The hidden curriculum is taught by the school, not by any teacher…something is coming across to the pupils which may never be spoken in the English lesson or prayed about in assembly. They are picking-up an approach to living and an attitude to learning.
— <p>Roland Meighan, <a href=“https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/A_sociology_of_educating.html?id=p0AlAQAAIAAJ">A Sociology of Educating</a> (1981).</p><p>This occured to me while reading a disturbing NYTimes article, <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/us/testing-for-joy-and-grit-schools-nationwide-push-to-measure-students-emotional-skills.html">Testing for Joy and Grit? Schools Nationwide Push to Measure Students’ Emotional Skills</a>. There are many things that schools and teachers <i>can</i> teach that <i>shouldn’t</i> be tested.</p><p>I <i>try</i> to teach my students that learning and knowing is fun and exciting; I get passionate in class when we’re studying something fascinating. They giggle at me, but they get it: knowing is awesome. I also try to teach that everyone has their own struggles, which are rarely apparent, and we need to be kind to everyone; we just don’t know what burdens they bear. These lessons are part of my hidden curriculum —and they are untestable.</p><p>As a teacher, I have always known that I am planting seeds that I won’t see sprout, and I’m okay with that. Not <i>everything</i> needs to be subjected to the rigors of empiricism; some things we need to simply take on faith…</p>