To think the school system is ridiculous

[Suflan]

This post is talking about the school system in the republic of Ireland, but I know that the school system in the UK has some similiatites, so this is also relevant to people in the UK.

I went to school in Ireland a long time ago, 20 years ago.

My younger cousins are just sitting their school leaving certificate (irish equivalent to a levels) this year and they and their friends have been posting about the exams, after it happened, on social media.

I was just thinking what they learn and do exams on is such a load of shite. Like how is it relevant or necessary in todays world at all.

They posted about their maths paper, all the quadratic equations, prove that point 5,1 is on the line etc etc, extremely complicated equations, and algebra.

Like what do you need that for in life? Its so totally pointless. And maths is mandatory to do, so they need points from maths to get into University.

Like what is the point of learning these things. Surely they should be learning something useful. My cousins have said to me that they think that a lot of what they learn is totally pointless too

I'd not criticise if I were you, @Suflan , you come across as ignorant and arrogant.

You forgot to write "in my opinion". You speak for yourself only.

A teacher came on here and said that everyone working in student welfare : are uneducated, have no qualifications, and know nothing about education.

That IS ignorant because it is completely wrong. Everyone working in student welfare in my school, are highly educated.

@Suflan , I am posting my opinion. You come across as ignorant and rude.

Guidance counsellors in schools in Ireland are qualified teachers...they have a welfare and a careers and a further education Guidance role.
If anyone can tell me the best way to compare toilet roll prices, let me know! The sheets are different widths...

You'd have to introduce variables such as size of arse, average shit and whether or not the user is the person who pays for the bogrolls in the first place.

But you're not doing your profession any favours. You come across on this thread as under-informed, biased, incapable of thinking about a situation outside your own very limited experience, and aggressively chippy.

No, I didn't. I said that a person doesn't need any qualifications to be employed in that role. Nowhere did I say that everyone working in student welfare is uneducated 😂

It's a shame that your higher education didn't stretch to reading comprehension.

@eggandonion , it usually says on the price tab on the shelf how much it is per sheet. Go by the number of sheets you use each time.

Once you find a decent product, keep buying it. Same with washing-up liquid.

Well this thread has been reduced to petty insults and arguments. As do most education threads of this nature.
It seems impossible to constructively criticize the education system on here. Or the curriculum. Or to say it’s outdated and needs an overhaul. So much of society is so school-fixated.
I am sure though we all just want what is best for our young people.

The biggest problem that teachers suffer from is the fact that they’ve only ever been teachers so the fact that they’re qualified teachers would not be a flex in my opinion.
I’d like to see a couple of Accountant, a Hairdresser and a sales director in that role. Maybe a Lawyer on Thursdays But only for a few hours we couldn’t afford the six minute increments

I worked in industry for 10 years prior to teaching.

In out department of 11, 9 had worked outside teaching before qualifying.

That’s reassuring.

One of the things my very low level SEN class got from algebra was the simple idea that there actually was a way to multiply x and y ie two completely different things. They loved basic algebra because it looked complicated but was easy to pick up.

I agree there's lots of maths taught that you really don't use - same as knowing about ox bow lakes or Henry Vlll wives. But it's just good to know it's out there.

I

@GoodQueenBess We get price per sheet, but sheet areas vary. It should be standardised. @ProfPudding my son had a great business studies teacher who had worked for a multinational and encouraged the class to watch The Apprentice.
Some teachers have a little extra something!

The sheets definitely vary. It needs to be just right or your hand goes through the paper or you use too much. @eggandonion . I don't want a wet hand or a blocked loo.

The three ply quilted causes blockages and I find aloe Vera doesn't flush well.
Apologies for sidetrack!

I only get the plain version. Usually from Aldi or Tesco. I got some with embossed animals once and it was very thick, and a but unnerving.

I use a calculator in the shop and the price per gram type info is often wrong.
I also weigh pre-packaged foods. if I can. They are often below the marked weight.

I think if you know enough maths to make a judgement on whether LC maths is harder than A Level, you must be at a pretty high standard in maths. Likewise biology, it's not the most mathematical of the sciences but there is some in there.

I don't agree with you on this. I did LC maths years ago and it was nowhere near the rigour of an A Level (I am in UK now). It was one of my 7 subjects and I did not spend anything like the time on it and English kids spend on one A Level.

Whether Irish teenagers study harder than A Level students here I'm not sure. I reckon it just depends on the student.

I worked for the ambulance service for 5 years before going into teaching.

(The ambulance service was easier 🙈😅)

Lots of people don't use maths in their day job. But:

• lots of people enjoy it anyway
• most people don't use what they learned at school (Shakespeare, ww2 history, art techniques) in their day job
• a shitload of jobs do use maths directly or indirectly every day
• the uk is already dropping behind in STEM. If maths was optional or dumbed down to 'everyday life' maths, there would be no uk inventions, scientific breakthroughs, ,research grants etc etc.

What is your degree in OP? Have you found it useful in your job?

I was terrible at Maths. So happy to pass my O level back in 1980s with a C. The strange thing is I find myself using it all the time and I wish I was better at it. Scaling up or down recipes would be an obvious example but designing without Maths is quite taxing. I second guess measurements because I'm not confident. Re read mm and cm in case I get them confused. Try and move between metric and imperial with fences and drainpipes and ironmongery and it's exhausting. I wish I was much better at it and it had been a greater part of the curriculum for longer.

Well that fried my brain 😁

I work in web development and marketing - I do use algebra sometimes … it’s very useful! The rest of the team might not know that what they’re reading ia alegbra, but it’s sometimes the easiest way to explain a calculation or flip an equation and show the relationship between the sum of the parts.

It’s great you are well rounded. My complaint is with OP’s attitude that because the teenagers she is counselling prefer playing call of duty to doing their algebra homework, it shouldn’t be on the school curriculum.