Re: What is the language "British"?

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On Wednesday 30 August 2006 10:11, William Case wrote:
> Hi All;
>
> This branch of the "British" language tree is taking the risk of
> turning a little bit of linguistic fun into a serious political
> topic. However, .....
>
> On Wed, 2006-30-08 at 05:15 -0700, Antonio Olivares wrote:
> > Nowadays, looks like the same thing is happening.
> > With all that damn testing, and "No Child Left
> > Behind", teachers are just trying to "rat train"
> > students to pass the tests.  No life skills are
> > learned.  Reality sets in for many of these students
> > when they try to seek higher education.  The teaching
> > profession is a hard one and with more and more crap
> > from the government, no wonder many teachers get out
> > and many do not want to come back.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Antonio
>
> The problem with schooling which you mention above is not just an
> American problem and is not therefore the result of any specific
> American federal or state or local program.  We have the same
> problem in Canada, and I have heard and read about educational
> problems throughout Europe.  In fact, it would be interesting to
> hear from the rest of the world as well.  Betcha, they think they
> have the same problems.
>
> First, I believe some of the problems with education is and will
> always be just "old fartism".  "Things were better in my day."  "I
> used to walk 3 miles and back to school everyday, barefooted in the
> snow."
>
> Next, I believe the problems with education, at least for the first
> 12 or 13 years, comes with the Unionization/Professionalization of
> teaching.  For some reason, in education we, the public, got the
> worst side of both.  I have heard the abusive language used by
> Teachers Unions during strikes in Toronto, and then a month latter
> on the news heard the exact same rhetoric in Philadelphia. The
> Teacher's Unions seem unable to get higher wages for their members
> (which many teachers deserve), but instead have won 'no work
> involved' contracts. (As a side bar, Ontario Canada where I live,
> has the highest teacher salaries in the Western World, but has not
> eliminated any of its educational problems.)
>
> While the Professionalization of teaching has simply given the
> Teaching Profession the right to tell parents, students and school
> boards to "shut up and sit down" -- That, they, the professionals,
> know whats best for us all.
>
> Meanwhile, when parents demand improvements, immediately the 'left
> loonies' get into the debate screaming for some new social
> engineering, and equally as quickly, the 'right-wing wing nuts'
> start parading for the removal of "Catcher in the Rhye" from school
> libraries.  The parents legitimate concerns get buried and
> forgotten by the teachers while the bun-fest goes on, nothing gets
> done, and teachers are never required to thoughtfully reexamine how
> best to teach.  (As another sidebar, any solutions that teachers do
> develop always seem to involve more pay and less work.)
>
> Programs imposed from politicians on high, is the outcome. 
> Politicians, ie. non teaching professionals, come up with the best
> response they can think of to the demands of their constituents for
> improvement.  That usually means falling back on what they know --
> "Old Fartism".

It sounds like the exact seem thing in Canada as it does in the US.  
Probably for the same reasons.

-- 
Jack Gates http://www.morningstarcom.net


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