For centuries people have handed petitions to our Government with varying degrees of success. Now a website has been set up here and I suggest that we make the most of it.
What is the single most important improvement that you would like in the State Education System?
Mine would be to improve discipline in schools. Sort that out and everything else neatly follows in my opinion. In fact this is the petition I propose:
'To publicly acknowledge that there is a massive discipline problem in many State Schools and to give teachers and Headteachers the necessary powers to deal with problem pupils and their parents.'
Now let's hear what you the readers think and between us we will put one together over the next few days. Let's keep it short and simple, then we try to get as mant people to sign it (via the website) as possible.
I can't promise that we will have any success, but I can guarantee that we won't if we do not try to do something. Education in many State Schools is nothing more than a joke and we certainly owe it to the kids to try to force an improvement.
So let's have your suggestions...
21 comments:
Where the hell is it? I got as far as "Stand on his head and juggle ice-cream" and had to stop because I was laughing too much to type.
Oh - I see, it hasn't been written yet. As I tell the kids, "RTFQ".
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/
'Stand on his head and juggle ice cream' eh???
Yep - definitely with you on that one, Frank. Lemme sign, lemme sign!
As soon as I see it I'll sign it and blog it to send more people that way!
Good idea, but what exactly are the "necessary powers"?
In its present form the petition invites another massive expansion of government (central and local) departments and the imposition of yet more beaurocracy on teachers at the chalk face.
Perhaps some aspects of Sharia law could be introduced (beating, flogging, stoning, amputation and suchlike) to tick Tony's 'inclusiveness' box?
I like the idea of the site, but there are too many extremely similar petitions on it. I feel using a blog to coordinate and publicise a petition like this is a good idea.
As a generally liberal leaning person I'm a bit worried about writing this (but I feel things have swung too far), but what I most want is the government to acknowledge that children are not little adults and need discipline in order for them to become adults.
I want detentions that actually punish, kids clearing litter after school and the odd (controlled) slap as a last resort. I'm not a teacher (that's most of the rest of the family), just a parent. I would like to feel that children will get punished when they misbehave and won't be able to wiggle out of it because their parents don't agree or their human rights are being abused. My 4 year olds rights to feel safe were being abused when he was being taunted at school within days of starting.
how about
"Massive social change to get people back into the workforce, enforce responsibility on the parents for their children's action, schools to be given appropriate powers to enforce discipline"
Massive social change? I think that's a bit optimistic!
Two points:
1. Define 'necessary powers'.
2. Since when did Tony Blair read this kind of thing anyway?
"Necessary powers" is a rather vague concept but, at this stage, I think it needs to be. We may have different ideas about what methods should be used to enforce discipline but I suspect the vast majority would agree that the present state of affairs is not acceptable.
I am rather cynical about this site and greatly doubt that it is anything other than the usual nu-labour tripe but, like the man said, "I can't promise that we will have any success, but I can guarantee that we won't if we do not try to do something."
Peter said...
"like the man said, "I can't promise that we will have any success, but I can guarantee that we won't if we do not try to do something.""
Agreed. Like another old saying, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
If Mr C (or anyone else on this blog) can draft something that meets with general approval amongst commentators, let's go for it.
Who knows, one idea, however limuted in potential, may provoke others that prove to be more effective.
My suggestion - just tweaked a little.
'To publicly acknowledge that there is a massive discipline problem in many State Schools and to give teachers and Headteachers the necessary powers to enforce discipline and to deal effectively with problem pupils and their parents.'
i agree mr chalk.
what i feel we need is a combination of older style disciplinary procedures combined with more modern, engaging teaching strategies.
At the moment, we are being expected to provide creative lessons (which is great) for kids who are unable to stop talking/listen/behave (which is not so great and in fact undermines advances in pedagogy).
I think our first option should be to use the whip or to smack a child if they get out of hand.
I am also in favour of not allowing that child to be given free education if that child does not have good behaviour. People should be made to realise that free education is a privelege and not a right. Maybe you could say something like that in the petition? If thety continue to misbehave from the age of 12 they don't get free education. their parents will have to go private.
Well you are a liberal, lefty, no-arse bunch. The solution is simple. If the child is a permanent pain in the arse and a blight on the school then they should be sent to the dog food factory. Not to work there, but to become dog food. There are people in this world who would best serve as being food for our canine friends as they are no good for anything else. This may seem a little extreme but if think about it a while I think it's the only way to disuade kids from being naughty.
Poor little doggies.
You do not seem to consider that teachers are to blame for all of this. Back in the fifties teachers actually educated. People learned enough to get a job to put food on the table.
then suddenly new teachers wanted to be chums "call me bob' etc. then they wanted to sing the red flag, then the teacher led indocrination started - sex , race, greenery etc. All avidly taken up by teachers - who knew best. Anything but useful learning.
parents were ignored.
So - tough- if you don't like it.
I'll need a flak jacket for saying this, but what the hell.
Making it easier for headteachers to throw kids out of school is all very well, but what are we going to do with these kids? If they don't even succeed in finishing their compulsory education, they've got scant chance of getting even a menial job. At least if they can be persuaded to sit their GCSEs they've got some hope of doing something vaguely productive with their lives. And no, I didn't like having to put up with that sort any more as a pupil than Frank does as a teacher, but what kind of society are we if we just write off hundreds of our young people for their entire lives?
What we need to do is find out why so many kids roll up in school without any concept of discipline or self-control (and I could take a pretty good guess) and then sort it out. Maybe those 'Supernannies' John Reid's talking about will actually do some good, though I'm not holding my breath; Murphy's Law applies double when a cheapest-bidder mentality holds sway, which is precisely how our schools ended up as such a joke in the first place.
I think aswell as improving discipline the state has to stop giving massive benefit handouts to those who are simply not willing to even try and work. Alot of my students seem to think that getting an education doesn't matter because they will get paid benefits. In other countries they don't have state handouts and they really do understand poverty, and in our schools they really appreciate being given a free education.
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