Posts by Tony Parker
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
What bugs me about the whole policy is that those who actually know WTF they are doing (ie teachers and education specialists) have been so completely ignored.
We've got used to being ignored when it comes to this sort of thing. We are ignored because we have a vested interest, we're protecting poor teachers/schools, our unions are strong, we care more about our conditions than the kids.... I could go on but basically we know what works best and we try our hardest to achieve it and sometimes this gets lost in all the arguements.
But, again: the thing that will wreck national standards as a research tool is some idiots in the news media doing an OIA and making league tables. The only real benefits of a national standarised testing scheme will be lost as the data are compromised.
And mark my words, the fuckers will do it.
Not only that but sooner or later some fucker is going to come up with the idea of tying it all to funding/teacher salaries etc.
-
Also, presumably the pressure for national standards came from parents/voters in the first place, so it's going to be a fractious issue within school communities.
Not really. It stems from an apparent lack of achievement by some students at Level 2 NCEA which is deemed to be the minimum standard required for active participation in our work force. At least that was what was explained to us at a ministry meeting. Who had Tolley's ear on this I'm not sure but it became National Party policy in the last election. I'm pretty sure parental pressure had little to do with it but once it was out there it kind of grew legs. It pissed me off then and still does because of the implication that teachers as a profession are not doing their job. But I think I've said all this before so I'll stop. Anyway 2 days to go.
-
I'm just glad I didn't start reading this post while still at school today with my 5 year olds!!!
Isabel-loved your story just for the church steps and Matai river mention. Part of my childhood.
-
"I should have been able to separate Latta's professional competence from his entertainment work, which I don't greatly like."
I strongly disagree. Lattas professionalism is compromised every time he does his entertainment job. The best the man can do is sooth the minds of the worried well, or good parents.
Having seen him in the flesh with 700 other HB teachers I too find it hard to separate his professional and entertainment work. I found he tended to belittle both kids and adults and talk of and to them in a manner that I as a teacher could not possibly get away with. It was supposed to be a talk that gave us ideas on how to deal with difficult children but I came away with nothing that I could really use in the classroom that I wasn't doing already. And I soon got tired of his infotainment routine.
-
I don't think I've heard anybody mention the name of a single player from Paraguay or Slovakia
Skrtle from Liverpool is in the Slovakian team, and he's a pretty mean player.
-
Well we got Slovakia but Italy and Paraguy will be hard. At least it's not the pool of death.
-
Because this is the Friday thread I'd like to know what people think of this. It would appear the teaching profession's arguments about National Standards and the subsequent public comments are starting to become too much for some.
-
From my perspective the word(s) of the year are unfortunately National Standards.
-
And it seems pretty clear that they're spoiling for a fight over pay with the teachers next year. Joy.
Please....my holidays are coming up shortly. Don't spoil them for me by having to think about next year. It could be a shitstorm.
-
Craig:
I guess we differ on our opinion of Phil Goff's statements and I'm not saying you're wrong. It's just I didn't see it as race baiting, well maybe a little bit, and it may not have been the best thing he could have done, but what I thought he was trying to do was call bullshit on some of what the Maori Party are doing. And it should be able to be done without the race card being played. Either by Goff or his critics.