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16th February 2019
04:27pm GMT

Schoolchildren protest in Glasgow (Credit: Jeff J Mitchell)[/caption]
How disruptive would you say missing a single day of lessons is? On a scale of 1-10.
It depends on the student, those with the work ethic to catch up around. 3 or 4, if they’re more reluctant to catch up it’d be a 5 or 6.
The snow a couple of weeks ago was much more disruptive.
You are presumably aware of the prime minister's comments about this, is she misguided to say as much?
I think so, education is much more than just being in a classroom with a teacher. Students attending the protest would have gained a lot from doing so.
What like?
Confidence, the experience of being part of something bigger than anything they've experienced before.
What's the staff room mood on this? What do your colleagues think?
It wasn't seen as being as big an issue as it's been portrayed, but like I said we didn't have any students off because of it. We were more concerned with just carrying on doing our jobs. There was a feeling that for those genuinely attending the protest and not just using it as an excuse for a day off it was commendable.
https://twitter.com/PoliticsJOE_UK/status/1096762027853393925
Finally, should we be concerned about the way young people are being portrayed in public discourse? Do you see much evidence to support it in your student body?
I think a lot of the comments, like those from Julia Hartley-Brewer, are quite patronising. Lots of young people are much more politically aware than they're given credit for. Of course there are several that aren't but that's the same with any age demographic.
Thanks for taking the time Gareth.
Thank you, been a pleasure.Explore more on these topics:

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