I have had a splendid afternoon with Mad Matt, whom I would just like to add, is FINISHED for Christmas!
See that my state school friends? Finished!
The other thing is, he looks as well, happy and healthy as he did when he started.
He was not pale. There were no dark rings under his eyes. He wasn’t hunched over.
It was great to see.
Teaching is supposed to be a pleasure, a vocation, not something that halves your fucking Chi.
Ten years ago, our talk was of how we got a class engaged, a funny or touching moment with the kids, the jokes we played on classes, the moment that 1 kid got it.
Now it’s all about inspections, targets, teaching and learning or learning and teaching as it has been renamed, results, levels etc.
Genius.
No wonder it’s all gone to shit.
This term Matt has heard ONE ‘fuck’ dropped by ONE kid and that was only 2 days ago.
ONE!
Different world!
My favourite story was of one very sweet, very naïve year seven girl, who came into his class only to find the word “Penis” written on the front of her book.
Matt describes her as being traumatised.
So, he Tippex-ed over it.
A week later he found her doubly traumatised when she discovered the word “Penis” written ON the Tippex!
Inevitable I felt, but I love it!
Also, we would both like to know what St Jean Baptist De le Salle’s miracle was.
That the Christian Brothers got away with their abuse for so long?
We tried looking it up but were a little, um, worse for wear and nothing made any frigging sense!
We did find out JPII was a bit OCD about making Saints.
482.
Mathematics, being Witchcraft to the pair of us, we took a stab at that being one and a half a week.
7 comments:
Whilst not being a fan in any way of league tables, I am broadly in favour of people having access to relevant information as to how a school is performing - with contextual information being available for a rounded picture. If I were sending a child of mine to a school, I'd be pretty interested in their GCSE and A level results as well as the percentage of students who were going into HE. But I do feel that the Ofsted inspections have got to be replaced and that these idiotic targets for little ones need scrapping. More play time for children, less literacy and numeracy hours! What fucking bollocks is that???
Sassy.. As much as it pains me to say it, any child of mine would go private.
Mad Mat! Whoo Hoo!
I forgot about the pencil bit!
I would have absolutely no qualms about educating a child of mine privately if there were no good state schools available locally. Not all independent/public/private (just what IS the distinction???) are good or of same standard but I prefer a penis in pencil to a fuck every 5 seconds :-)
Thanks Sleepy for guiding me to look up St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle. I couldn't find specific miracles for sainthood..but:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/St._John_Baptist_de_la_Sal
le
After reading his methods for teaching..I think he would puke at what is happening in the schools. He was against what we call 'departmental' in the States..a constant moving of students to different classrooms each day..disrupting their already fragile attention spans and concentration..Also, Jean Baptiste wanted teachers to make sure that their students could pronounce the words they were reading correctly! In the States, this would probably not be allowed..for political correctness or..fall in the category of speech therapy! Millions of people still pronounce the word ask as ax or axt. Where were the teachers who had them in class for at least 6 to 12 years?
I could go on and on..Leaving religion out of it(or in)..the man was a marvel.
A
P.S. The link I gave you doesn't connect to what I had read. This is closest:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08444a.htm
The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia seems to have vanished.
A
SCW... You know it!!
Artemesia... Hey! Long time, no see!
De La Salle's approach to teaching WAS revolutionary at the time.
He also took any 'reformed' pisshead, waifs, strays, tramps etc and made them into teachers.
Maybe, some of these people weren't in it for the 'right' reasons and that is where, I believe, the history of institutional abuse starts.
We are also looking at a time when the eldest inherited and the second, if not married was sent/given to the church..
Not their choice.... Not a vocation..
I was battered silly by Nuns who had NO business being in a Religious Order at ALL. Other than the family hadn't managed to marry them off.
I have actual scars on my skin due to them deciding I was 'Abhorrent', (Their word) while 2 of them were using me for their sexual gratification!
I pray every night that the Catholic Church will fall!
That it will suck itself into the black hole that is Benedict XVI and if it can, start again how it was supposed to be.
Not with some homophobic, Nazi fucker in £600 shoes in charge.
I know there are scars that will never heal..Those who forget have a way of overlooking the cruelties that are right in their faces but not 'their business.' Blast the Churche's nasty habits..Thank god the crap is rising to the surface..as in the recent spring cleaning being done in Ireland. I hope your four footed frinds are doing well and all healthy now.
That Gucci/Nazi Pope fits right in to how the world is today. I hope your street still has some nice trees in spite of the previous frenzy to turn them into firewood!
..Your passion rhymes with compassion!
A
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