Friday 22 October 2010

Education Mourns Another Missed Spartacus Joke

It’s been a couple of weeks since the Katherine Burbalsingh episode and now that the dust has settled many of us are contemplating the deeper tragedy behind the headlines: another missed opportunity for a Spartacus joke.  You may not remember the exact wording of Katherine’s impassioned speech so I’ve included the passage overlooked by many educational commentators:
Mitchell:          But Miss, it isn’t Kane’s fault; he was born with anger management.
Kane:               Yes Miss, it’s not my fault.  I am anger management. 
The real tragedy is that neither Mitchell (who is supposed to be Kane’s friend) nor Miss Burbalsingh – who has a duty of care - offered the obvious response: No. I’m Anger Management.  Children like Kane are being systematically failed by an educational system that is becoming increasingly incapable of helping children to achieve a Spartacus joke.