WRITING|CREATIVE WRITING|POLITICS
The Thoughts Corner
Are things really the way we think they are?
Perception has been a powerful tool in our evolution as human beings. As a way to use our senses to understand the world it is one of those innate traits we can’t really do without. Sometimes, though, perception can be counterproductive and lead us down paths that sit at odds with our beliefs.
Almost ten years ago I attended a one-day conference at which I joined a couple of headteachers in a discussion about what strategies we used to overcome barriers to the integration of students from non-British backgrounds when they relocated to the UK. The debate was chaired by an outstanding expert in parental engagement and her knowledge and experience made the session lively and interactive.
It was during one of the breaks, however, when with a cup of tea/coffee in hand, some of the delegates approached me to voice their opinions. Their real opinions, I mean. This was the moment when I thought of perception. Most of my fellow practitioners had similar doubts: how to counteract the negative impression that we had more children from overseas than there really were in the UK at the time?
By chance, I had recently come across an article by Peter Kellner in Prospect magazine entitled: “The…
