The learning curve - its totally round the bend

OK. So here goes. My first blog. Fingers crossed it all goes well and I don't mess up. I guess what I'm aiming for is a rant about the current state of education in Britain. From primary school, all the way through to Universities, the standard of the education system has gone to hell.





No, that isn't an over statement. There have been plenty of news articles this week to show how badly the state of education has got. Do I start with the fact that a teacher called a class of 10-year old children "a bunch of retards", do i start with the teacher who encouraged her class to write down as many profanities and insults as they knew on the class white-board? No, i feel that the main starting point should actually be at a report which has described primary education as being "deficient".





That seems fair enough. Maybe it is because of all the exams that are being sat by young children. Maybe, instead, it is about the quality of teaching downhill. No, instead, unbelievably, a report has been published stating that the standard of education has become deficient because...now get this... there has been too much encouragement to teach kids literacy and numeracy.





Now, surely, the teaching of Literacy and Numeracy has been of the highest encouragement because our children need to learn how to read, how to write, how to spell, and how to count, add us, and work money management. This has been key to our country, given that we are, without a doubt, head of the world for finance. Our economy is one of the strongest, and, almost always, we have one of the strongest currencies in the world. So why now, are reports being done to attack the teaching of these subjects.





Well, pardon me for stating the obvious, but could it be anything to do with the current economic crisis in this country? Maybe, if this report gets taken seriously and the government encourage the change through their advisers, the children of this generation won't be able to read information on the next economic crisis. Maybe they are hoping that they wont be able to read the unemployment numbers if they hit the same levels.





Yet, regardless of the government acting to make sure they are fine from being booted out in the future, isn't anyone worried that we wont ever get out of any future economic crisis if our children aren't pushed to understand literacy and numeracy. How much more of a third world country will we become, with further reports like this?





However, there could be one advantage. It does mean that pupils will no longer understand when their teachers call them 'retards'. This is just the latest time a teacher has attempted to put down the children of this country. I mean, where do they get these teachers? Come to that, how do these people ever qualify to become teachers. At an age where children are impressionable and take in what they are told, do we really want people to be putting them down and creating them into individuals with no self belief? I think most parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, hell anyone who has an interest in a child they know, or an interest in the future of this country, would be of the belief that children should be encouraged and congratulated at the right times to further them, and that if there is criticism, then it need to be constructive.



Yet, as i said earlier, it isn't just primary schools where the issues lay. In secondary schools, many teachers run the fear of the gangs, bullies, and so called "problem" children who walk the corridors with arrogance. Many teachers have reported, anonymously to protect their jobs and even their selves, that they have been threatened with knives, had chairs thrown at them. Many even admit to having no control over their classes. In fact, on many occasions, teachers find their bullying, for that is what children are doing to the people who are there to educate, posted on video sharing sites such as YouTube, while others send it around the school on their mobile phones.



Finally, schools are hitting back. One headteacher has taken the measure of suspending an entire class after posting a video of the taunts on YouTube. However, is this enough? Surely the children will be planning a revenge while on suspension. I feel even more sorry for the teacher, because the suspended children will come back and blame the teacher, making their life even more miserable in the school, if they don't quit before hand.



Perhaps, if discipline was taught at home, along with true respect, not the "respect" children believe they get through rudeness and carrying weapons, then we wouldn't have these issues.



Things, however, are totally unbelievable at universities. Today, I would like to pinpoint UEA (The University of East Anglia). Following the Israel-Palestine war, a group of student protesters barricaded their selves in to a building, occupying it in order to bring any form of education to a halt. Then to explain their actions, they released demands. These demands included wanting to send used equipment to the University of Gaza, provide scholarships to Palestinian students, and then to guarantee to them that they wouldn't receive any punishment for disrupting education.

Well, the university had two options. They could either have agreed to these terms and been seen to be easily pushed around, or else use their authority and have them removed from the university for disrupting the education of their peers.

Unfortunately, they bent over backwards and let them get away with it. They are no in negotiations over their other demands. You have to ask why the university done this. Surely it means that they will be able to be further pushed around in future. They are only asking for trouble.

Yet, as is the case everywhere, students are now the empowered body. Students now do what they want, how they want, and threaten the qualified educators with the law if they try any form of discipline, as it now infringes their human rights.

Its time someone stood up against this unbelievable change in our education system and put the students in their place. Yet, for that to happen, perhaps there needs to be a change in general attitude by all, and a change in what people believe in. Finally, a change is needed by the politicians. Rather than trying to find ways to protect everyone except those who are here to help the country, perhaps its time to go back, and give power back to those who deserve it.