A very warm welcome and a big thank you for your interest in our book – it is very much appreciated. We are confident that you will both enjoy it and find it useful.
So, what is the book about and how should you approach it?
Simple really, it is about the combined philosophy of two good friends who met through education and have remained buddies ever since.
Our approach, which is continually revisited throughout the book, is one of encouragement. We want to encourage you, the reader, to consider alternatives to school life and see how these might fit in with your current practice – it’s as simple as that. This book can be a journey through chapters that you can take in sequence or you may wish to check out chapters in isolation; we think the text will support both approaches.
EduCaveman is a blend of theory and good, honest experience. It has not sprung out of a thesis we are currently putting together, and it is important to note that while we hope you enjoy what we’ve written, we’re not looking to justify or validate our approach. It is simply our thoughts on the importance of getting the culture in our schools right, to bring about a more sustainable approach to school life. Our understanding is embedded in the thousands of discussions and interactions we have had with each other, staff, children and parents. It’s more Open University than highbrow, but our belief is unshakeable. If you get some of the things that we describe in this book right, then we believe that you, your colleagues and, more importantly, the children in your care will be in a better place to find further joy and happiness in education.
The name was inspired from the premise that education, like society, is steeped in the negativity bias; our tendency to focus far more attention on negative and bad things and to overlook good things. This negativity bias is thought to be linked to evolution and early caveman days when hairy mammoths roamed the grasslands and life was very different. Our aim, through the book, is to move teachers and leaders away from negativity, towards optimism and a more contented approach to school life through cultural transformation - hence the name EduCaveman.
Wherever you are in your journey, we hope this book will give you the inspiration, opportunity and permission to reconnect with your core purpose and maybe even fan that teaching fire in your belly…
Over to you!
So, what is the book about and how should you approach it?
Simple really, it is about the combined philosophy of two good friends who met through education and have remained buddies ever since.
Our approach, which is continually revisited throughout the book, is one of encouragement. We want to encourage you, the reader, to consider alternatives to school life and see how these might fit in with your current practice – it’s as simple as that. This book can be a journey through chapters that you can take in sequence or you may wish to check out chapters in isolation; we think the text will support both approaches.
EduCaveman is a blend of theory and good, honest experience. It has not sprung out of a thesis we are currently putting together, and it is important to note that while we hope you enjoy what we’ve written, we’re not looking to justify or validate our approach. It is simply our thoughts on the importance of getting the culture in our schools right, to bring about a more sustainable approach to school life. Our understanding is embedded in the thousands of discussions and interactions we have had with each other, staff, children and parents. It’s more Open University than highbrow, but our belief is unshakeable. If you get some of the things that we describe in this book right, then we believe that you, your colleagues and, more importantly, the children in your care will be in a better place to find further joy and happiness in education.
The name was inspired from the premise that education, like society, is steeped in the negativity bias; our tendency to focus far more attention on negative and bad things and to overlook good things. This negativity bias is thought to be linked to evolution and early caveman days when hairy mammoths roamed the grasslands and life was very different. Our aim, through the book, is to move teachers and leaders away from negativity, towards optimism and a more contented approach to school life through cultural transformation - hence the name EduCaveman.
Wherever you are in your journey, we hope this book will give you the inspiration, opportunity and permission to reconnect with your core purpose and maybe even fan that teaching fire in your belly…
Over to you!
