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AIBU?

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Original poster

to be horrified at the behaviour in bohunt school

999 replies

SEsofty · 04/08/2015 22:13

Just watched the programme about Chinese teachers in uk. Whilst I appreciate that it is reality tv and thus exaggeration for effect I was still horrified with the apparent number of children who were talking in class.

I'm not that accident and went to a very normal school but talking whilst teacher did simply didn't happen. I don't agree with the Chinese methods but talking whilst someone is trying to teach you is simply rude.

OP posts:
Aeroflotgirl · 15/08/2015 16:09

bert that is what I understood to be. I have heard it mentioned in education related documentaries I have seen.

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 16:11

When was this wonderful age of education? (Fascinated to find out.)

Aeroflotgirl · 15/08/2015 16:13

Post war I heard, after the education reforms.

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 16:19

You heard wrong! The baby bulge went through with classes of 50 in some places. My husband had a huge class, was bullied and hated school.
Also 11+ with 75% or more in secondary modern schools and not expected to do much. A large, unskilled labour force was still needed.

Vanillachocolate · 15/08/2015 16:33

Somehow I feel there is some arrogance in our educational system. It does favour certain style of learning at the expense of another and not necessarily with the best outcome. It disadvantages a huge number of perfectly capable and motivated children.

If facts stand for anything, China is able to educate to better standards more of its children in classes of 50. It is true that many Asian and European systems are years ahead of us in Maths and Sciences. Our system fails those who don’t get 5 good GCSEs in classes of 30 and the pundits still argue how wonderful a job they are doing, that the other system is “rote learning” and those DC are less able and basically if god wanted those failing DC to fly he would have given them wings ....

BertrandRussell · 15/08/2015 17:09

Aeroflot- what made it the best in the world?

BertrandRussell · 15/08/2015 17:11

Does anyone know about how history, or philosophy or literature are taught in China?

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 17:28

It is just something she has heard- You can take it from me - from people who went through it that it was not a wonderful age at all.

Vanillachocolate · 15/08/2015 17:34

How history, or philosophy or literature are taught in China?
Isn't that question a distraction?

Do our school leavers at 16 really know much about history, do they even know what is philosophy and how much of that literature have they read? What is the material advantage for those not heading to Oxbridge to read PPE?

BertrandRussell · 15/08/2015 17:37

"Do our school leavers at 16 really know much about history, do they even know what is philosophy and how much of that literature have they read? What is the material advantage for those not heading to Oxbridge to read PPE?"

Gosh. Not sure what to say to that really........there is this concept-not sure if you've heard of it? It's called "education".........Hmm

Vanillachocolate · 15/08/2015 17:48

"education".........hmm
I think we are discussing lack there of.
I don't see how not reading and not knowing anything is education

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 17:54

Did I understand that correctly? The bulk of the population don't need literature, history or philosophy? That can't be what you mean- surely? Confused

SawdustInMyHair · 15/08/2015 18:00

I went to a private (Catholic, girls) school where someone got drunk at school, climbed out on the roof and was only sent home for the rest of the day (to sober up, presumably!). If anything it was the opposite - although classroom behaviour was generally good, it would have to get VERY bad before they asked you (and daddy's chequebook) to leave. I saw some terrible things - people pushed downstairs, fist fights, stealing etcetc and no one was ever even suspended that I knew of. If that was happening in a state school now they'd be suspended and sanctioned all over the shop. We'd never have got away with the things we did if we'd been at a state school.

As to the kids on the show - they know they're on TV, so part of it is probably playing up to the cameras, showing they don't care etc.

Vanillachocolate · 15/08/2015 18:22

Mehita, can you read?

I am saying that in the current system the majority do not derive nearly enough education in history, literature or philosophy anyway, so there is no point boasting about it.

Have you actually worked with Chinese in your business? Have you met many of them? I met a fair few and they were impressively erudite and very hard act to compete with. If you did, you wouldn’t be so complacent.

I hope you are not impressed but that racist stuff that they somehow can’t think for themselves?

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 18:30

The Chinese that I have met have been educated over here and are doing pretty well. Probably due to homelife- same as UK children do best from a supportive homelife.
I have no idea what they can or can't do in China and would love to know. I would particularly like to know how they perform in places outside the 2 main cities.

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 18:46

Picking completely at random- I would like to know how the schools in Jishou compare with the schools in Macclesfield - that is what we never know.

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 18:49

When you start looking for towns and cities in China you realise how vast it is and that the population is enormous. I really don't believe that the education system is great for all of them but I can believe it is great in the showcase of Shanghai.

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 19:04

Interesting article here about Shanghai and who is actually included in the data.

BertrandRussell · 15/08/2015 19:16

"am saying that in the current system the majority do not derive nearly enough education in history, literature or philosophy anyway, so there is no point boasting about it."

Who's boasting about it? I asked how it was taught in China. You responded by saying you wonMt get any benefit out of those subjects unless you're going to do PPE at Oxbridge. Which strikes me as a spectacularly anti intellectual statement.

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 19:31

That is how I read it BR, but I was asked if I could read.

Apparently we are useless at it so shouldn't be asking how they do it in China - it I expect I still can't read.

We still don't know how it is taught.

Icimoi · 15/08/2015 19:40

If my child were being as rude as that to adults I would be pretty mortified, and I would hope that the Bohunt teachers would be equally mortified - no matter how bad they thought the teaching methods. Yet all we've seen so far is a few occasions when they've wandered into the classroom for a bit, and one occasion when the Deputy just told them that he expected them to be focussing on the teacher in front of them. I would have expected them to get the class together to tell them that they were being appallingly rude, that they were letting everyone down, and that if it continued there would be adverse consequences. It would be nice to think that something of that nature will be shown next week, but I'm not optimistic.

madeitagain · 15/08/2015 21:24

It is a recipe for disaster for the Chinese Teachers. I have worked as a supply teacher in the past...... 30 children with a different teacher seems to (sadly) bring out the worst in some students let alone 50. I am an experienced teacher and have had good feedback from observations /Ofsted etc, I am not surprised that the teachers are finding it difficult, distressing and possibly demoralizing. What I am surprised by is the lack of support they are receiving and the attitude of the senior staff. Why aren't they down like a ton of bricks on the (minority of) students who are behaving with such disrespect and cruelty. They are old enough to know that this is wrong. I have some across schools as a supply teacher where the staff is respectful and supportive and others where the opposite is true. My stance (when I was doing supply teaching) was not to return to the schools where I was treated badly or where I was called 'the supply' when being spoken too. Children need to be lead by example and if the senior staff (in the programme) think it is acceptable to take such an ambivalent attitude to the student's behaviour then I am not surprised by what the Chinese teachers experience.

Mehitabel6 · 15/08/2015 22:19

I was the same madeitagain . I never went back to a school with no support and I never went back if I was called 'the supply' and not Mehitabel.
I got plenty of work from good schools who gave support and were friendly and helpful.

However that wouldn't make for a lively TV programme!

Vanillachocolate · 15/08/2015 22:29

Mehitabel, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, the Chinese branding is distracting from the real issues. Instead of questioning education in Jishou, you might comment on the government run trial in London that shown an improvement in pupils' performance, especially those left behind by the current system.

www.theguardian.com/education/2015/aug/12/trial-of-chinese-style-maths-lessons-in-english-schools-to-be-expanded

I think a method that works better for a larger number of students is to be welcomed. I don't understand the educational ideology that devalues and poopooes the learning for one group of students, to protect the entrenched advantage of another group.

There is nothing intellectual in perpetuating the self serving myth that UK education is somehow the best in the world, that it produces more employable or intellectually superior people… This emperor has no clothes.