The things kids say

[MBH]

Surely you mean "Wye Knot???"

A dyslexic science teacher is somewhat a liability isn't it? "Rearrange these chemical compounds into something that will NOT blow the lab up"?

[Bunnylump]

We used to have a science teacher who did things like doing the standard "show the kids what happens when you put some metals (like lithium, sodium, potassium) in a tank of water behind a safety screen" demonstration, but when the kids were unimpressed by the reactions, mixed all the chemicals together and chucked them in. There were explosions and lumps of chemicals spitting all over the classroom (actually quite scary!) I must say that DID get their attention... He's left now (sadly). He used to let me set light to washing up liquid bubbles filled with gas just for diversion...

[Bunnylump]

...OK OFSTED now been and done and dusted, and apparently the inspectors didn't think that the SEN pupils were disadvantaged by having SEN as far as their levels go at all. They all made the same (or better) progress as all the others. Even the ones with Asparagus Syndrome....

So what was all the fuss about??

[tricia]

Can someone explain the logic in this.

My friends youngest son fot his Higher resutls ( scottish equivalent of A levels) . He sat 5 and got 4 an A in physics and an A in maths. The one he failed was geography - so at the start of term he went back and asked to the advanced higher in physics and Maths. they said no to the advanced Maths and advised that he should continue with Geography!

He obviously has a talent for maths and Physics so why not let him concentrate on something he is good at and not something he has failed in and does not have an interest it that.

Sensibly the boy left school and enrolled in the local college which allowed him to do the courses of his choosing!

[Bunnylump]

All I can say is - teachers are stupid. I say that quite often, actually.

Our school is so keen to take on lots of 6th formers (because it's very much a "payment per head" idea) that they had agreed to take on a load of kids to do, for example, AS biology and physics who got C grades at GCSE. I'm sorry, but I didn't need to be a biology teacher to be able to tell that most of them will fail abysmally. WHY would you set kids up to fail?? The dumbing down of the GCSEs is suficient that IMHO, a grade C is pretty much equivalent to what would have got a D or E in my day.

Although it did make me laugh, I went into my first physics lesson last week, asked one of the boys (who didn't know me) what they'd been learning about. He said: "Electromotive force, calculating power, resistance, that sort of thing. Do you even know what they are?" (Cheeky bugger ).

I calmly replied "Well, since I learned about that when I was 14, yes, I do."

[giraffe]

The dumbing down of the GCSEs is suficient that IMHO, a grade C is pretty much equivalent to what would have got a D or E in my day.

That's exactly what they told us at a meeting at F's school last week. They pretty much said that anything less than an A* or A wasn't worth having and would put Universities off, and that a C was equivalent to a fail. I thought this was a bit of a poor attitude as it could make the children feel like failures if they miss out on As.

[MBH]

That's odd giraffe - we seem to have read that comment in different ways. Rather than being down at anything less than an 'A' - I read that as an 'A' in these days would have gained us a 'C' in our exams.

Doesn't look good for general education and we had a discussion at the bar about REAL school leavers that can't fill in forms.

[giraffe]

The context of their comment was that Universities don't go on predicted A levels anymore, but actual grades at GCSE and that if you had less than 6 As or in some case A*s the Universities wouldn't even read your application form. They went on to say that the children should be expecting As if they work hard and not be aiming for Bs. I just felt that a child could work really hard and miss out on A's by a mark or two and feel a real failure. You just hear such terrible tales at exam results time of what drepressed children do that I felt their emphasis was wrong.

Mind you I have big problems with the ways schools work. eg Sports. The child that turns up to every practice, works their socks off in training and helps to unload the equipment off the bus and is left as substitute on the bench week after week even when the team is 9-O up (so it wouldn't affect the result if they were given a go) whereas the lazy talented child is put in the starting line up week after week. They don't seem to encourage sportsmanship or teamwork, which should be the whole point of school sports. (I speak as someone who turned up at hockey trials when I was about 12 and they tried everyone out except me. Ok I might have been rubbish, but the point of trials ought to be to try people out unless it is by invitation only. 30 years on and I still haven't forgiven them clearly )

[clvrlad]

Mind you I have big problems with the ways schools work. eg Sports. The child that turns up to every practice, works their socks off in training and helps to unload the equipment off the bus and is left as substitute on the bench week after week even when the team is 9-O up (so it wouldn't affect the result if they were given a go) whereas the lazy talented child is put in the starting line up week after week. They don't seem to encourage sportsmanship or teamwork, which should be the whole point of school sports. (I speak as someone who turned up at hockey trials when I was about 12 and they tried everyone out except me. Ok I might have been rubbish, but the point of trials ought to be to try people out unless it is by invitation only. 30 years on and I still haven't forgiven them clearly )

strange my high school was different
i made most teams even though my performance was strictly average
mostly because i was the only one who would definitely turn up
i still remember my first sports day
i was the only one who turned up for the long distance race
mind we did have some great teachers
i remember the ex copper sports teacher dragging off the older boy beating the stuffing out of me and pinning him on the grass next to me and for some reason i liked him after that (even if no one else did )

[Bunnylump]

My PE teachers were absolutely hateful, and still are.

[giraffe]

I think sometimes they lose sight of the fact that encouraging enjoyment in sports, so that people don't turn into fat unfit adults like me is just as important (more so) than the school team winning every trophy. I can see that it is important for the ones who are serious about sport to be able to compete in a team at a high level, but there are always opportunities when the cup has been won, or lost where the also rans can be given a bigger role.

F came home from school last week and said they had been playing badminton in PE. There is a disabled girl in his class and he said they have a spare wheelchair and they took it in turns to play her at wheelchair badminton. For once it sounded like the PE dept. had handled things well. Why can't they put as much thought into including the able-bodied ones?

Sorry I'll stop ranting.

[Laura]

Because they've got to put that much thought into including pupils with specific disabilities, or they'd be in serious bother, because people will check up on that. But if it's just another average student, they blend in and the people in charge will never notice.

[giraffe]

It ought to be common sense, but sense is less common than it should be. It shouldn't need a separate policy to let everyone join in.

[tricia]

I had a great time in my final year is school - I had 12 periods of PE - my friend was trying to get into PE college. I was much fitter then, did not have psoriasis or arthritis. It was fun - I spent half my time in the swimming pool and helping organise sports for the other kids in school.

Tricia

[SparkOut]

Just recently there was an accident outside the house, where a van tried to brake at the bend, went up the verge and tipped over on its side, blocking the lane. Fortunately the driver was not hurt, and we kept her warm and supplied with cups of tea for the afternoon while an ever-increasing set of events developed in an attempt to get the van righted and recovered.
We had a wonderful policeman attend (since the road was blocked both ways) and he showed Monkey all the police equipment and he thought it was fascinating.
To get to the point... being in the "The things kids say" thread - there was naturally a deal of interest from various people, and a couple of children in Monkey's school class came along... one of them asked the policeman, "Would it be more serious if anyone was killed?"

[Bunnylump]

Don't you just love them?? Kids have a ghoulish fascination for anything like an accident. And to be honest, in my experience, they are somewhat less likely to be traumatised by witnessing one than your average adult!!

And Giraffe and Laura, I totally agree with you about the fact that middle of the road kids getting ignored. We've recently been analysing data, which showns without doubt, that the kids we are letting down at school are exactly those pupils. The ones which don't have special needs, and aren't gifted and talented, and don't have either behavioural issues or bloshy Mums!! I got really shirty with a teacher last week (I'm sure you'll be shocked and amazed to hear that!). I was helping a middle of the road student to understand the concept of the various classifications of rocks. The teacher came over and asked if there was a problem.

"No, why would there be?" I asked.

"Well, it's just I was under the impression that you were here to support pupil x and pupil y who have SEN."

Now picture the explosion, sparks and whistling fireworks which were about to go off...

"Well" I replied calmly, "Since all 5 of MY pupils "with SEN" have all completed all the work you have set them, and this pupil had no understanding whatsoever about what you taught the class half an hour ago - and you didn't NOTICE, I thought I'd clarify it for him. I hope that's ok?"

He looked quite sheepish after that. And just to sling a bit of vinegar into the teacher's wounds, the child piped up "It's ok sir, I get it now. When you explained it it just confused me. When Miss explained it I got it straight away." That's my boy.

[gill216]

I refrained from making this comment earlier because it could be classed as political, racist etc.

My OH works in a college of further education- over 18's. He was actually told to treat those with disabilities, non white,non english speaking, gay etc preferentially. He replied- no! I will treat everyone the same, otherwise we are creating an inequality situation - and do you really want to be sued?

I must stress this is NOT a teaching situation.

[Bunnylump]

That's SO true. In my book EVERYONE should have the same opportunities. Some people are NOT more equal than others!! I took issue that it was apparently "OK" for a little ginger kid to be mercilessly teased about the colour of his hair BY THE TEACHER. Why is that any less offensive than criticising the colour of someone's skin?

[LAT]

And just to sling a bit of vinegar into the teacher's wounds, the child piped up "It's ok sir, I get it now. When you explained it it just confused me. When Miss explained it I got it straight away." That's my boy.

Oh brilliant! And well done to you too bunny!

And to carry on the talk about encouraging sporting activities, many years ago my daughter (who wasn't in the school team) stayed after school to the netball club, supposedly open to all. The teacher commented to her that it was nice to see the unsporty girls joining in! She never went again.
I think games teachers can be the worst at having favourites. Some I have known have been brilliant and encouraging to all but some have very definitely only been interested in those with talent. But then my son was always very good at maths as a young boy and some of the teachers he had seemed to resent that instead of wanting to foster it.

[Bunnylump]

All I can remember about games lessons was being made to run cross country runs wearing navy blue knickers at the age of 11 (and I was a very early developer, so wasn't like a little girl!!). I detested it so much that from the age of 12 I bunked off ALL my PE lessons. Which is a bit of a shame really, because although I was always utterly useless at all ball games, I had the fastest 100 metres in my year.

That same PE teacher (who is still there now) made my son's basketball coach's son, who was a potential England basketball player give up. Said teacher made him train so hard when he was ill that it made him physically sick. He walked out and never played again.