BBC Radio 4 Saturday 8th November

Good Morning
There is something wonderful and special about childlikeness. Those of us who are parents, never quite forget those magical moments of growth and development in our children, marvelling at their growing up; their innocence, honesty, trust and love. That’s why the interview on this programme yesterday about how more than 4000 children aged 5 and under were suspended from Nursery School in England last year, really got to me. All of us bear some responsibility. The children we are raising inevitably reflect the kind of society we live in. Some of the stories emerging from the statistics are profoundly shocking: children aged 4 and under being suspended for bullying, assault, consistent bad language and even sexual misdemeanors. And whilst everyone wants to have their say; few seem to have an obvious solution. I feel most of all for the teachers: Whilst legislation does allow them to take action, they can only do so if such action, and I quote , "constitutes a proportionate punishment in the circumstances of the case." Who is to judge this? Teachers' representatives can produce many examples of where such action has led not only to suspension but even to the complete loss of a teaching career. One of the most simple things Jesus did in his whole ministry, when trying to get his message across to cynical, doubting, miserable adults was to take a child out of the crowd and to make them recognise the wonderful qualities of childhood. "Look," he said, and I paraphrase, " remember the qualities of this child when you consider the great dilemmas of life and faith and never forget what childlikeness means. Quite a lot of my ministry is taken up with working with children at primary level. And whilst most of those children might never fall into the statistical mire of suspensions and expulsions – the thought that any child might miss out on the joy and loveliness of childlikeness is very regrettable. The first step towards a solution obviously begins with parents. Good parenting demands honesty and realism – a long term as well as a short term view, particularly if our children are not behaving well. Headteachers and teachers need more support. The primary classroom is ideally a place of love, respect and learning; of courtesy and childlikeness. It’s too easy to have a facile view of childhood and to ignore the challenges and opportunities given to everyone, and I mean everyone, who has any influence whatsoever on the development and nurture of children. To celebrate childlikeness is to create an environment of love, acceptance and responsibility, where we simply, and with an uncluttered realism, help children to be children.