The furor created by the pulbication of The Little Red School Book, (by Soren Hansen and Jesper Jensen, and translated by -Berit Thornberry, (Stage 1, 1971), is, in fact, out of all proportion to its actual content. The decision to seize the book can only have been motivated by the current wave of puritanism that is sweeping the minds of the powers-that-be, particularly with respect to educational matters. The objections to the book can only be seen as, on the one hand, a response to its admirably frank and uninhibited discussions on Sex and Drugspresumably the sections upon which any anticipated prosecution must rest- and, on the other, as violent resentment against the idea that pupils could be viewed as rational human beings The Little Red School Book, (LRS), has very many strong points, notably its genuine potential for stimulating discussion about the social and political situation in our schools. In particular, the section on Sex and Drugs are models of the way in which these matters should be approached, although it could hardly be said that the book goes, in its treatment, beyond liberal specialists in this area.
There are however, in its approach, fundamental weaknesses which effectively preciude it having anything like the explosive impact that the authorities appear to fear. Similarly. those who are interested in the revolutionary restructuring of the school system will find neither serious insight nor thoroughly satisfactory propagandistic ideas in the RS.
The single most marked characteristic of the book-which defines its basic structure and orientation-is that it is written from the standpoint of the liberal teacher. In fact a considerable portion of the first part verges on special pleading for the dilemmas of the liberal teacher in an authoritarian school system. Consequently, the book tends to define the central problems of the school system in terms of the pressures on teachers which force them into illiberal and authoritarian roles and obstruct communication between them and their pupils. Much of the discussion of the inadequacies of teaching is directed towards re-establishing and improving the channels of communications between teachers and pupils.
What this approach to the problem totally overlooks are the the three problems of social structure that must be the starting point of any critique of the school system: 1. The fact that both the content and structure of education are determined by the classstructure of the society within which the schools operate. Thus, whilst there are piecemeal references to the "interests of big business" (p,203-4), the tone of the whole book locates problems as results of neglect, disinterest, apathy and, above all, poor communications and a lack of understanding. For example, the discussion on "Careers Advice" (p. 181-4) begins by referring to a scene from the film Kes. This particular scene exempliinstitutions. Yet the LRS version utterly misses the class basis of the episode, interpreting it as the Careers Officer's failure to understand. The analysis thence continues along the lines "if only more consideration was given, there are many opportunities.." Consider, for example, the following lengthy quote:
"Few schools provide a proper careers advice service some schools awe untormenon in the form of leaflets and booklets on this career and that one. But few of these leaflets seem to be written in good plain english, let alone tell you what you really need to know about the jobs Besides, you need advice on which general areas may suit you best and be worth investigating EUTENCE.
Some schools have a teacher who is responsible for careers advice, either full-time or part-time.
BUT OLICE% carocts advices don t nave either the time or the patience for the big long Incassons mos pupus necd to lug our wn. ould suit their interests and abilities bes The local council runs a youth employment service, with officers whose job is to help school leavers find a job. They sometimes don't have enough time for proper discussion either, so often all they can offer is a production-line oD in me local acow. a cerica 100 in 2 bank or the council offices, a future as a brush salesman or a carcer come places witn me new army". In some areas there just aren't enough jobs for all the school-leavers" (p. 183). 2 The fact that within the schools as a structure teachers and pupils exist as distinct groups with genuine, independent sets of conflicting interests. The tendency of the book is to dissolve this genuine structural conflict into a morass of pluralist and functionalist conflict patterns:
Disagreements and conflicts of interest don't only arise between teacners and DuDus nev also arise between different groups of pupils, and between groups of teachers. Both among pupils ana among teacners mere will aways be some people who are content with things the way they are and who theretore disagree with those who want tnings changed.
Disagreements are not bad in themselves.
Lney only become bad Il they re not sorted out.
If a disagreement gets sorted out, everybody learns trom it. (p.49). 3. The fact that any real move beyond bourgeois education must involve going beyond its defining structure-the teacher/ pupil dichotomy of roles and the atomization of pupils in the face of knowledge, the learning process and the "teacher". In this way, the LRS analyses the learning process according to behavioural models: thus one simply plugs out "authoritarianism" and plugs in "humanitarianism':
The best way of teaching is to use encouragement and rewards, not punishments Psychologists discovered this a long time ago. (P.62).
Perception of these basic problems is much more acute in the recently published Letter To A Teacher, translated by Nora Rossi and Tom Cole, (Penguin Educational Special, 1970), produced by a group of Italian schoolchildren. Here, problems of the class structure are in the forefront, the very core of the analysis. Similarly, the real basis for the conflict of interests between students and teachers is confew more suggestions on how you can escape from boring lessons: work out how you're going to spend your pocket-money; plan your spare Lime. ." (LRS, p.24-5)
The stance of LRS is "Understanding": Letter To A Teacher is based upon struggle. Compare the following passage for its tone:
On extreme provocation at our school we even use the rod. Now don t play squeamish. Forget all those pedagorical theories. If you need a whip I can give you one, but throw away that pen lying on top of your record book. That pen leaves its mark throughout the year. The mark of a whip disappears by the next day. (Letter,p.70).
Notably lacking in LRS is any serious discussion of the content of bourgeois education or of the goals that new forms of education should strive towards. It seems too appropriate to end with a further quote from Letter on precisely this question:
The right goal is to give oneself to others In this century, how can you show your love if not through politics, the unions, the schools?
We are the sovereign people. The time for begging is gone; we must make choices-against class distinctions, against hunger, illiteracy, racialism and colonial wars (Letter,p.79).
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