In Wednesday's 'Letter Of The Day', Ed McCoy launched what he described as 'a serious rebuttal' to Cynthia Cooke's letter of the previous day. Cooke, we will recall, spectacularly broke ranks from what we've too often assumed was the united stance of teachers in Jamaica - a firm opposition to performance-based pay. Cynthia Cooke, in fact, supports the idea. Ed McCoy is trying to bring her back in line.

In his 'serious rebuttal' you may have noticed a prevalence of phrases such as "it is very hard to imagine", followed by "it is well known" followed by "it is far more likely", and so on.

No evidence of research

McCoy then does not stand on the firm evidence of research, or of comparative study, or of any analysis whatsoever. He is simply spouting some received truths. It is these kinds of received truths, the kinds we are not even allowed to interrogate, which become the mud that people and societies inevitably find themselves stuck in.

I have learnt quite quickly as a teacher that when my students say things like, "Well, sir, everybody knows that" it is in this moment that they have stopped thinking for themselves and have simply begun to parrot the shallow and non-progressive cacophony of opinions around them.

I am, etc.,

KEI MILLER

k.miller@englit.arts.gla.ac.uk

Glasgow, UK