Apparently, a local council in Britain has produced a document that, amongst other things, recommends that you “consider a discreet “break card” system allowing a pupil to request a quiet exit or short break when overwhelmed.”

Seriously? The kids in tough schools tend to be very street wise. If they see a system, they know how to work it pretty quickly. Even some of the best-intentioned plans fall down because of this fact. In one school I worked in, the school counsellor always offered distressed kids a cup of tea in her office. The predictable result was that every teacher in every lesson had at least one “distressed” kid who needed to see the counsellor, winking at the rest of the class as they left the room.

And where are the break card kids meant to go? Schools act in loco parentis, so kids cannot be left unattended. Would they have to go to a room staffed by a teacher? What if they get stressed there?

Finally, suppose a third of the class become “distressed” at the same time? How are you supposed to teach? Any self-respecting class would organise a rota system:

“OK, you, you and you can flash your break cards on Wednesday, and then next week it will be the turn of you, you and me.”

An enterprising kid might consider offering his or her break card break to the highest bidder.

The area in which this suggestion has been made apparently has a long history of visitations from UFOs. One cannot help but wonder if the atmosphere there is able to support intelligent life.

Peace makers: Shaping the Modern World: The Men and women in the Foreign Office in WWII

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

Peace makers: Shaping the Modern World: The Men and women in the Foreign Office in WWII

(Peter Ricketts,Aurum, £22)

The published review

Reading most books about WWII,you could be forgiven forthinking that everything achieved in that conflict was down to the actions of people in the top positions of authority, such as Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt – but as Ricketts makes clear in Peace Makers, nothing could have been accomplished without the skills, contacts and personal qualities of numerous diplomats and other officials.This is a highly detailed,yet compelling account ofthe minutiae and realpolitik that were keyto the Allies’ success. One potentially catastrophic rift between Churchill and Stalin, for instance, was only averted thanks to Churchill’s assistant sharing with Stalin a similarly bawdy sense of humour.We also learn that while it was Roosevelt and Churchill who wanted to establish a framework for international relations after peace had been achieved, it was a British and American diplomat who actually came up with the wording ofthe UN’s founding charter.An excellent glimpse behind the curtain.

My original review

Peace makers: Shaping the Modern World: The Men and women in the Foreign Office in WWII

(Rickets, Aurum, £22)

Reading most books about WWII, you would be forgiven for thinking that everything was achieved by the people in positions of authority, such as Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt. But Rickets makes clear that nothing could have been done without the skills, contacts and personal qualities of diplomats and others. This is a highly detailed, but very readable, account of the minutiae and realpolitik which were key to success. For instance, a potentially catastrophic risk between Churchill and Stalin was averted because the British assistant to Churchill shared with Stalin a bawdy sense of humour. We also learn about the wording of the founding charter of the United Nations. Roosevelt and Churchill wanted to establish a framework for international relations after peace had been achieved - but it was a British and American diplomat who came up with the opening wording. This is an excellent glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak.

If you would like to comment on this article, subscribe to my newsletter Write! via this article: Compare and contrast #13.

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

Nine Days in May: The General Strike of 1926

(Jonathan Schneer,OUP,£25)

The published review

The General Strike of 1926 arose from the grievances of coal miners, which led to the TUC calling out thousands of other workers in support. It was an abject failure, however, and this book explains why. The TUC didn’t want to so much defeat the government as replace it altogether in a general election – thus perhaps proving Wellington’s observation that the only thing worse than losing a battle is winning it. Moreover, the then Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, had spent considerable time planning for the possibility of widespread strikes. Nine Days in May is a highly detailed account of all this, and an object lesson in realpolitik that clearly highlights the disparities between the miners and the pit owners. My only criticism would be that it’s arguably too detailed, making it sometimes difficult to appreciate the bigger picture. Nevertheless, it’s a marvellous resource for economics and politics students.

My original review

Nine Days in May: The General Strike of 1926

(Schneer, OUP, £25)

The General Strike of 1926 arose from the grievances of coal miners which led to the TUC calling out thousands of other workers in support. It was an abject failure, and this book explains why. On the one hand, the TUC did not want to defeat the government, only to replace it in a general election, perhaps reflecting on Wellington’s observation that the only thing worse than losing a battle is winning it. And on the other hand, the Prime Minister, Baldwin, had spent a long time planning for the possibility of widespread strikes. A highly detailed account which forms a case study in realpolitik as well as highlighting the disparities between the miners and the pit owners. Perhaps one criticism is that it is arguably TOO detailed, making it difficult sometimes to appreciate the bigger picture. Nevertheless, this is a marvellous source for economics, economic history and politics students.

If you would like to comment on this article, subscribe to my newsletter Write! via this article: Compare and contrast #13.

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings: (When) Do Leaders Make a Difference?

(Diamond, Allen Lane, £25)

The published review

This book’s subtitle echoes a question often asked of leadership – ‘Do leaders make a difference?’A better question, argues Diamond is, “When do leaders make a difference?” In other words, what they do or don’t do really depends on not just the attributes ofthe person in question, but also factors such as general timing, availability of resources and the qualities of other contenders forthe role (if any). Diamond then proceeds to set out the ‘natural experiments’ approach as a counterto the more traditional ‘biographical’ approach.Where the latter examines only the person themselves, the former accounts forvarious external factors – not least, whether anyone else at the time could have taken the reins instead.While not a primer on good leadership per se,this is a very interesting,thoughtful and readable book, and potentially a source of some useful case studies.

My original review

Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings: (When) Do Leaders Make a Difference?

(Diamond, Allen Lane, £25)

A common question about leadership is: “Do leaders make a difference?” A better question, argues Diamond, is: “WHEN do leaders make a difference?” In other words, whether they do or do not really depends not only on the attributes of the person in question, but also circumstances such as timing, resources and the qualities of other contenders for the role, if any. The approach adopted is that of “natural experiments” rather than the more usual biographical one, in four spheres: business, politics, sports and religions. Whereas the biographical method examines only the person themselves, the experimental method takes into account such factors as whether there was anyone else at the time who could have taken the reins instead. It is, as far as is feasible, a more scientific approach. The book is very interesting and readable, and while not a primer on leadership, it does provide useful case studies.

If you would like to comment on this article, subscribe to my newsletter Write! via this article: Compare and contrast #13.

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

A History of the Novel in Britain

(Philip Hensher,Pelican,£25)

The published review

Reading this detailed chronicle, it’s quite a shock to be confronted with the obvious fact that the things we take for granted in a novel – multiple viewpoints, unreliable narrators, even people as individual characters – were once new. Indeed, the very form of the novel itself was once looked down upon because it wasn’t ‘classical literature’. As the form’s techniques evolved, so too did the scope of its subject matter, eventually giving rise to historical fiction and hitherto unseen depictions of working class life. As well as learning about the history of the novel itself, we also find out how changes in copyright law affected the literary landscape. At a time when reading for pleasure is in steep decline among the wider population, hopefully this book can play a part in reversing the trend.

My original review

(Hensher, Pelican, £25)

Hensher chronicles the development of the novel, and it is quite a shock to be confronted with the obvious fact that the things we take for granted in a novel -- multiple viewpoints, unreliable narrators, even people as individual characters -- were once new. Even the novel itself was once looked down upon because it was not classical literature. It was not only techniques which evolved. Subject matter, too, developed, and gave rise to, for example, historical fiction and the lives of the working class. As well as learning about the novel itself, we also discover how changes in copyright law affected the literary landscape. Hensher refuses to pull punches, such as describing one book as complete rubbish. At a time when reading for pleasure is declining among both the population as a whole and young people in particular, this book could be just the thing to help kick-start a reversal in the trend.

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