Fellwanderer

I've been involved in education all my life - school, student, teacher, advisor and lecturer.

I made the mistake of resigning from the old Liberal Party just before moves to expel me [over Vietnam] and I've always regretted that I didn't wait for the expulsion.

I've been trying to provoke my local Labour Party to expel me [since I'm a Socialist] but haven't succeeded yet - they must be desperate to hang on to members.

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

batman

Don't miss out on a chance to win a rare film in Bat-Quiz 13 closing date - 31/8/8.

Able Abel

The reason too many kids today, appear to be out of control, is because a percentage of them seem to be being reared by drug addicted, binge drinking, foul mouthed parents, who are too immature to look after themselves, never mind their offspring. Kid's mirror their parent's image ... simple as that!

Lord Lucan

Thats true, but I think the rot set in when politically correct do-gooders decided kids had to be wrapped in cotton wool. A lot of kids are out of control because they know the law is on their side, kids know perfectly well that no one is allowed to smack them, the police, teachers even parents are not allowed to dish out corporal punishment. Stroppy kids grow up laughing at the system that protects them and thats the attitude they instill into their kids. I don't advocate "beating" kids, but there is nothing wrong with a teacher having the sanction of corporal punishment if and when necessary, and more to the point, there is nothing wrong with kids knowing that.

Mark O

Yes, an Australian Teacher I've become Web friends with (and will meeting shortly) believes in 'Marxist theory', also an American College lecturer whom I meet once every year when she comes to Britain is also 'Far left', as far left as it is possible to be in the USA, I'm unaware if the USA has an equivalent of the 'Communist' Party, I'll ask her when I see her (unless anyone here knows!)

I also went School during the 60's and 70's, and it was quite obvious what the Political angle of many of the Teachers was

As for my statement about the Britain's present Government being Commies and Champagne Socialists, I didn't mean any offence to any Britmovie members who support Brown's Government, I'm just a bit disillusioned that's all (as I also became disillusioned with the Tory Government after 10 odd years) what with their plans for Road-pricing (which we drive me off the Road, and therefore Reserve the Roads for the Rich) and now you have Deputy Leader Harriet Harman saying that 'White men' should be discriminated against when it comes to Job applications!

As for the 'Champagne Socialist' bit, isn't their a picture of Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett with a Glass of Champagne (or maybe wine) on another thread with the look of "look at me, I'm enjoying the Good life!" about her?..........I rest my case!!

Mark

CaptainWaggett

So you know one Communist schoolteacher? Who works in Australia. And the relevance of that to British family life is? As for Brown's government being full of Socialists, I wish I knew who they were. Presumably not the ones who have just voted for taxation of the very poorest members of society to be increased. And I'd be interested to see the exact quote where Harman has called for white men to be discriminated against.

As for champagne Socialists - I only wish I could afford to be one! Or indeed run a car

Steve Crook

Yes, there is a Communist Party, USA. But they have never been able to do much, especially given the "red scares" of the 1940s & 50s.

But bear in mind that to many Americans, the word "Socialist" is an insult. Almost as bad as calling someone a "Liberal"

You write that just like a Daily Mail leader article would, twisting the facts

Harman is currently the Equalities Minister and is looking at, not planning to enact, a positive discrimination law. As soon as she mentioned it in a speech just about everyone said it was a terrible idea - people from both sides of the house, employers and equal rights campaigners. Positive discrimination has been a failure just about everywhere it's been tried. If you were from a disadvantaged group, how would you like to know that you only got your job through an accident of birth and not through any personal skills or qualities?

Steve

Mark O

err.....umm......that's wear I read it!.........alright, I'll hold my hand out for a slapped wrist!

Alright, I give them their due, the Labour Government have worked hard to shed the 'Looney left' image they once had, and I'm all for the Free Bus passes, I'll be glad of one myself if I ever reach 60!

Mark

Carmel

It has nothing to do with single parent families, i am divorced with 3 children my two eldest are a doctor and one is graduating in July as a teacher and my youngest daughter is still at home and doing well at school its the way you bring your children up to respect people and property and knowing at all times where they are and what they are doing and making them come home at at certain time which i did to all my children. Staying friends with my ex too helps whats the point in slanging out arguments in front of children and belittling their father there is no need so the break down of family values lies in the parents hands and them raising monsters with no respect and no manners. We need to teach them to treat others the way they would want to be treated and have respect. Never when i was growing up would i ever talk back to an adult or drink or vandalise property my parents would never of let me through the door again and they would march me round to who ever to say sorry and pay them back from my bank account and as a child that is scary.

Live each day to the full because one day it will be your last.

homeguard

Well said, Carmel! Incidentally, is that you in the picture?
Regards,
HG

penfold

I suspect that if we excluded idealists from teaching, there wouldn't be many takers for the resulting vacancies.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

CaptainWaggett

We'd be left with the staff of Nutbourne School

Moor Larkin

I'm quite jealous of all the people 'binge-drinking on cheap alcohol". Wherever I look it seems quite expensive, certainly in comparison with my shopping in America and Spanish Europe (with allowances for the recent rise in the Euro, of course!)

It's been a revolution hasn't it. It only seems like yesterday that idealists were marching to the beat of Lindsay Anderson's IF and Pink Floyd's WALL, about the mind control exerted by authoritarian, cane-wielding Masters......... Now the idealists are the Masters. And clearly, going by current A-Level results, they're doing a superb job.

I think the judges case was not that one-parent and other 'disadvantaged' families cause the melting down, merely that most of the cases he referenced had such 'disadvantages' in their background. Any judge worth his salt would know that that can only be circumstantial evidence, at best.

penfold

As If... and The Wall were written, semi-autobiographically, by products of the education system of the forties and fifties, I think they can be safely excluded from debates on current standards. There are good teachers, and less god teachers, in good schools, and less good schools. It was ever thus. And the worst one I went to was the fee-paying one.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

scholes

This is a subject that could consume a considerable amount of space in response.
The sociological issues that seem to have accelerated behavioral problems in children living in deprived areas is certainly one of concern.
Recent studies by the IPPR - Institute of Public Policy Research argue that it is mostly to do with how some young Britons spend their free time and the collapse of family and community life in the UK.
This is a worryingly greater percentage when compared to our counterparts in Europe, where a (mostly) Catholic focus on family bonding is an important part of life. It is noticably absent here with respect to the minority we're talking about.
The indentification of this problem is however far more easy than the cure.
I can't see how the Government can intervene in preventing family break-ups and the community based problems of tough gangs of drunk sinewy youths roaming the streets of suburbia and terrorising all before them.
Maybe the introduction of community based projects like youth clubs may assist in preventing the latter -to a degree, but it's not going to stop the rot as far as being part of a miserable background is it?

Comparisons with Southern Europe is I think unfair as our cultural background as an island nation is totally different.
We're a small overcrowded multi-cultural state with 60 million people where it is dark for 5 months of the year.

We don't have the climate to regularly inhabit public space which may help to foster better neighbourhood relations and a community spirit.
In 1984 I spent 3 months in sunny Morocco during which period I was privileged to stay with two families. Whilst being relatively poor the muslim ethos and code for living was nevertheless a pleasant revelation. Always smiling, always friendly and always communicative.

Our industrial heritage, whilst now only a shadow of what it was, has still given many people a code by which to live and that is to seek their entertainment through the bottle, which was always carved around strict licencing hours.
Europeans may smoke like chimneys, but they don't have the same drinking culture like us Brits and the attendant violence that is associated with it. Just witness Brits on holiday.

We have a lot of dreary and poorly designed "estates" which simply don't have a sense of place, and thus must contribute in part to the misery and emptiness of poverty striken families- and maybe a factor in reasons for a binge drinking and drug taking culture.
What do we really expect?
I suspect that there are many more factors which contribute to this sad indictment of parts of our society.
This is as good as it gets. It's always been there, and will be there in the future.
It is getting worse, but there is simply no easy quick fix.