Teach Secondary Issue 14.3

John Lawson reflects on the life lessons he tries to leave school leavers with when scheduled classes come to an end... Having discussed the importance of a first-class first class to dazzle students in a previous issue of Teach Secondary , this time I’d like to address the last class you give to your school leavers. Here follows a brief synopsis of what mine heard… If it’s too good to be true, then it’s too good to be true . Learn to discern the discrepancies between snake oil and a bargain, and never be rushed into purchasing anything. Once you learn how to tame your ego, you won’t lose any more arguments over anything. I’ve been out-thought many times – but whenever that happens, I’ll shamelessly steal the arguments of those wiser thanme. Because that’s howwe learn. Cui bono is Latin for ‘Who benefits from this?’ I used to live near a 12-storey block of council flats housing families in significant rent arrears. And yet, £400k (in 1981 currency) was spent on an impressive car park for them, with nothing for paying tenants. Why? Sure enough, the answer involved a corrupt councillor, who eventually came to find himself accommodated inWormwood Scrubs. Follow the money. Prime drivers The famous ‘Greed is good’ speech delivered by the character Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street became one of actor Michael Douglas’ most iconic moments – but the substance of that speech stinks! Our world can never hope to survive and thrive when simple greed and naked power are the prime drivers of anything. I far more admire those who instead hunger for justice, compassion and kindness, while explicitly rejecting the ‘me-first’ creed of greed. Knowwhat you believe and why you believe it. Asinine atheists declare that scholastic theology is based onmere fairy stories, and that science has long debunked God – yet such views debase not religion, but science. Want to hear God laugh? Tell Him your plans. That said, if your God delights in eternally punishing sinners – you included – then re-think your faith. Such gods are unworthy of our worship. ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Lawson is a former secondary teacher, now serving as a foundation governor while running a tutoring service, and author of the book The Successful (Less Stressful) Student (Outskirts Press, £11.95); find out more at prep4successnow.wordpress.com or follow @johninpompano This much I know THE LAST WORD A labour of love A failure to distinguish between happiness and pleasure can be costly. The sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll of youth will inexorably be replaced by a longing for something deeper inmature adults. Chemistry is essential in all relations, but marriages built mainly on sexual attraction rarely generate lasting happiness. Notice how, in the word ‘wedding’, the ‘we’ comes before the ‘I’. Are you ready for what that commitment really entails? If your attitude sucks, then so will you. One’s attitude can be like a flat tire – in that it’ll get you nowhere until you fix it. Find something you’re passionate about, and you’ll never work another day in your life; your labours will become a labour of love. All being well, we can expect to spend around 50 years of our lives working, and it’s a lifetime that can be enriching or demoralising. Find ways of making your particular gifts and talents – yes, we all have them– shape the work that you do. The way that works for you is the best way to do anything. University isn’t necessarily the best formative option for everybody. We should all aim to be the best version of ourselves. The ‘good’ practice until they get it right; the greats practice until it’s harder to get it wrong. The 1%-ers will do what 99% of people can’t or won’t do. Success isn’t reserved for other people. Signing off The truth is still the truth, even if nobody believes it. A lie will always be a lie, even if everybody believes it. When I watch a play, I’ll sit in a central position so that I can see the entire story unfold. I adopt the same approach to politics. Right- and left-wing radicals wouldn’t exist if truth and facts remained our two primary concerns. Seek truth and facts from the ground up, and occasionally from the top down. And finally, nobody has the right to be right about anyone – including me. After spending all year teaching ‘the best of what’s been thought and said’, I can’t resist the urge to share the best of what passes throughmy soul. What do you do by way of a sign-off? 82 teachwire.net/secondary