ACT students outperform rest of country

Mael, I do tell it like it is.

Unfortunately, I am being hog-tied when it comes to saying even the most basic comments. Even the word laxadaiscal is banned.

I hate PC BS. I hate the fact that we cannot use the word ‘grades’ with the lower high school kids and that it’s all about self esteem.

DMD, I know what you mean and agree with you.

There is a difference between lowering a child’s self esteem and telling them they’re failing – and it is in the words used. The ‘needs improvement’ is effective language for telling a child he or she needs to lift their game. It’s absolutely ridiculous that you can’t use it. Not only are you effectively bullshitting the parents, you’re also becoming the laughing stock of the children.

When I was at high school and college, that type of language was mostly used in the classes I screwed up and/or didn’t attend. A few times it wasn’t however. To this day I’m still laughing my arse off over ‘performing very well’ with lighting at the Rock Eisteddford – which I didn’t go to.

Or develop a reputation for ‘telling it like it is’ so when the reports come out there’s no surprises when you ‘tell it like it is’.

DMD, the board won’t do anything. They are kept in a ‘cone of silence’ (excuse the Get Smart link).

Kids aren’t allowed to be told their failing….that would give them low self esteem….

I so need to be the Minister for Education.

That is BS, Nyssa. Have you taken it up with the board or something? Kids do need to be told when they’re failing.

GnT, I know. They were ok for the 4 Govt schools and 1 Non-Govt school I worked in.

However, my new school takes a difference stance and I was ‘counselled’ about my comments. I kid you not.

Then the change to “you can’t say anything negative or that needs improvement” bollocks came in this semester.

It’s total BS.

Nyssa, that’s rubbish. Those comments are perfectly acceptable in any environment I’ve taught in. In fact, I’m more likely to get a ‘kick up the bum’ for saying they’re fine when they’re really struggling.

All comments, however, have to be backed up by evidence through assessment and not just the personal opinion of the teacher. (For example, you can’t say “He’s lazy” but you can say “He has failed to complete any assessment this term to a satisfactory satndard.”)

I always liked Roald Dahl’s take on this:

“School teachers suffer a good deal from having to listen to this sort of twaddle from proud parents, but they usually get their own back when the times comes to write the end-of-term reports. If I were a teacher I would cook up some real scorchers for the children of doting parents. “Your son Maximillian,” I would write, “is a total wash-out. I hope you have a family business you can push him into when he leaves school because he sure as heck won’t get a job anywhere else.” Or if I were feeling lyrical that day, I might write, “It is a curious truth that grasshoppers have their hearing-organs in the sides of the abdomen. You daughter Vanessa, judging by what she’s learnt this term, has no hearing organs at all.” I think I might enjoy writing end-of-term reports for the stinkers in my class.”

Instead it should read “Bobby is a lazy sack of crap who is a complete oxygen thief. As his parent(s) you should be bloody ashamed of the piss poor job you have done raising him. Please move back to Tasmania.”

Mr. Evil, jokes aside, you might be right.

VY, believe me, there are some kids who need the correct feedback, but won’t get it.

For example, saying “Bobby has failed to complete any assessment tasks this semester. His work ethic is quite poor. Bobby’s behaviour in a classroom situation identifies a need for self monitoring and possibly a behaviour contract if not rectified.”

Writing anything along those lines is a ‘no, no’.