School teaching standards

[Fat Bob]

I've been sent this petition from one of the professional societies that I am part of. Basically, I think it's true. school standards have dropped, especially in science.

So, if you're a Brit (OK, a citizen of the United Kingdom of great britain and Northern Ireland) and feel the same way, then feel free to sign up as well.

Reverse UK Science Exam Standards

By reversing the exam standards, you improve the amount of learning the kids need, which overall means a higher level of student coming out of the school/6th form.

[Aliya]

You know, I might be old but I look back at my schooling and it consisted of this:

Learning ABC's and numbers as basics with teachers ensuring that you reached the right milestones and weren't held back by the brighter or dumber in the class. Real old fashioned teaching skills were used.
Paying attention in class. Not chatting (much). Being hit with flying dusters if (when) I did.
Asking questions to teachers but not heckling.
Understanding there was a reason for being at school even if you spent most of your waking time working out how to scam a day off.
Wearing a uniform that was clean and you wore with some pride. Meant you werent one of the slags from St Mary's
Getting your homework done on time and without too many excuses.
Coping with detention without my parents complaining to the school about me being given it in the first place.
Getting the cane for biting Dallas McDonald when she stole my chair. Not complaining when she wanst told off for taking my chair.
Following rules (pretty much)
Learning to sew and how to cook. That gave me lifelong skills that I use to this day. Others envy my button sewing skills.... We also made a fortune out of selling our baking to the boys after the class
Falling off the jungle gym and hurting something, going home and Mum dabbing it and saying "be more careful next time". Not racing down to the school and suing it for allowing me to hurt myself.

I look at this list and compare it to what appears to be going on in schools and I cant see most of the above actually in operation.

Most of the people with diet and obestity issues missed out on the school cooking classes which were discontinued (in Godzone at least) in the mid-late 1970's.
Kids are no longer controlled in classes and pay no respect to teachers.
Teachers with huge classes who cannot even reprimand children without fear of reprisals from parents including suing the school.
Teachers with huge classes cannot ensure all the kids learn properly so now so many drop below the radar - no real emphasis on learning.
Many schools dont have playing fields or jungle gyms.
No school uniforms for most school - no identity, no pride (how would people know I wasnt a slag from St Marys now?)

You can all list the rest of the issues.

So what happened? How did we get from where I left school to where we are now? Why has this terrible disservice been allowed to take place?

[BFG]

I've signed it, but a lot of it depends on parents and their approach to getting their children educated - that, I feel will be the stumbling block.

[Fat Bob]

You've got to start somewhere. Read in the papers over the weekend that there's 7% (I'm under the impression it was 600,000 kids) of the school population being taught in private school. So there's at least some kids and parents that want them to do better.

[daffodil]

And can afford it.

[BFG]

...or choose to spend their disposable income on education rather than plasma TVs, beer and fags...

[Aliya]

You talking about people on benefits again BFG?

[BFG]

You talking about people on benefits again BFG?

I am talking about giving grown-ups the ability to spend their disposable income on what they want and not to be -

(a) unable to do so because the Government removes that choice in the interests of "equality"

(b) listened to if they decide to spend it on the aforementioned fags, beer and plasma TVs, realise that they are f*ckwits and start whinging.

(c) branded as elitists if they decide to spend it on their children's education.

That's all...

29 days to go. I can count, see....

[Aliya]

That's cos you had parents that cared

[BFG]

Too true, my sweet. Too true!

Still 29 days, I'm afraid...

[Kooky]

So what about the parents that care about their children's education but can afford neither private schools nor plasma tellies?

You lot? Elitist? Never.

[BFG]

So what about the parents that care about their children's education but can afford neither private schools nor plasma tellies?

You lot? Elitist? Never.

I still don't see why the government would wish to prevent those parents who are able to pay for education for their children, from doing so.

It's like saying "We can't all afford Aston Martins, so we are only going to allow the sale of bicycles."

You lot? Having a "dog in the mager" attitude? Never.

[Kooky]

I don't see why either, Biggy, but the way the following reads, you'd think only parents that put their kids in private schools care about their education.

...Read in the papers over the weekend that there's 7% (I'm under the impression it was 600,000 kids) of the school population being taught in private school. So there's at least some kids and parents that want them to do better.

See Daff's comment straight after it. I was lucky to have a decent state school (my failings are all my own doing) but my parents' first priority was putting food in my stomach.

[Satellite]

another reason not to move to the UK!

[baloo]

another reason not to move to the UK!

Didn't you just get married to an Englishman ?

[Kooky]

They forgot to fight that one out beforehand, baloo.

Sati, come in TLC and update us on everything.

[baloo]

They forgot to fight that one out beforehand, baloo.

What's there to fight about ? Who is the primary bread winner in the relationship and whose career would they depend on more ?

If that question has no clear cut winner, then the tie breaker is who is the man of the relationship and what does he want ?

[BFG]

Perhaps we are at cross-purposes then Kooks. I do have a chip on my shoulder about people who, for whatever reason, think that sending their children to private/public school is always about being "posh". It's not. It's about having a choice.

While my parents weren't on the breadline (ie we always had enough food), if I hadn't won a scholarship, I wouldn't have gone to public school. If the Government have their way, the opportunity I had will be denied someone else. That's the cr*p bit...

28 and counting...

[Kooky]

They forgot to fight that one out beforehand, baloo.

What's there to fight about ? Who is the primary bread winner in the relationship and whose career would they depend on more ?

If that question has no clear cut winner, then the tie breaker is who is the man of the relationship and what does he want ?

And that, Ladies of TLC, is what would make me get a job - threat of going to the UK.

[slinky]

Help me out -- 'public school' in the UK: is this school that you have to pay fees for and if so, what do you call government funded schools?

In the US 'public schools' are the government funded schools that everyone can go to -almost- free of charge (of course taxes are paid by property owners and that's essentially what funds the schools, so, not really free.....) And 'private schools' are the schools that you have to pay for out of pocket (and they are generally quite pricey) which are not affiliated with government schools in any way.

[Kooky]

It's one of those little English quirks, slinks. Public school means private school; I'm not sure why, but then I went to a comprehensive.

[slinky]

That's what I thought - ya'll are so quirky What's a comprehensive?

[Kooky]

Free school for all levels of ability. They phased out the 11 plus exam and stuck us all in together, but in my case (in 1975) they had to keep us grammar girls segregated as they didn't bring the boys from the boys grammar over, and the other kids weren't at our level, so we weren't really bullied and ridiculed.

[Kooky]

Here you go, slinks: http://www.schoolsearch.org.uk/

[slinky]

This bit clears it up nicely:

These older schools were formed when there was little or no school system; they were called public schools then, because at that time schooling was really only available for the elite by private tutoring. By comparison, these early schools were considered public ... as opposed to private tuition.