that school again....rant alert

[Nightynight]

ds came home from school again today saying that he was in disgrace yet again.

Apparently, he found a needle in the classroom, got into the queue to see the teacher and give it to her. However, while he was waiting holding the needle. he turned round and touched another child with it, by accident.
ds says that he was blamed for attacking another child with a needle, and he couldnt explain what happened because his German is not fluent enough. He is a very logical child, and didnt swerve from this story, even when I said I wouldnt be angry if he had been clowning, just wanted to know the truth.
He was hauled out of the classroom for a session with the resident social worker, who asked him a load of questions like "What makes you angry?" and "What don't you like about the school?"
Social worker also told him that she would be having a meeting with me and his teacher.
I suspect she is trying to paint a picture of ds as an angry and disturbed child who attacks other children with needles. she doesnt have enough to do and is trying to make herself important again.

I have told ds if he finds a needle again, not to pick it up, but just tell the teacher.
Am going to write to the teacher, asking how the other child is, and recommending that if needles are handed out for needlwork lessons, that the same number of needles should be collected at teh end of the lesson . It must have been there the whole holidays!!

I - hate - this - school ! ! !

[helbel3]

Oh really sorry about this. How awful. Last thing you need when living away from Home. Have you had other problems. Def get a meeting together. If you have had problems is there not a english school in the area, such as an embassy school, I know they do them in Greece and Cyprus.

[Nightynight]

hi, thank you!
we've had loads of problems, see previous rants
private/international schools are full up or too far away, Ive tried'em all.
Im searching for jobs in other countries, the school system here is awful, no apologies.

[Marina]

Any luck with the job search yet then NN? They really do sound awful where you are now.

[Nightynight]

not yet
Ive got french tv on at the moment though to practise for possible job interviews!
have been distracted by au pair search and backlog of nasty paperwork recently.

[Marina]

I'm sure it has changed (where hasn't) but I found Caen in Normandy to be a good blend of nice clear spoken French, a friendly vibe and useful comparative proximity to the UK.
But then, I LOVED Lille when I visited it and liked the Nord in general.
I know you were picking Anna's brains on public transport in Paris, but my perception as a fellow non-driver is that public transport in and around most urban centres is good. Where we were staying near Maubeuge there were five buses a day from our village into town and six trains a day to Lille and Valenciennes. And the Caen Agglomeration and Bus Verts de Calvados were excellent.

[Nightynight]

I havent ruled any area out yet. Public transport where we were before was dire. There were 2 bus stops in our village, and One bus a week. When I took it with the children, we waited and waited, eventually it came along about 1 hour late.
The driver didnt even know the fare to the nearest town! when I expressed surprise, he said "but nobody ever takes this bus!!"
Basically, he would just set out on the route whenever he felt like it.

[Nightynight]

my impression of public transport in france is that it is a battle between the forces of liberte, egality and community spirit, versus the galloise smoking, renault megane driving mentality. I love both aspects of france! but am terrified at the thought of being dependent on a car.

[admylin]

Nightynight, you have my sympathy, I really hope you get out of here as soon as possible. we're trying to get out aswell because it's just going to get worse as the kids get older. I'm struggling with a class teacher who just can't be bothered to teach - she floats in late, nipples sticking out through her t-shirt (just at the right age for most of the boys to sit google eyed all lesson) and then never gives homework. I feel as if I'm doing all the teaching at home when ds should be out playing in the afternoon. If I don't he'll have a hell of a lot of catching up to do when/if we move!
Anyway, fingers crossed for your job search, we've just sent an application off to an american university - even after the shooting incident I'd go gladly tomorrow if they'll have dh!

[Nightynight]

good heavens. Is your ds in the grundschule, what will happen in yr 4?
good luck with your job search.

[admylin]

Ds is in year 3 and I am constantly worried about what will happen next year because year 4 is meant to be so much more work.
Today he came home with a worksheet - it wasa 1st year standard copy 3 words in Schreibschrift, then colour in the objects that contained the letter X (Nixe, Mixer etc) 3RD YEAR !!! It's got so stupid that I let him skive school sometimes as it just isn't worth him going in. On the other extreme dd had so much homework that she couldn't manage it all - I've sent her out to play and have a break!

[Nightynight]

tbh I think it depends on the teacher. ds in yr 3 had masses more homework than dd in yr 4.

The gymnasium goes on recommendation though doesnt it, so if all the class is the same, they will recommend the top x%, so it wont matter, surely?

ugh I hate this kind of thing, I left the UK partly to escape this, am v cross at ending up in such ridiculously selective system.

[admylin]

Fingers crossed that we both find a way out of here soon.

[SSShakeTheChi]

Love that school NN. It's almost as if they WANT you to be a problem family. I find it very odd.

Like Admylin, I quite often just keep dd at home for a day or two and teach her myself. In particular maths, because the maths teacher we have doesn't seem very good.

Makes more sense to keep her home than taking her to school in the morning and then having to teach her in the afternoon when she's tired. We took an extra week off over Easter and all in all it did her a world of good.

We have been quite lucky with our class teacher but we will only have her for another year. At the moment she isn't teaching for personal reasons so they are being taught by various different teachers apparently. I am concerned that we could be unlucky with the new teacher in year 3 and I am not totally convinced that they are getting a very good education. Hard to judge at this early stage though.

My general impression is that the teaching is a bit old-fashioned. There doesn't seem to be much group or project work.