Valleys Mam there was no golden age in school!

First I agree that this is appalling and needs to be addressed. But before I go on lets get real about how things were in the so called “golden age” when a teacher taught 50 kids without the aid of a paraprofessional and never took breaks, and kids were allowed to be thrashed. Not that it did do me any harm (as I was one of those who never was) . No, I was just one of those who was publicly humiliated for being slow (ADD was not known about then). However let me tell you about my school in the good old days of the 1970s.

First the head teacher (who had survived Colditz) died of a heart attack in his office, then there was the art teacher was put in gaol for being naughty. Our music teacher taught us by showing us kids programs on TV. The RE teacher was often reduced to gibbering and in the end and in fact ended up breaking the skull of one of my class mates. The math teacher was known as the “happy wanderer” and the geography teacher was often intoxicated. Now that this myth of the good old days has been truly kicked in the subjective cojones lets address the issue.

I will be brutally honest. If teachers cannot take the strain of the class room then they should not be there. Buts lets be even more honest. There are parents who cannot take the stress of being parents and they should not be parents. They do not teach their children the basics (that I know is true because my wife who is a special education teacher told me that they would have to teach them how to use a tooth brush etc). Parents take no interest instead let them go to their rooms to play on their computers, where they exposed to all sorts of dangers, which includes the sexual variety. But the biggest problem is that that there is no communication between kids and parents, no interest in home work or what goes on in school.

The world has changed. Its pointless to look at successful countries like Finland, Japan or even China, until you address the real reason. The break down of community and the family.

My wife taught all over south Wales and all the teachers she worked with were caring and hard working professionals who cared about the kids they taught, and that is the key. She now leaves for work at 630am and never gets back before 630pm. She has not taken day (either personal or sick) in years. Many of her colleagues have not either but some are on anti depressants. There are more rules and regulations than in my day (thank God) so what I put up with does not happen. My wife does not have time for a break during the day, she cannot speak for others.

I think the answer is to repair the family, and provide the proper training for teachers that is needed, and smaller schools.

But let me hand over to someone who has some ideas. Robert Reich.

Sorry Valleys mam, there was no golden age in school!

First I agree that this is appalling and needs to be addressed. But before I go on lets get real about how things were in the so called “golden age” when a teacher taught 50 kids without the aid of a paraprofessional and never took breaks, and kids were allowed to be thrashed. Not that it did do me any harm (as I was one of those who never was) . No, I was just one of those who was publicly humiliated for being slow (ADD was not known about then). However let me tell you about my school in the good old days of the 1970s.

 

First the head teacher (who had survived Colditz) died of a heart attack in his office, then there was the art teacher was put in gaol for being naughty. Our music teacher taught us by showing us kids programs on TV. The RE teacher was often reduced to gibbering and in the end  and in fact ended up breaking the skull of one of my class mates. The math teacher was known as the “happy wanderer” and the geography teacher was often intoxicated. Now that this myth of the  good old days has been truly kicked in the subjective cojones lets address the issue.

 

I will be brutally honest. If teachers cannot take the strain of the class room then they should not be there. Buts lets be even more honest. There are parents who cannot take the stress of being parents and they should not be parents. They  do not teach their children the basics (that I know is true because my wife who is a special education teacher told me that they would have to teach them how to use a tooth brush etc). Parents take no interest instead let them go to their rooms to play on their computers, where they exposed to all sorts of dangers, which includes the sexual variety. But the biggest problem is that that there is no communication between kids and parents, no interest in home work or what goes on in school.

The world has changed. Its pointless to look at successful countries like Finland, Japan or even China, until you address the real reason. The break down of community and the family.

 

My wife taught all over south Wales and all the teachers she worked with were caring and hard working professionals who cared about the kids they taught, and that is the key. She now leaves  for work at 630am and never gets back before 630pm. She has not taken day (either personal or sick) in years. Many of her colleagues have not either but some are on anti depressants. There are more rules and regulations than in my day (thank God) so what I put up with does not happen. My wife does not have time for a break during the day, she cannot speak for others.

 

I think the answer is to repair the family, and provide the proper training for teachers that is needed, and smaller schools.

 

But let me hand over to someone who has some ideas. Robert Reich.

 

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Teachers are stressed in south Wales

This article (Teachers stress, December 27^th) on the curse of stress in teaching makes for depressing reading, however it does not come as a shock to me, as a spouse of an educator who has taught both in south Wales and the US in the last 10 years, I know how it is. She worked for a agency and taught mostly in the Valleys. She was always impressed with the high caliber and hard working nature that she found with all the teachers and paraprofessionals that she worked with. This makes nonsense of the comments made on the online edition of the article. These people are totally ignorant of how hard teaching actually is, and contributes to why education in both Wales and the US is in the mess it is. My wife finished her teaching at Ysgol Ty Coch special school in Tonteg, and it was the great experience and working with a great team of caring professionals that enabled her to be a successful teacher in one of the best elementary schools in Kansas (with a population smaller than Wales). She was nominated in 2007 for “Special Education Teacher of America”. This would not have happened but for her teaching in Ysgol Ty Coch. Teachers cannot be blamed if they are not properly prepared, and teachers cannot be blamed when they are not properly supported. I have read those comments from people who talk about their own experience years ago. I would remind them that this 2011 and not 1911, we are living in a totally different world where parents leave their kids on automatic pilot (in their rooms texting or playing on the computer). Also we were not competing with China, Japan, and Korea, who value both education and teachers more than we do, which is why they are light years ahead of us in test scores. I leave it to Robert Reich on how education can be improved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smBqQibkCXE

Welsh Liberals at 6 %

The Welsh Labour party must be absoluty besides themselves at the latest poll figures from YouGov putting Liberal support at 6%.

They probably looking forward to running Wales on their own, you wave bipartisanship goodbye.

Good for Wales? I don't think so.

here it is ITV Wales

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fitvwales.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F22%2Ffor-whom-the-poll-tolls%2F&h=e7307

Has Vince cable come to his senses?

Vince Cable: I could bring down the Government - Telegraph

Cardiff get the hell outta of Wales says Mr Gall Stone

This letter caught my eye in the Western Mail today. Mr Gall stone was obviously responding to one of those nasty letters describing the Welsh language as dead and useless. And though I certainly do subscribe to such a view. I think that his letter should make English speakers nervous.

I am sure that most Welsh speakers believe that their English speaking Welsh are truly members of the Welsh nation, I know that Mr Gouldstone is not alone in that extreme view.

in fact he should also add most of Pembrokeshire and eastern Powys.

Its stupid assed letters like this that is a gift to the “no’ team.

Re-draw Wales

SIR – Mr C E Lambert of Barry is mistaken when he states that the population of Wales has chosen to join the English speaking world (Letters, Dec 9).

The two counties of Glamorgan and Gwent alone have chosen to join the English only speaking world and the Welsh language thrives in everyday use alongside English in the rest of Wales.

Also, why shouldn’t our native language have equal status in law as the English language? It is not a question of whether one speaks Welsh but more of a question whether there is more to Welsh culture than putting on a red shirt and shouting racial obscenities at sporting events.

All the objections to support of our native language comes from the above two counties who make it clear they have no regard (or possibly knowledge) of our history and perhaps it is time to re-define our borders.

Why not transfer Glamorgan and Gwent to the West of England and move the capital to either Aberystwyth or Caernarfon?

Cardiff is a nice place to live in but it is not a Welsh city and it would transfer easily to England. Wales and the true Welsh would be better served through relocation of the capital to either of the two towns. The benefits to both communities are obvious.

The rest of Wales can enthusiastically support all of our culture without the constant whingeing of the two Wenglish counties and people like Mr Lambert will have no fear of their children being brought up in a bilingual country.

He and his like-minded souls can immerse themselves in the Anglo culture they hold in such high regard, although I doubt whether most of them could tell the difference between Shakespeare and the Simpsons.

I see only one problem. Would the English want such people? I doubt it.

PETER Gallstone

Roath Park, Cardiff

Gordon Brown on American Telly this morning

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I watched Gordon this morning freezing to death. he's selling a book too!

Teachers (mostly) are responsible for poor education in Wales, says Leighton Andrews!

Teachers (mostly) are responsible for poor education in Wales, says Leighton Andrews!

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According to the BBC’s Ciaran Jenkins teachers need to take responsibility for the poor state of Welsh education.

Wrong Mr. Andrews you are in charge you are responsible, fess up or resign!

“While he did say the assembly government shared some of the responsibility, the education minister did go on the attack and say that teachers were guilty of complacency in the classroom and schools weren't delivering.

What he didn't really tell us was where the assembly government was going wrong. It's been 10 years since devolution and his government and previous governments have been driving education policy in that time.

He sits around a cabinet table with three previous education ministers. The question people will be asking is where they have gone wrong, and what policies must now be reviewed.

Was the decision to abolish school league tables the correct one?

Could schools benefit from more freedom?

Are the facilities and in some cases the teachers up to the job?

The minister has asked the profession some searching questions.

But with an assembly election in six months, the electorate could well be asking ministers why our schools, by the government's own admission, are failing.”

random thoughts on Welsh education

It does not surprise me (I would suppose being the spouse of a educator and in-law of a senior school administrator). There have always been these little stories that appear on page 3 of the papers about how bad things actually were. And I guess that all we will here from those in charge is excuses. It’s the LEA or the schools or even Westminster, but no word or taking responsibility. "The buck stop here" and getting together and seeing what can be done. No thinking outside the box, when the UK is 5 places behind the US with all its problems with its public school system, you know that something is seriously wrong. What can be done. First I think there should be Welsh version of “No Child Left Behind”, that focus on pupils in deprived areas and their needs, and would facilitate communication between school and parents. Finally I think that politicians should stay out of education. Kids should not be used as footballs by different  political parties. If there’s failure, then there is plenty of blame to go around.