Death and the lost Art of Education.

Our son's school is closed this coming Wednesday, apparently this is so that members of staff can attend the funeral of one of the staff members.

The decision to close the school exemplifies the school attitude to educating the pupils, in that the actual pursuit of 'education' is secondary to events, in this case the death of a colleague. Given that the deceased was the first to contact parents, usually in writing - never by phone at least by herself - when there was the slightest hint of a misdemeanor on behalf of the child, I find the whole reasoning behind the closure an excellent, if appalling, confirmation of how detached the management of the school is to why it exists and what they are employed to do. A letter to parents stated that there would be counselling available to those who required it. If the deceased was a great educationalist, enthusing pupils to think and...erm...learn, then they would have been appalled at this ludicrous decision.

The sudden and unexpected death of a colleague is a tragedy for all concerned. I am reminded of other human tragedies, such as the Burundi Genocide for example. Needless to say my cynicism surrounding this affair will not curry favour with those determined to baste the situation in faux shock and display the charade of grief, reminiscent of a hired Victorian mourner.