And so to one of the gems in the calendar - yes, it’s the General Teaching Council for Scotland annual lecture (page seven). Where better to hold it than in Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth attraction given that the star turn was little Miss Dynamo herself, barrister and baroness Helena Kennedy.
The Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws, to give the Holyrood Secondary-educated lass the full moniker from her native Glasgow, displayed all the legendary charm, wit and passion which have made her such a formidable advocate and broadcaster.
Indeed, it seemed from her lecture as though she regarded her audience of teachers (well, mainly; we did spot neo-educationists such as Andrew Cubie) as the most important group of people on our planet - or at least in Our Dynamic Earth.
Kennedy well illustrated one of her many propositions, that certain careers throw up good stories - teaching, the law and politics are among the foremost. “Why shouldn’t you touch electrical things?” asks the teacher in one of our more challenging schools.
“Because you might leave your fingerprints behind” was the street-wise response.
Encountering a fellow peer in the Lords, Kennedy asked how he was getting on with the new technology, to which the somewhat elderly gent replied:
“It’s not a website I need, it’s eyesight.”
Follow that.
