Get This — Raising Hands in Class Leads to Victimization

The Washington Times reports that students in an East London school are no longer to raise their hands in order to ask or answer a question. “No Hands Up” signs have gone up in each classroom.

Here’s the principal’s explanation: The principal, Andrew Buck, said it is always the same children who wave their arms in the air, while the rest of the class sits back. When teachers try to involve less-adventurous pupils by choosing them instead, that leads to feelings of victimization. Mr. Buck believes that it can also cause panic in children who are picked but do not know the answer while others around them are straining to give it. To spare the embarrassment of those who do not know the answer, the school uses a “phone a friend” system, allowing one child to nominate another to take the question instead.

This nonsense of political correctness and emotional hand-wringing leads to the obvious question: What if the “nominated” child does not know the answer? Now, that would be real victimization.

Also from the article: Mick Brookes, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said it was the first time he had heard of such a policy. “The habit will be hard to break, but when you listen to what the head [teacher] says, there may be method in what at first appears to be madness.” Then again . . . maybe not.