Tradition ... is a swear word!

Many who know me, are very aware that I am included to issue the occasional, well maybe frequent profanity. Apparently I have a rich vocabulary - reality is, I am simply a bit sweary. Anyway - personal proclivity to profanities aside. I strongly believe that tradition is a swear word - an emotional and intellectual crutch; upon which many good ideas have floundered.

The mindless pursuit of tradition in education is the most likely to encourage my potty mouth mentality (insert rude word of choice here). Hearing that someone or somewhere has always done it that way, while they are complaining about the challenges teaching/recruiting/assessing students does make me wonder if they should remain in education.

We all have our favourite ideals - that we may occasionally hold onto for a little too long. We must also adapt, both our thinking and practice - this may not be a quick process. However it is an essential process. Reflecting on my own professional practice over 23+ years - it is clear that the model one used in 1999 is somewhat different from 2019 and I hope by 2029 that it will have changed again.