The Craft of the Classroom
I was sorry to hear of the death of Michael Marland, an inspirational headteacher and author of the seminal guide for teachers, “The Craft of the Classroom”. I well remember being given a copy of this book by my first Head as a tyro teacher at St Stephen’s High School in Port Glasgow. The Times describes his successful period as the Head at North Westminster Community College, “where his blend of bow-tied charm, erudition and irrepressible enthusiasm for language, for the arts and for ideas would entice famous figures to come and share their thoughts and performances with students and staff”
The “Craft of the Classroom” focused on effective classroom management, with practical advice on the ways in which a teacher can establish control as a necessary precursor to building relationships, becoming “more friendly, more subtle, and more yourself”. I am going to get hold of the latest edition and re read Marland’s words of encouragement and practical suggestions, which I first read way back in 1983; it’s always instructive to revisit your roots, and weed out bad habits……
I love his pithy use of English; to define the central aim of a school as,
“..sensitive, warm, efficient, human, realistic and thorough”
and the ideal mix for a teacher was a cocktail – “a spirit compounded of the salesman, the music-hall performer, the parent, the clown, the intellectual, the lover and the organiser”
Not an easy cocktail to distill for HGIOS3, perhaps, but Marland’s insight offers a refreshing vademecum for today’s teacher!
