I was listening to some fella mouth off about the problems in schools on the radio the other day. What made his zany right-wing “bring back hanging for pen thievery!” sputings worth it was a real gem of an idea for teaching history, so great an concept that I thought it worth writing down. His idea: start from yesterday and work backwards.

Rather than jump back 150 years to the Clearances, then 400 years back to American Independance and forward again to the Slums of Glasgow… don’t miss that (fairly important stuff) out, just bring it into context.

Lesson One: Why George Bush is a Mental

Lesson Two: “The Big Board” – The Cold War

Lesson Three: It’s! The 60’s.

etc. (I’ll come up with more later, the “Comments” on this one is Open)

Now, I know this would confuse “Modern Studies” with “History” with “Religious Education” – but the News isn’t divided by such Subject names, nor are the broadsheets …or real life. Oh, another great idea; the first lesson (ignore above) should involve each student going back home and asking his/her parents about their family history, where the family came from, what their grandparents did etc.

A great-grandfather of a friend tells the story of his grandfather: “he used to sit us down and tell us about an uncle who faught in the great battle of culloden”

I know, a bit involved… but JESUS-TAP-DANCING-CHRIST. Culloden! That’s “Flower ‘o Scotland” times, times of old. Not that old it would seem.