There I lie in my bed, a design perfected over thousands of years to provide me with a good night’s sleep, surrounded by fabrics designed to keep me warm and cozy, waiting for the alarm clock to wake me gently from my sleep, should I actually get any. Unlike many consumers, I appreciate that the bed, my clothes, the alarm clock and a dozen other objects within my reach are all designed; they don’t just fall from the sky… or off the back of an Amazon delivery van.

Design and technology is so pervasive nowadays that we simply take it for granted, like oxygen, and that is fine. After all, you shouldn’t have to make a shrine to your smartphone to appreciate it. The human race has advanced technologically, so why not simply take advantage of what is available?

What worries me is the way design and technology - two words that will likely define this generation - are given diminishing importance in the curriculum in favour of more “academic” subjects.

I know there are many schools that still recognise the importance of nurturing the next generation of designers, and they are to be commended, but I also know of schools where the subject is on life support with the very real danger of the plug being pulled. 

‘Where would we be without design?’

Do the politicians and educational “experts” really not care whether they have access to designer items or technology in the future? Or is it simply some other country’s responsibility to train the next generation of designers and technologists?

So, as I lie awake, I recall the saying that the most expensive bed you will ever sleep in will be your last; after all, it will cost you your life. I, for one, would want that bed to be as comfortable as possible and I imagine those currently seeking to marginalise design subjects would want the same.

If there is no one trained to design and make that bed, it will sadly be too late for those who disregard the importance of design education now to truly appreciate the irony.

Paul Woodward has taught design and technology for 23 years in a range of schools, with stints as HOD and head of a creative arts faculty. He is currently taking a short break from DT to teach photography and media studies

Tell us what keeps you awake at night. Email chloe.darracott-cankovic@tesgl

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook