I believe it was deemed an important temporary measure to make sure that the UK benefits from the Olympics as much as possible.
I do understand your worry that this may be a way to sneak in permanent changes to the legislation but I would like to assure you that it is only temporary and the Chancellor and other Ministers have all confirmed that it will not remain in place after the Olympics. I know that the Government is very aware of concerns about the impact that this might have on family life, and I share these concerns so I am glad that the measure is only for 8 Sundays. I also understand your comments about changes to the law in places other than London and I appreciate where you are coming from. However, I think that firstly it would be very difficult to change the law solely for London, and secondly those that are in favour of these changes would feel discriminated against. In many ways it is more just to make these changes across the board as shops then have the discretion to make up their own mind about opening times.
On 11th August, the Daily Telegraph carried a report that the Governemtn were considering making the relaxtion in Sunday trading hours permanent. Quelle surprise! So my poor old MP got another email:
Dear Sir,
When the Government announced plans to extend Sunday opening hours during the Olympics I wrote to you to express my concern. You wrote back assuring me that “I do understand your worry that this may be a way to sneak in permanent changes to the legislation but I would like to assure you that it is only temporary and the Chancellor and other Ministers have all confirmed that it will not remain in place after the Olympics.”
Therefore you will understand why I was concerned to learn of the report in The Daily Telegraph on 11th August that the Government intends to carry on with the extended opening hours after the Olympics.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9469076/Longer-Sunday-opening-for-big-shops-sparks-new-Coalition-rift.html
It would seem that my suspicion of the Olympics being a stalking horse to sneak this measure in have proved to be true. I do not think for a moment you set out to deceive me in your reply in March. Obviously your masters have changed their minds.
As I said in my original email, my opposition to the change is not about being opposed to Sunday trading per se. (Churches lost that argument years ago and as an occasional Sunday shopper myself I’d be a hypocrite to say I didn’t value shops being open for a short time on Sunday.) My opposition is based on the pressure extended opening places on shop workers and their families. And I was heartened to hear this was the view of Sir Stuart Rose (Former Chairman of M&S) express the same view during an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning.
I won't go on publishing bits and pieces of the emails after that. basically his stance was he thought there might be some benefit in the hours being relaxed permanently. he heard what I said about the pressure on families. But equally he'd be contacted by people syaing they liked the extra hours as it fitted in with their lifestyle.
On 19th August the CEO of Sainsburys Justin King expressed reservations
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19311429
In fairness, when I shared this with him my MP said this:
Dear David,
Thank you for sending me the link, it is certainly interesting to hear a major retailer speaking out against relaxing the law permanently, not what I’d expect!
I think it interesting that Mr King seems to have some reservations as to the economic benefits of the last 7 weeks – that certainly seems to tally with what other retailers have been saying.
Also interesting in the article is the point about family life being affected by having one parent working at weekends. This is certainly something that will have to be balanced with the desire of some families (those who work Mon-Fri) to be able to shop all weekend.
Today as you may have heard, retail sales figures for August were down, apparently due to people not shopping during the Olympics. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19468578
Given that a major factor for extending Sunday trading hours during the Olympics was to cope with the supposed extra demand, I hope the Government will now accept that there is no demand for extra opening hours and therefore allow the Sunday trading hours to revert.
Incidentally, at a prayer meeting I attend with other Swindon ministers on Monday morning, one of my colleagues (Rev John Rowe from Lawn Community Church) shared an experience he’d had just last week. John had been in London sight-seeing with his family and they went to Harrods. Whilst John was browsing through one section, he was approached by one of the shop assistants. They got into conversation and John says the shop assistant started to say how concerned he was if Sunday trading was extended, as it would mean he would see even less of his family than he does now. (Apparently the man lived in Essex and faced a long commute to and from work each day.)
The Conservative Party always seems to pride itself on family values. But if the Government changes the opening hours of shops permanently, it is clear that a great deal of strain will be put on shop workers and their families.
By the way, I might not agree with my MP's politics but he is great at replying
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Friday, 31 August 2012
Red Letter Christians
This time last week I had put up my tent and was getting ready to get stuck into the Greenbelt festival at Cheltenham racecourse.
One of the keynote speakers this year was Tony Campolo. He is a 78 year old Professor of Sociology at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and is as an associate pastor in the Baptist church. I’d heard the name, and had seen references to things he said in the Christian press over the years. I knew he was an Evangelical Christian and assumed, (wrongly as it turned out), that as an American evangelical he would be verging on the fundamentalist. (If you want to find out more about him go to www.tonycampolo.org.)
During his talk he referred to himself (and another Greenbelt speaker Shane Clairborne) as “Red Letter Christians”. This was not a phrase I’d come across before, but during the course of his talk, (and subsequently reading one of his books), I came to understand what it means.
Apparently the phrase was first used by a radio journalist interviewing another American theologian Jim Wallis. The interviewer was trying to pigeonhole Wallis as a certain type of Christian – Evangelical, Liberal, and Charismatic? Having failed to do so, the journalist said to Wallis “So you’re one of those Red Letter Christians – you know – the ones who are really into the verses of the Bible that are in red letters.” Wallis agreed he was. (Quote taken from “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” Tony Campolo)
In some versions of the Bible, the words spoken by Jesus are printed in red. So Red Letter Christians seek to follow the teachings of Jesus and are committed to living out the things that Jesus taught. Sounds good to me!
You’d think all Christians would be Red Letter Christians, but the reality is that many aren’t, particularly in America. Why? As Tony Campolo points out in his book “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” what differentiates Red Letter Christians from other Christians, is the commitment by Red Letter Christians to social justice. And sadly many Christians do not have the same commitment.
I think it is important though to make sure that social justice doesn't become the be all and end all. And Campolo tends to agree as he says in his book that Red Letter Christians:
1. Hold to the same theological convicitions that define Evangelicals by beliving in the doctrines set down in the Apostles Creed which are central to what the Church has held over the centuries.
2. RLCs have a very high regard for scripture. They emphasise the "red letetrs" becuase they believe that the Bible can only be understood from the persepctve of Christ Jesus.
3. RLCs believe that Jesus can be alive and present in everyone and that salvation depends on him alone.
In fact Campolo would argue that these three have to be present and then following the red letters is a response.
I am pleased to call myself a Red Letter Christian.
For more information see http://www.redletterchristians.org/
One of the keynote speakers this year was Tony Campolo. He is a 78 year old Professor of Sociology at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and is as an associate pastor in the Baptist church. I’d heard the name, and had seen references to things he said in the Christian press over the years. I knew he was an Evangelical Christian and assumed, (wrongly as it turned out), that as an American evangelical he would be verging on the fundamentalist. (If you want to find out more about him go to www.tonycampolo.org.)
During his talk he referred to himself (and another Greenbelt speaker Shane Clairborne) as “Red Letter Christians”. This was not a phrase I’d come across before, but during the course of his talk, (and subsequently reading one of his books), I came to understand what it means.
Apparently the phrase was first used by a radio journalist interviewing another American theologian Jim Wallis. The interviewer was trying to pigeonhole Wallis as a certain type of Christian – Evangelical, Liberal, and Charismatic? Having failed to do so, the journalist said to Wallis “So you’re one of those Red Letter Christians – you know – the ones who are really into the verses of the Bible that are in red letters.” Wallis agreed he was. (Quote taken from “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” Tony Campolo)
In some versions of the Bible, the words spoken by Jesus are printed in red. So Red Letter Christians seek to follow the teachings of Jesus and are committed to living out the things that Jesus taught. Sounds good to me!
You’d think all Christians would be Red Letter Christians, but the reality is that many aren’t, particularly in America. Why? As Tony Campolo points out in his book “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” what differentiates Red Letter Christians from other Christians, is the commitment by Red Letter Christians to social justice. And sadly many Christians do not have the same commitment.
I think it is important though to make sure that social justice doesn't become the be all and end all. And Campolo tends to agree as he says in his book that Red Letter Christians:
1. Hold to the same theological convicitions that define Evangelicals by beliving in the doctrines set down in the Apostles Creed which are central to what the Church has held over the centuries.
2. RLCs have a very high regard for scripture. They emphasise the "red letetrs" becuase they believe that the Bible can only be understood from the persepctve of Christ Jesus.
3. RLCs believe that Jesus can be alive and present in everyone and that salvation depends on him alone.
In fact Campolo would argue that these three have to be present and then following the red letters is a response.
I am pleased to call myself a Red Letter Christian.
For more information see http://www.redletterchristians.org/
Monday, 27 August 2012
Faith, Hope but which Charity?
Back from Greenbelt 2012. Had a great time and heard some great talks from Shane Claiborne, Tony Campolo and Peter Owen - Jones. Trying to process what I've heard. The talks were of faith and through we all live in challenging times, contained a great deal of hope.
And that brings me to charity.
Whilst I'm trying to process what I've heard, I've come home feeling that I should be giving a bit more to charity. But which one / ones? Home? Abroad? So many to choose from and in so many sectors.
But I feel I would like to support something to do with housing (given my mortgage lending background) or environmental.
Have spent the evening looking at various options but have got no further. So blogger friends I'm asking you for some ideas. Have you got any experience of charities in these sectors? Christian or otherwise.
Let me know.
And that brings me to charity.
Whilst I'm trying to process what I've heard, I've come home feeling that I should be giving a bit more to charity. But which one / ones? Home? Abroad? So many to choose from and in so many sectors.
But I feel I would like to support something to do with housing (given my mortgage lending background) or environmental.
Have spent the evening looking at various options but have got no further. So blogger friends I'm asking you for some ideas. Have you got any experience of charities in these sectors? Christian or otherwise.
Let me know.
Saturday, 18 August 2012
The wisdom of Solomon
You may have seen on the news recently the story of Tony Nicklinson from Melksham. In 2005 Mr. Nicklinson suffered a severe stroke which has left him totally paralysed. But he still has all his mental faculties. He can communicate via a computer but otherwise can do nothing for himself. He has now gone to court asking for the court to allow someone else to end his life.
In a recent interview with BBC Wiltshire Mr. Nicklinson said:
I have locked-in syndrome and it makes my life a living nightmare. I cannot speak and I am also paralysed below the neck, which means I need someone to do everything for me. For example, 90% of itches have to be endured because by the time someone comes to scratch it and I have laboriously explained where it is, the itch has gone. Now I just put up with them.
We live in a wonderful age where people (in the developed world anyway) have access to wonderful medical care meaning people are living longer and doctors are able to treat diseases and illnesses that in the past would have meant people dying. But the other side of this is that people are being kept alive through what the medical profession called “heroic measures”. This means “ … a treatment or course of therapy which possesses a high risk of causing further damage to a patient's health, but is undertaken as a last resort with the understanding that any lesser treatment will surely result in failure.”
Interestingly, one of the doctors who treated Mr. Nicklinson for the stroke back in 2005 has said that he would have withheld treatment had he known the long term outcome.
In recent months I have found myself dealing with many people who have been faced with seeing a loved one slowly die, and the tacit question is whether it would be more humane for some kind of assisted suicide. The gut instinct is “Yes”. However, it is not as simple as that. There are many issues associated with this topic not least (from our perspective) what is the Christian stance. And that stance can be summarised as that human life is a God given gift and should not be taken away.
I have found a helpful article by published by the Massachusetts Council of Churches in the USA on the internet http://www.masscouncilofchurches.org/docs/doc_suicide.htm#statement.
The article (although 11 years old) tries to set out Christian thinking. Put simply it says that assisted suicide carried out by a doctor is not desirable but equally neither are “medical heroics”.
The above was the basis of my newsletter to my churches in July. On Friday 17th August the High Court ruled it would be illegal for someone to assist Tony Nicklinson to die. The thrust of the argument seems to be that someone would have to kill Tony Nicklinson and that is murder. The judgment said it was something for Parliament to decide.
Who would be a judge? Who would be a doctor? But who would be Tony Nicklinson?
In a recent interview with BBC Wiltshire Mr. Nicklinson said:
I have locked-in syndrome and it makes my life a living nightmare. I cannot speak and I am also paralysed below the neck, which means I need someone to do everything for me. For example, 90% of itches have to be endured because by the time someone comes to scratch it and I have laboriously explained where it is, the itch has gone. Now I just put up with them.
We live in a wonderful age where people (in the developed world anyway) have access to wonderful medical care meaning people are living longer and doctors are able to treat diseases and illnesses that in the past would have meant people dying. But the other side of this is that people are being kept alive through what the medical profession called “heroic measures”. This means “ … a treatment or course of therapy which possesses a high risk of causing further damage to a patient's health, but is undertaken as a last resort with the understanding that any lesser treatment will surely result in failure.”
Interestingly, one of the doctors who treated Mr. Nicklinson for the stroke back in 2005 has said that he would have withheld treatment had he known the long term outcome.
In recent months I have found myself dealing with many people who have been faced with seeing a loved one slowly die, and the tacit question is whether it would be more humane for some kind of assisted suicide. The gut instinct is “Yes”. However, it is not as simple as that. There are many issues associated with this topic not least (from our perspective) what is the Christian stance. And that stance can be summarised as that human life is a God given gift and should not be taken away.
I have found a helpful article by published by the Massachusetts Council of Churches in the USA on the internet http://www.masscouncilofchurches.org/docs/doc_suicide.htm#statement.
The article (although 11 years old) tries to set out Christian thinking. Put simply it says that assisted suicide carried out by a doctor is not desirable but equally neither are “medical heroics”.
The above was the basis of my newsletter to my churches in July. On Friday 17th August the High Court ruled it would be illegal for someone to assist Tony Nicklinson to die. The thrust of the argument seems to be that someone would have to kill Tony Nicklinson and that is murder. The judgment said it was something for Parliament to decide.
Who would be a judge? Who would be a doctor? But who would be Tony Nicklinson?
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Ark anyone?
Our summer holiday was interrupted by rain. The plan was to attend a music festival in in Dorset for 5 days and then travel to Pembrokeshire for 10 days. There was only one flaw – we intended to camp!
We managed to endure the music festival – despite liquid mud lapping round us – but decided a campsite perched near a cliff, one field away from the sea was going too far. So we cancelled and spent time at my parents’ home instead. (Thankfully by then we had some decent weather.)
The music festival - http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk - is fortunately not on the scale of Glastonbury; and whilst it had Glastonbury like mud, it also has posh facilities like showers. And it was whilst queuing for a shower one morning that I got talking to a man called Adam. Inevitably, we started talking about the weather and we both said we couldn’t help but wonder if the poor summer was down to climate change. We both felt that the summers over the last 10 years or so have been very wet and perhaps this was down to climate change.
Of course we cannot know for sure. But just because we cannot be sure, does not mean that as Christians we should not be concerned about the potential impact of climate change.
A Christian group that lobbies on the need to do something about climate change is Operation Noah. http://www.operationnoah.org/
In its declaration issued at the start of Lent 2012 Operation Noah said:
“Humans, made in God’s image, have unique responsibility for the wellbeing of creation (Genesis 1:26, 2:15). We are to care for the earth because it is gift, the product of God’s love. No sparrow falls without God knowing. Humanity has always had the capacity to destroy our environment, but today we have this to an unprecedented extent. Whereas previous generations did not know the damage they were causing, we do. We must use our power wisely to promote the flourishing of future generations and the diversity of life on earth. This is the responsibility of every Church and every believer.”
This statement sums up what Christian theology about creation is. That we are God’s custodians, his stewards, created by him to care for his planet.
The Methodist hymn writer Fred Pratt Green wrote these words:
Earth is the Lord's: it is ours to enjoy it,
Ours, as God's stewards, to farm and defend.
From its pollution, misuse, and destruction,
good Lord deliver us, world without end!
Whether or not you are a person of faith, and merely a person of science, all of us have a duty to care for our planet and be concerned about what seems to be happening to the climate. And it seems to me that even if the climate isn't changing, taking steps to ensure that people minimise our impact on our hom,e has to be a priority regardless.
We managed to endure the music festival – despite liquid mud lapping round us – but decided a campsite perched near a cliff, one field away from the sea was going too far. So we cancelled and spent time at my parents’ home instead. (Thankfully by then we had some decent weather.)
The music festival - http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk - is fortunately not on the scale of Glastonbury; and whilst it had Glastonbury like mud, it also has posh facilities like showers. And it was whilst queuing for a shower one morning that I got talking to a man called Adam. Inevitably, we started talking about the weather and we both said we couldn’t help but wonder if the poor summer was down to climate change. We both felt that the summers over the last 10 years or so have been very wet and perhaps this was down to climate change.
Of course we cannot know for sure. But just because we cannot be sure, does not mean that as Christians we should not be concerned about the potential impact of climate change.
A Christian group that lobbies on the need to do something about climate change is Operation Noah. http://www.operationnoah.org/
In its declaration issued at the start of Lent 2012 Operation Noah said:
“Humans, made in God’s image, have unique responsibility for the wellbeing of creation (Genesis 1:26, 2:15). We are to care for the earth because it is gift, the product of God’s love. No sparrow falls without God knowing. Humanity has always had the capacity to destroy our environment, but today we have this to an unprecedented extent. Whereas previous generations did not know the damage they were causing, we do. We must use our power wisely to promote the flourishing of future generations and the diversity of life on earth. This is the responsibility of every Church and every believer.”
This statement sums up what Christian theology about creation is. That we are God’s custodians, his stewards, created by him to care for his planet.
The Methodist hymn writer Fred Pratt Green wrote these words:
Earth is the Lord's: it is ours to enjoy it,
Ours, as God's stewards, to farm and defend.
From its pollution, misuse, and destruction,
good Lord deliver us, world without end!
Whether or not you are a person of faith, and merely a person of science, all of us have a duty to care for our planet and be concerned about what seems to be happening to the climate. And it seems to me that even if the climate isn't changing, taking steps to ensure that people minimise our impact on our hom,e has to be a priority regardless.
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Why bother qualifying to teach?
On 31st July I sent an email to Michael Gove the Education minister:
Dear Mr. Gove,
I have seen reports in several newspapers over the weekend stating that you are planning to allow academies to employ unqualified teachers. As a chair of governors at an academy I find this move concerning.
Over the last 20 or so years moves have been made by Conservative and Labour governments to raise the standards of the teaching profession. And rightly so. The consequence is that now the vast majority of teachers at the school I am involved with (and I suspect most other schools too) are professionals seeking to encourage young people to learn and develop the skills they need for an increasingly uncertain world.
Your latest initiative sends a clear message to qualified teachers “They are not good enough” and their qualification is worthless. Moreover, this idea of yours further knocks the confidence of an already demoralised profession.
Of course why stop at teaching? I have a degree in law (though did not take the professional exams needed to qualify as a lawyer) But why shouldn’t I now be able to appear in court? Is Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke proposing to do the same as you? No of course he isn’t because the professions need properly trained professionals. So why should teaching be treated differently?
Please drop this silly idea.
Today I've received a reply from one of his minnions:
Dear Rev'd Gray
Thank you for your email of 31 July addressed to the Secretary of State regarding your concerns about the employment of unqualified teachers in academies. I hope you are able to appreciate that the Secretary of State for Education receives a vast amount of correspondence and is unable to reply to each one personally. It is for this reason I have been asked to reply.
It was announced on 27 July that academies can employ teaching staff who they believe to be suitably qualified without the requirement for them to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The Government remains committed to the importance of QTS as a benchmark for teacher quality and the vast majority of teachers will continue to have QTS which remains the highly respected professional status for teachers. We know that we have the best generation of teachers ever, while the quality of people training to teach and meet the QTS standards is rising each year.
The new freedom recognises that academy headteachers are best placed to make appointment decisions, including on occasions where, in their judgement, a suitably qualified teacher without QTS is the best person to employ. It will enable academies to employ professionals, such as scientists, engineers, musicians, trainers or experienced teachers from other sectors, who are well qualified and excellent teachers but do not have QTS. The highest quality of teaching is paramount to the success of each school and we trust headteachers to employ staff they believe to be well qualified for the job. All schools will remain accountable for the quality of teaching and the publication of school performance data.
Once again, thank you for writing.
Yours sincerely
David Chapman
Public Communications Unit
www.education.gov.uk
The message is very clear, Gove doesn't value teachers as he thinks anyone can teach.
I have two degrees; one in law and one in theology. They indicate that, at the time I was awarded them anyway, I knew something about the respective subjects. But that doesn't mean to say that I was capable of teaching the subject. Teaching isn't just about passing on knowledge. It is about encouraging, enabling, mentoring and communicating. Skills that someone who posseses knowledge doesn't necessarily have.
Dear Mr. Gove,
I have seen reports in several newspapers over the weekend stating that you are planning to allow academies to employ unqualified teachers. As a chair of governors at an academy I find this move concerning.
Over the last 20 or so years moves have been made by Conservative and Labour governments to raise the standards of the teaching profession. And rightly so. The consequence is that now the vast majority of teachers at the school I am involved with (and I suspect most other schools too) are professionals seeking to encourage young people to learn and develop the skills they need for an increasingly uncertain world.
Your latest initiative sends a clear message to qualified teachers “They are not good enough” and their qualification is worthless. Moreover, this idea of yours further knocks the confidence of an already demoralised profession.
Of course why stop at teaching? I have a degree in law (though did not take the professional exams needed to qualify as a lawyer) But why shouldn’t I now be able to appear in court? Is Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke proposing to do the same as you? No of course he isn’t because the professions need properly trained professionals. So why should teaching be treated differently?
Please drop this silly idea.
Today I've received a reply from one of his minnions:
Dear Rev'd Gray
Thank you for your email of 31 July addressed to the Secretary of State regarding your concerns about the employment of unqualified teachers in academies. I hope you are able to appreciate that the Secretary of State for Education receives a vast amount of correspondence and is unable to reply to each one personally. It is for this reason I have been asked to reply.
It was announced on 27 July that academies can employ teaching staff who they believe to be suitably qualified without the requirement for them to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The Government remains committed to the importance of QTS as a benchmark for teacher quality and the vast majority of teachers will continue to have QTS which remains the highly respected professional status for teachers. We know that we have the best generation of teachers ever, while the quality of people training to teach and meet the QTS standards is rising each year.
The new freedom recognises that academy headteachers are best placed to make appointment decisions, including on occasions where, in their judgement, a suitably qualified teacher without QTS is the best person to employ. It will enable academies to employ professionals, such as scientists, engineers, musicians, trainers or experienced teachers from other sectors, who are well qualified and excellent teachers but do not have QTS. The highest quality of teaching is paramount to the success of each school and we trust headteachers to employ staff they believe to be well qualified for the job. All schools will remain accountable for the quality of teaching and the publication of school performance data.
Once again, thank you for writing.
Yours sincerely
David Chapman
Public Communications Unit
www.education.gov.uk
The message is very clear, Gove doesn't value teachers as he thinks anyone can teach.
I have two degrees; one in law and one in theology. They indicate that, at the time I was awarded them anyway, I knew something about the respective subjects. But that doesn't mean to say that I was capable of teaching the subject. Teaching isn't just about passing on knowledge. It is about encouraging, enabling, mentoring and communicating. Skills that someone who posseses knowledge doesn't necessarily have.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
The story of a wounded knee
The Bible’s Society is running the Diamond Geezer campaign. Jubilee was a special year when wrongs were forgiven and debts written off. So in this very special Jubilee year, Bible Society is asking Christians across the country: ‘who are you indebted to?’
It could be an old school teacher, a midwife who delivered a baby or someone who prayed steadfastly for you – just someone to whom you feel ‘indebted’ because of their kindness and help.
http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/what-we-do-in-england-and-wales/diamond-jubilee/
But equally we can feel “indebted” to someone because we have done them wrong and need their forgiveness to set free from a weight of guilt.
For over 30 years I carried round a sense of guilt for something I did to a friend at school. Or rather something I didn’t do.
My friend Shaun had a serious accident in the sports hall at school. He was running whilst playing basketball and crashed into a wall. It sounds funny but Shaun broke his knee and was in plaster for several months. It was just before the summer holidays and I promised him I’d visit.
And one day I set out to the next village where he lived. But on the way I met a girl I had a crush on and the hormones kicked in and instead of visiting Shaun I spent the afternoon chatting up the girl.
Back in school during the next term I felt really bad about not visiting my friend. And although he said he didn’t mind, boys will be boys after all, I was reminded of the incident every time we used the sports hall as there were skid marks from Shaun’s trainers on the gym floor!
This seemingly small incident niggled away in the back of my mind for some time until last year Shaun and I got back in touch on Facebook and I sent him an email apologising and he said he forgave me. It meant a lot.
Now as someone who has trained as a counsellor I know that many people feel weighed down by a sense of guilt for things they ought to do or should do. “I really ought to visit my elderly aunty” “I should go home and get dinner ready for the family rather than talking to my friend.” And these shoulds and oughts can become heavy chains for some people.
At the time of Jesus many people felt weighed down by the many hundreds of rules the Jewish faith imposed upon them. In fact this was commonly described as being “Yoked to the Torah”. The Torah being the Jewish law.
In Matthew 11: 28 – 29 Jesus says
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke[a] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.
What Jesus meant was belief in him isn’t an invitation to an easy life but a life of being set free from the artificial burdens people impose on one anther whether through religious rules or the “Oughts” and the “Shoulds”.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, all of us from time to time carry around the weight of guilt whether for the bad things we have done, the good things we have not done, the things we have said or the things we did not say.
We are sorry and ask, that by knowing you forgive us, the burden of guilt may be taken from us.
Amen.
It could be an old school teacher, a midwife who delivered a baby or someone who prayed steadfastly for you – just someone to whom you feel ‘indebted’ because of their kindness and help.
http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/what-we-do-in-england-and-wales/diamond-jubilee/
But equally we can feel “indebted” to someone because we have done them wrong and need their forgiveness to set free from a weight of guilt.
For over 30 years I carried round a sense of guilt for something I did to a friend at school. Or rather something I didn’t do.
My friend Shaun had a serious accident in the sports hall at school. He was running whilst playing basketball and crashed into a wall. It sounds funny but Shaun broke his knee and was in plaster for several months. It was just before the summer holidays and I promised him I’d visit.
And one day I set out to the next village where he lived. But on the way I met a girl I had a crush on and the hormones kicked in and instead of visiting Shaun I spent the afternoon chatting up the girl.
Back in school during the next term I felt really bad about not visiting my friend. And although he said he didn’t mind, boys will be boys after all, I was reminded of the incident every time we used the sports hall as there were skid marks from Shaun’s trainers on the gym floor!
This seemingly small incident niggled away in the back of my mind for some time until last year Shaun and I got back in touch on Facebook and I sent him an email apologising and he said he forgave me. It meant a lot.
Now as someone who has trained as a counsellor I know that many people feel weighed down by a sense of guilt for things they ought to do or should do. “I really ought to visit my elderly aunty” “I should go home and get dinner ready for the family rather than talking to my friend.” And these shoulds and oughts can become heavy chains for some people.
At the time of Jesus many people felt weighed down by the many hundreds of rules the Jewish faith imposed upon them. In fact this was commonly described as being “Yoked to the Torah”. The Torah being the Jewish law.
In Matthew 11: 28 – 29 Jesus says
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke[a] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.
What Jesus meant was belief in him isn’t an invitation to an easy life but a life of being set free from the artificial burdens people impose on one anther whether through religious rules or the “Oughts” and the “Shoulds”.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, all of us from time to time carry around the weight of guilt whether for the bad things we have done, the good things we have not done, the things we have said or the things we did not say.
We are sorry and ask, that by knowing you forgive us, the burden of guilt may be taken from us.
Amen.
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