I worry...

Message

#1 Post by **Kwackerz** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:17 pm

I do really worry about our children. Not so much whether they're growing up in the right way, I know the answer to that, but when I give my child over to be educated by a School where half the teachers cannot grasp basic English correctly, It worries me. Okay, My English isn't the best, however I'm not a teacher!

Another thing has crossed my mind of late, mainly off the back of my middle child's SATT result (average to very good)

http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools ... 31,00.html this backs my worry up. I dont believe it to be sensationalised either.

Gio · #2 Post by **Gio** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:06 pm

Well Tim, if you're worried you have 2 options and neither is cheap.

Either send them to private school ( maybe they can win a scolarship) or you leave the country.

If I was starting now as a parent I'd leave the country, there are 4 countries I'd choose from, Canada, NZ, India, South Africa.

#3 Post by **Kwackerz** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:10 pm

Private school wont help, the exam board markers are still the same.

I do worry about it. My daughter is very bright. If she gets fkked over in her exams come the time, I swear I will hunt down the markers and kill the lot of 'em.

Gio · #4 Post by **Gio** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:14 pm

Kwackerz wrote:Private school wont help, the exam board markers are still the same.

I do worry about it. My daughter is very bright. If she gets fkked over in her exams come the time, I swear I will hunt down the markers and kill the lot of 'em.

If she is very bright then you should be seeking out a scholarship for her.

There used to be a private school in Ely that offered them, I'll try and find out.

ligloo · #5 Post by **ligloo** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:13 pm

OMG that is scary reading.

Why do I pay for a private and hopefully 'better' education for my daughter if halfwitted idiots like these are the ones marking her exam papers? I always assumed it was qualified teachers who marked the papers

BikerGran · #6 Post by **BikerGran** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:15 pm

Going to a private school when you don't come from a world of private education and loadsamoney isn't always a good thing - I know cos I was there.
A scholarship only pays for the education - and often only part of that. It doesn't pay for the books, the uniform, the extras, the school trips etc etc. Even the exam fees cost a fortune!

It's not much fun when you feel like a second class citizen cos your parents can't send you on the school skiing trip or whatever.

Paulh · #7 Post by **Paulh** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:26 pm

ligloo wrote:OMG that is scary reading.

Why do I pay for a private and hopefully 'better' education for my daughter if halfwitted idiots like these are the ones marking her exam papers? I always assumed it was qualified teachers who marked the papers

My Mrs marks GCSE papers every year, but obviously not for that board as she does it on line over a period of a couple of weeks.

AFAIK all the people marking in her case are either current qualified teachers, or retired qualified teachers (or non working teachers like mothers of young children who cant work full time).

Living with a teacher you quickly learn a couple of things - 1. they are all hard done by whingers (like bikers then), but 2. most of what is printed in the press about education is an exageration or just untrue.

Paulh · #8 Post by **Paulh** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:40 pm

Kwackerz wrote:Private school wont help, the exam board markers are still the same.

I do worry about it. My daughter is very bright. If she gets fkked over in her exams come the time, I swear I will hunt down the markers and kill the lot of 'em.

Private schools usually choose which exam board they use rather than whatever is being used locally.

If kids are failing in all their exams then you need to look at the kids not the examiners.

A lot of the problems are peoples overexpectations on their kids - we all think that they are very bright, but we cant all be right

If the kids are bright they will pass all the exams they need as long as they put the effort in - the main reason bright kids fail exams is lack of effort, not bad examiners.

#9 Post by **Kwackerz** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 1:21 pm

So this rogue - like marking board doesnt exist? Should my or others kids fall foul of it it's their fault? IMHO it needs proper investigation by the authorities, hopefully with an undercover assessor going in to find out the truth.

As for education in general, I dont believe we do have the staff we used to. I look back through old school reports of mine and find well written comments with punctuation, etc. -That's from teachers I used to think complete buffoons!

I now look to my daughters' reports (that's two daughters) as well as my Son's and find it written by someone about as competent as myself

- that's just the English Teacher! (Dont even ask about the standard of some of the other members of staff..) Many of these reports written on computer, without even a consideration to using the spell check facility. Clearly not all teachers are the same, however having had my kids in..5 different schools now.. I can report the standards or lack of are about the same in each of those 5 schools. It is good education, just really not with polished edges, if you know what I mean? That I can live with, however rogue marking boards need to be stomped on for the sake of everyone

Samray · #10 Post by **Samray** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 1:51 pm

I tend to think very existance of the exams are the main problem.
Totally counterproductive in turning out good citizens. There are far better ways of assessment.
Makes far more sense to use resources examining the teachers regularly then leaving them to get on with their job, which shouldn't be teaching kids to pass exams.
Centralisation and rule by committee stinks.

Paulh · #11 Post by **Paulh** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:49 pm

Samray wrote:I tend to think very existance of the exams are the main problem.
Totally counterproductive in turning out good citizens. .

Exam boards are not there to turn out good citizens - they are there to set and mark exams. From what I have seen over the years of my Mrs marking there are also certain exams / subjects that do not need to be marked by teachers - marking is purely checking one answer against another - all discression is taken away from the marker - they are given the answers and marking scheme and apply it - no discression / deviation is allowed. The lack of good citizens has got sod all to do with the exam system.

Samray wrote: Makes far more sense to use resources examining the teachers regularly then leaving them to get on with their job, which shouldn't be teaching kids to pass exams.

Perhaps if resources were pulled off examining teachers and schools as much as they currently do they might have more time and resources to actually teach. The teachers are assessed regularly based on their kids exam results (how else would you do it?) so what else are they going to concentrate on?

Samray · #12 Post by **Samray** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:49 pm

Paulh wrote:
Exam boards are not there to turn out good citizens

Exactly, but schools should be.

#13 Post by **Kwackerz** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 6:14 pm

Here we go.. something else that now worries me more than the bloody results fiasco I highlighted earlier..

http://www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?stor ... ms_on_sale

Stab proof flippin' school uniform??!!

I give up.

Paulh · #14 Post by **Paulh** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 7:10 pm

Samray wrote:
Paulh wrote:
Exam boards are not there to turn out good citizens
Exactly, but schools should be.

Not allowed anymore.

Schools can't discipline the kids, and the kids know it and use it.

The kids start school with no respect for authority, and have parents who dont give a shit or respect anything.

HowardQ · #15 Post by **HowardQ** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 7:34 pm

Paulh wrote:
Samray wrote:
Paulh wrote:
Exam boards are not there to turn out good citizens
Exactly, but schools should be.

Not allowed anymore.

Schools can't discipline the kids, and the kids know it and use it.

The kids start school with no respect for authority, and have parents who dont give a shit or respect anything.

Not exactly right Paul, it gets better than that.
Kid causes a disturbance in a classreoom and the teacher tells him/her to be quiet. Pupil replies F*ck off you stupid w*anker and gets one days exclusion. So swear at a teacher and get a day off school with no come back.
Next time pupil does excactly the same but physically pushes the teacher out of the way and hurls some extra abuse whilst leaving the room.
Reward 2 days exclusion/ "holiday" off school.
Lets move to the next stage.
As before, abuse the teacher maybe use a bit more bad language, also tell him his wife's a whore and his kids are pufters, push him out of way whilst leaving the room, and this time get sent to the exclusion room and await a visit by a behaviour mentor, (tremble, tremble). Whilst waiting for this person to arrive, totally trash the room and then get 3 days holiday, or if do a really good trashing job could get a week off school.
Are we starting to get the picture here, not only do we not have dicipline, we actively reward bad behaviour in the classroom. Is it any bloody wonder they come out the way they do?
This happens in a school near you every single day of the week!