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Original poster

Jamie's Dream School

447 replies

londonone · 02/03/2011 21:15

20 in a class
No curriculum
TV Cameras

And they still piss around! Maybe people will start to get a real idea about how perhaps some of the students are in fact not vitims but the architects of their own downfall!

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got2bequackers · 02/03/2011 21:33

Teaching shakespere by reading lines is a crock of shite. The real value in shakespere is not the words but the strenghts and failures of the characters.

Teaching about those archeological artifacts by starting with the very boring fact about locations etc means that by the time the juicy bits come up the kids are already bored.

This generation need the juicy bits and the soundbites upfront before they can care about the rest.

Petalouda · 02/03/2011 21:34

Evening all,

After being quite apprehensive about what I thought was going to be just a load of teacher-bashing, I actually feel quite proud of my teaching skills and my students, after seeing the celebrities attempts so far.

These kids aren't unusual - this is what we have to deal with every day. And in fact, this cohort seem to be a lot brighter and better off than many I teach.

At least they've pointed out that it's the kids attitudes that are failing them.

AnotherFineMess · 02/03/2011 21:34

I think they have a valid point about respect - I would seriously question any adult who calls a child fat in an educational setting - totally irrelevant, totally disrespectful.

CaveMum · 02/03/2011 21:34

I think it's a mixture of things. Some can be atributed to lack of parental interest, some to poor teaching, etc.

We have to accept that not every child is academic and some will do better learning a useful skill. Comprehensives used to teach skills like bricklaying, basic plumbing and woodwork. The empahsis on sending 50% of all children to University has moved the focus away from vocational skills in schools.

IMHO

Heathcliffscathy · 02/03/2011 21:35

i'm not sure that I would want to go sailing with ellen mcarthur tbh. it entirely depends what floats your boat. the kids don't know who half these people are.

however, i suspect they have been carefully vetted to ensure that although they don't have a pass gcse between them they are bright and therefore the programme will prove a point.

we all remember a teacher that really inspired us (hopefully). but they are not that common sadly as teaching is not rewarded with the status or pay that it deserves.

mrsmoores · 02/03/2011 21:35

they may be all the best in their field but can they actually engage with the kids on their level.

desperatelyseekingsnoozes · 02/03/2011 21:35

I forgot this was one. I am going to watch later, especially of it gives me an ego boost.

Original poster
londonone · 02/03/2011 21:36

Chickens - the kid was perfectly happy to dish it out back though wasn't he. Starkeys approach was crap, he was conbfrontational and tried to face down a male teenage student in a group environment, worst move he could make really. Did like the fact though that the kids were so outraged, as always theyare happy to dish it out but are horrified if anyone does the same to them.

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sethstarkaddersmackerel · 02/03/2011 21:37

re the respect thing, I think it is perfectly reasonable to lose all respect for a teacher as a human being if he acts like an arse (cf Starkey's dig at the boy for his weight) BUT even if you have no respect for a teacher as an individual, it is daft and self-defeating to not continue to respect their knowledge and their ability to teach you something.

to say (I paraphrase) 'he called me fat so I'm not going to listen to him' is unreasonable.

ThatVikRinA22 · 02/03/2011 21:38

these are the type of kids i deal with, and i would love to think there is something to be done but i really thing that by the time they are 15, 16 its just too late unless they WANT to turn it around.

i had no idea what some kids could actually be like. the ones i see are far worse than on this programme, they see me because they are already in bother and it would take a massive massive change of heart and some common sense coming into play to turn it around.

i dealt with one last week, he had committed a burglary and i dont think he even knew the meaning of discipline.

ill be watching with interest.

crapbarry · 02/03/2011 21:38

God, yes, AnotherFineMess - personal comments by a teacher about a pupil are blatantly wrong, no matter what the setting. But the muttering on about respect by the teens irritates me when they are all farting about and being rude.

the 50% to uni goal was never going to do anything except lower the standards at university, and devalue degrees.

Guacamole · 02/03/2011 21:38

I am genuinely shocked. What hope do they have? Would they behave like this in the workplace if they managed to secure work, probably. They have major attitude problems.

Original poster
londonone · 02/03/2011 21:39

I think Jamie needs to point out to them that their own attitude is a massive problem!

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Petalouda · 02/03/2011 21:40

Cavemum: "The empahsis on sending 50% of all children to University has moved the focus away from vocational skills in schools."

Sadly, Gove's E-Bacc is exacerbating that problem entirely. Back to victorian teaching, more focus on league tables, less on the individual children. It's awful for students and teachers at the moment.

ThatVikRinA22 · 02/03/2011 21:40

oh i love rolf harris approach...

shame they just cant be arsed.

AnotherFineMess · 02/03/2011 21:41

I agree seths, as an adult, with developed reasoning skills and emotional resilience, but I think it's a big ask from a teenager who has had only negative experiences of education so far.

It's an oversimplification but I think any teacher has a responsibility to model the kind of behaviour that they expect from their students.

Original poster
londonone · 02/03/2011 21:41

They won't secure work guacamole in many cases as they walk away from any challenge. In other cases work actually sorts them out as they are no longer doing something academic which means they are more prepared to engage with the job.

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sethstarkaddersmackerel · 02/03/2011 21:42

interesting to see how Ellen Macarthur gets on, I think she is used to sailing with teenagers from different backgrounds so she ought to do ok.

Petalouda · 02/03/2011 21:43

Seths, plus they know that if they arse around, they actually are risking death!

wonderstuff · 02/03/2011 21:43

Agree londonone
Feel for Ralf

Guacamole · 02/03/2011 21:44

It's very depressing viewing... I've obviously lived a very sheltered life. It's such a waste.

Petalouda · 02/03/2011 21:44

Wouldn't it be lovely to have a group of 4 students and 2 adults in an outdoor activity. We can hardly bribe them to try DofE! It'd be SO good for them!

Original poster
londonone · 02/03/2011 21:44

anotherfinemess - I agree that he shouldn't have said that but I can guarntee that student will have said far far worse to many many teachers. Yesterday I was dealing with a student who so far trhis week has called one female teacher a whore and another a cunt. Lets face it by the boys own admission he was suggesting that he was muscular, starkey was simply correcting him by pointing out the obvious (not saying it is right)

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BunnyWunny · 02/03/2011 21:44

No doubt today's programme is designed to show the difficulties, am sure in the following weeks we will see how the difficulties are are overcome, how the 'teachers' learn a different approach and the students change their attitudes. These shows are all the same.

Original poster
londonone · 02/03/2011 21:45

Yes 2:1 ration would make life a lot easier!

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