Westministenders: Don't forget to stockpile. Again.

[RedToothBrush]

The government is telling pharmacists and drug manufactures to stockpile drugs ahead of the end of transition on 31st December.

In the middle of a pandemic.

What could go wrong?

40 years ago language teaching in English schools was French, German - grammar and vocab - the oral being minimal. I hope its changed. (20yrs ago the Welsh ulpan approach showed me a vastly better method - so it can be done.)

Only 35C here, but v humid and my ceiling fans don't do much good above about 30C

Welcome to my world.

@Pepperwort

Do they? Is that the noble immigrant narrative again? I'd imagine it varies as much as English expats abroad. As Mistigri says, if you find yourself as part of a community that all speak your language, your motivation to learn the language is reduced.

@Pepperwort, what do you think the reaction would be if someone was arriving from Poland/france/spain and was only speaking their own language expecting others to understand them, including the plumer of the person at the till from shop/bakery/GP receptionist? Even in a multicultural place such as London, let alone where I live in the NE?

Nothing to do with the noble immigrant. More to do with expectation that ‘everyone speaks English’ and that you ought to do learn which doesn’t seem automatic the other way around.
(Eg most people in their 30s in France speak some level of english, even if they are not fluent. All learnt from lessons in school. How many people in the uk can Still speak The language they learnt at school??).
I have met ‘immigrants’ here who might not be fluent or still have a strong accent etc... but not speaking a word at all after living here for 10~20 years? I personally haven’t met any.

The language choices we had were french from year 7, and then in year 8 the top set could also do German, then do either one or both at GCSE. Everyone had to do at least one language GCSE, no matter their ability in English.

So unless you were "good" at French, you had no other options at all. Personally I find German easier but although I wasn't a talented linguist, I did at least get to do both. Which I guess shows how bad my peers were at French.

As a teacher, I do find it ridiculous that pupils with a very poor grasp of English (reading ages of approx 8 years not uncommon among teenagers) are pushed through foreign languages, algebra and atomic structure. They would be better served by increasing their basic literacy. The old refrain "but Miss, when will I use this is real life?!" is sadly true for an awful lot of the GCSE course.

This is an interesting observation borntobequiet

I learnt Welsh in primary school where the emphasis was much more on speaking, and grammar was dealt with in passing. We left and went to England when I was ten. Even now, in my late 60s, my brain occasionally serves up a word in Welsh, and I think "Where did that come from?"

I do find it ridiculous that pupils with a very poor grasp of English (reading ages of approx 8 years not uncommon among teenagers)

But should that no be remedied at primary school? I don't however think that the ability to speak a language correlates well with the ability to read. Or it does in this country because until relatively recently the emphasis was on grammar, reading and writing.

I've got my living room down to 20 degrees over night do now its got windows closed and curtains half drawn
to be used as the chill out space all day

Covid
Brexit
Climate Change

its all kicking off

.

DG 😂😤

As the world sees you.......
This was the NYT's scathing opinion in July - probably hasn't changed to positive since

Why can't we just quietly aim for "competent & efficient" instead of bombastic fantasies about "world-beating"

England’s ‘World Beating’ System to Track the Virus Is Anything But

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/world/europe/uk-contact-tracing-coronavirus.html

Oxford Dictionary:
"politics"
"the activities involved in getting and using power in public life,
and being able to influence decisions that affect a country or a society"

Needs to be updated
e.g. to

"the activities involved in getting and using power in public life - to give bungs to your mates -
and being able to influence decisions - in awarding them lucrative contracts - that affect a country or a society"

My sons both have 20 minutes of Spanish a week (well they did, I hope it continues) they're KS2 and I think it's oral only, they like to talk to each other and as I did French and German, after the basics of Spanish, i spend my time guessing what they're talking about!

Mastering foreign languages in the U.K. is seen as very hard and somewhat miraculous. I think it just comes down to the way that it’s taught.

There’s nowhere near enough oral and aural work in the U.K. One of the fastest ways to pick up languages is to listen and to speak it.

My eldest has decided to do French for A level, my middle one is doing French and German for GCSE and the youngest is doing French and Spanish. I make them all watch TV series in the languages. Thanks to Amazon Prime and Walter Presents. They’ve picked up a lot of police slang...

And I’ve always made them do exchanges - they think I’m mean as none of their friends have to. But they enjoyed them once they got there, and we’ve had some great kids back.

Mastering foreign languages in the U.K. is seen as very hard and somewhat miraculous. I think it just comes down to the way that it’s taught.

No one is as disappointed as I am in the continued lack of the English engagement with other languages. However, it is fair to say that being an island does make it very hard to bump up to any other language except Welsh. Although the proud monoglotty of the English in Wales suggests that doesn't really explain it.

Jo Maugham getting into things:

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1291610809861386241.html

However, it is fair to say that being an island does make it very hard to bump up to any other language except Welsh.

Not sure that was ever valid - how hard is it cross the channel, or get a cheap flight to Malaga? But insofar as it ever was - in the age of the internet it’s a null.

My Spanish has jump-started with I Know Who You Are and Death in Leon.

Not sure that was ever valid - how hard is it cross the channel, or get a cheap flight to Malaga? But insofar as it ever was - in the age of the internet it’s a null.

It still costs more than a train from Paris to Strasbourg though. And you are still crossing a border. Meanwhile I know people from Milan and Turin who speak Italian, French and German as par for the course. Simply from living there ....

Meanwhile, in Belarus, the corruption is at levels DomCum can only dream of. Not only have the arrested the opposition candidate's staff, forcing her into hiding.
They have an early voting system, and have realised that over-zealous ballot stuffing has been done in advance. So they are getting rid of evidence in a truly subtle way:

twitter.com/TadeuszGiczan/status/1292395572595392517

they, not the. FFS. Have just grilled and peeled lots of red peppers for freezing, and my brain has turned to mush.

UK to plunge into deepest slump on record with worst fall in GDP among G7

The V-shaped recession / recovery is expected to reduce this to only 10-12% for the UK by EOY
Even so, will be a grim year or two for all, especially post-Brexit Britain

www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/09/uk-to-fall-into-deepest-slump-on-record-with-worst-fall-in-gdp-among-g7

Official measure to be declared this week as coronavirus lockdown shrinks GDP by 21% in second quarter

37C and humid
My brain is turning into fried mush

.

Disappointing

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/09/ministers-reject-call-for-weekly-covid-19-testing-in-english-schools

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, confirmed that teachers and pupils in England will not^ have access to routine testing when they reopen in September^
and will instead be reliant primarily on hygiene and distancing measures to control any spread of the virus.

@Peregrina

I do find it ridiculous that pupils with a very poor grasp of English (reading ages of approx 8 years not uncommon among teenagers)

But should that no be remedied at primary school? I don't however think that the ability to speak a language correlates well with the ability to read. Or it does in this country because until relatively recently the emphasis was on grammar, reading and writing.

Well of course they shouldn't be getting anywhere near secondary school without being able to read to an appropriate standard, but they are nonetheless. And instead of allowing staff to take remedial action to allow them to engage in education and society as a whole, we instead ask them to write essays on iambic pentameter and discuss the properties of a Noble gases.

I don't blame teachers. I blame rigid curriculum and of course chronic and purposeful underfunding for a generation, especially where SEN are concerned. Just pop over to the SEN board and ask them how long it takes to get an EHCP to allow their child to participate in education.