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The grumpy thread


outlaw118

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Guest Hooli

The stupid thing is, look how this country run the world when schools taught kids to think & explore their own minds. The new way of preventing all that explains why we can only run call centres & banks now days.

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The stupid thing is, look how this country run the world when schools taught kids to think & explore their own minds. The new way of preventing all that explains why we can only run call centres & banks now days.

Agree, but I don't know that every kid got that quality of education then. Great if it ever was a reality.

 

Trouble is, the 'everyone has a right to the best education we can give them' ethos is flawed. You can't give everyone a high standard of education when the resources are limited, so the quality has to drop to get the quantity up: classroom management >> crisis management

Contact hours shift from teachers to 'learning assistants'.

 

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Fucking weird is that the school I went to was highly rated, even now it justifies bullshit house prices around here, but it was awful, I just couldn't hack it and knocked it when I was 14. Fucked off to Ireland and went to a totally average school, a non religo one and did great, even stayed on the optional two years at the end.

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For balance, it's easy to find fault with the education system. I couldn't teach. I don't want to teach. And ffs, today's teachers have to battle a lot of very negative influences from outside school - I'm looking at you MTV and F*cebook.

 

But Gove and Morgan, you ain't helping.

 

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With regard to qualifications vs experience, obvs a row of glowing grades across your CV gets a foot in the door and starts making experience, but I've got 13 A-Levels at C or above, 4 A-levels, a degree giving me letters after my name etc etc.... and not once has it really mattered.

 

My first job was working on the phones for a PC Helpline. I applied, and they sent me to an assessment centre which was pretty much 100% of their decision whether to employ me or not. Had me role playing difficult people, a mental maths test, an English assessment and so on. I fully believe I could have waltzed in there with zero qualifications, and had I passed the tests I'd have got the job.

 

I then went to work in an electronics repair centre for the same company. Fixing laptops down to component level etc. So I'm there, with my Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering, working alongside a load of folk who had been sent from an agency. Usually the agency would send people who were "good with computers" meaning they could mail-merge in WordPerfect or whatever shite school had taught them, every so often they'd get someone who could solder, follow a logical diagnostic route etc. We kept those and sent the others back.

 

So I went through a few different jobs with that place, always being promoted based on my work rather than my CV. I don't think they even had a copy of my CV on file. They had no idea what my qualifications were, but by now they're irrelevant. 

 

I now work for a multinational telecoms company who equally don't give a shit whether the letters after my name are BSc, Esq. or LOL. They've never asked to see any certificates for anything - nobody has. I've got experience now, I can show examples of what I can do.

 

My ex had a CV that was pure lies - she spent most of her later years at school flat on her back apparently (no, not through illness - you were right the first time) so left with a baby and no qualifications. She just invented some and never had to prove it.

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The two families i know that home ed have by far the nicest, happiest kids I know. There are plenty of opportunities for socialising with other home schooled families plus the usual swimming, cubs etc

 

School teaches very little other than to pass the time until they can become a menial worker.

 

The crap my 8 year old gets taught is unbelievable yet they don't seem to bother with spelling for instance. I'm the one who has to teach her real life skills.

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I went to two horrible schools in a horrible part of an awful town and had a thoroughly miserable time. Can't knock the teaching though, I got 13 good GCSEs. Got on with almost all of my teachers over the years, with a few exceptions, mainly PE teachers (PE is legalised child abuse IMO).

 

I lost interest in year 10 though and wanted to leave education ASAP - something I'm regretting now I'm older.

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I'm the one who has to teach her real life skills.

And that was the real reason we pulled both our kids from school - youngest had just had two diagnoses - one for a serious physical disorder, the other for a learning disability. He was getting a fair amount of support for the autism at junior school, but comp was only five terms away - eldest was already there and it was shit for him, and a friend with a disabled son was working as a learning assistant at the same comp. She told us what we feared: all the support our youngest was getting would disappear when he went up to comp. We needed to be thinking of how he would learn life skills in the next six years and if he was ever going to be able to live independently, not what academic achievements to get.

 

He now has a diploma in graphic design, receives physio every other week at a local support centre, lives on his own (with occasional assistance from us) and is learning to drive.

 

Sorry, not really a grump, actually.

 

As you were.

 

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...a friend with a disabled son was working as a learning assistant at the same comp. She told us what we feared: all the support our youngest was getting would disappear when he went up to comp...

 

That's bad and shouldn't happen, but our experience with Musical Offspring was very different.  

 

Perhaps because Domestic Management and I were able and prepared to advocate for him - and be a bloody nuisance to the right people when necessary - his support through high school was fine.  It probably helped that he's very bright and increasingly could articulate his requirements himself, which I suppose is the point.

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This, just this.

 

I hated comprehensive to the extent that I deliberately got myself expelled. A non stop litany of disruption until they refused to teach me - the teachers were mostly wankers anyway with the level of violence that went hand in hand with 1970's comps. I didn't need that shit at 12 or 13 FFS.

One teacher springs to mind, Mr Russell who was a horrible old cunt with MS and who hauled himself around on a zimmer frame. He was a fucking useless maths teacher, absolutely hopeless. Anyway, he disappeared for a few weeks (we hoped he'd pegged it) and we had a supply teacher whose name escapes me. He was about 40 and brought his Labrador into class and of course the girls loved him for that. But he was a great teacher and he drove a mexico brown Rover 2200TC - 'scraper' Russell as we called him had a white Marina with hand controls. All he was worth, the twat.

Mr Supplyteacher encouraged me to have a proper stab at maths and I got a lot better in short order. All too soon though, he was gone and Scraper was back and I just gave up. Throwing a portion of Pizza out of the coach window on the M4 following a trip to the Nat. history museum was the final straw.

After that I went to a boarding school at 14 and had teachers who - apart from the odd arsehole - still inspire me to this day.

 

I have friends with kids who are just useless teenagers because whilst they do okay at school, they're on a fucking computer all day and don't know how to converse with adults.

 

The problem with the education system now is that teachers have to compete with iPhones, Facebook, Britain's Got Gypsy Weddings on Ice Factor and equally moronic parents who consider themselves 'doing alright' if they have a 93"plasma and a 2013 Mondeo on the strap.

 

Is it me, or is this country just fucked?

This is exactly why I volunteered at school to try and make a difference well I say difference just change one thing or make someone feel that all teachers* aren't these people that just stand at the front and want you to shut up.

 

I think I have help a couple (one girl was very behind on reading and she's much better now) and given others encouragement that although they aren't always getting picked for stuff they're doing a good job and it's not all for nothing.

 

I hated school and have the impression that at junior school we just weren't taught anything and high school was even worse with crap teachers, for the last two years I just didn't go to English at all or just didn't go (helped that it was a bus ride to school) no one said anything and I had proper crap exam results.

 

Thing is I'm not thick. Mrs Shrimp is amazed with all the crap I do know and always says with the right help I could have been anything, shame I still don't know what that anything should be.

 

Saying all that it's very hard to help or change anything when 'the system' is to tick boxes and teachers have a lot of boxes to tick.

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Ahh schools, I loved my time at school the only problem was i could never sit and concentrate, I was disruptive in a funny way and no matter how many detentions they dished out to me it never made any difference, the one thing that did confuse them is I was clever despite never really listening, knowing now I was displaying adhd behaviours (never been formally diagnosed but even stevey wonder can see that I am) but this wasnt really recognised then so I was branded a naughty boy, there were some great teachers and there was one teacher in particular who always believed in me, she taught history and was fantastic, after i left school i had a stab at going to 6th form a few miles away, she was visiting and talking to one of the lecturers about old students and my name came up, she couldn't believe I was there and made a point of coming to the lesson to see me, I know someone who went to the school about 5 years after i left and apparently she still told stories about me then.

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My daughter had just bought all her work books home as its end of year.

 

She is quite lazy and doesn't bother to spell correctly or write neatly, and why would she? On a typical page she would make 15 or so bad errors but only one would be picked up on so there is little incentive to bother.

 

In cookery she only gets taught to cook cakes, nothing savoury, you know actual food.

 

She now thinks unicorns are actually real due to a story she was told about Dr Dapper seeing one in a forest. I've told her it isn't true but as it was school that told her, she thinks I am wrong.

 

She can tell you all about Kath Kidson but nothing about morals or taking care of money.

 

I could go on.... I spend some time each day trying to undo some of her 'learning' it makes me wonder if I should take her out of school.

 

My 4 year old is about to go to school and I really pity him. He is such a bright, intelligent and good natured kid that I fear all his natural enthusiasm will be beaten out of him

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I was home edumacated and never did me no harm so it didn't...

 

Well, perhaps a bit. Social aspects were a bit grim, partially due to a highly rural location and also the fact I was English and "posh". Essentially I used big words, was unusually pollite and very rarely swore. I also had shoulder length curly hair... Even now as a 25 year old I still get grief for being English and "posh" so I reckon I'd have been royally fucked at school.

 

I started college at 15 on an access course for IT and Computing, did two GCSEs to get me in the door (Archaeology and Geography) at my parent's expense. Sisters did the same with one going for microbiology and the other going to music school.

 

My mother was the main teacher in our household, she probably knows more about archaeology than I do after helping me study it! I'd never have gotten anywhere if she hadn't learned all my textbooks the nights before I tackled them.

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If you can find a way of making it work you could try it for a bit?

 

I got distracted by popmaster (bodes well for my kids ;) ) but if your little one is starting school at 4 he doesn't have to. Legally he only has to attend* from the first term he will be 5. (So a Feb baby could start either the September before their birthday or after Christmas)

 

* Attend school OR otherwise receive a suitable education appropriate to age and ability.

 

If a child has never been to school you don't have to do anything officially. If they are removed from school you have to write to the head to deregister, which will probably trigger a response from the LEA.

 

But as I said before, just because you deregister it doesn't mean they can never go to school again.

 

Obviously work and childcare can be a barrier to a lot of parents. I am lucky that we can make it work on one wage really.

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The issue is that the comprehensive ideal doesn't work, there should be grammar schools for smart feckers, technical schools for those of us who are practical and then a general school for the rest, apply the one fit for all approach to schooling means it doesn't work for 60% of the people there.

 

I thought school was great, i'd finish an hours work in 20 min and fuck about for the rest of the time, this habit has served me well at work as well.

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As a subject change:

 

People who end eBay auctions early. I appreciate the lure of money is appealing but it's a bit unfair on those who have bid. If you had a BIN, list it with one and wait for someone to press or (if you're smart) accept a best offer through messages and complete after listing ends.

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Sorry, but if the people who've bid aren't offering as much as a lump sum straight away, it's fair game as far as I'm concerned. 

Other people may not be as skint as I am. Other financial situations and dispositions are available. I see your argument, though. 

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Sorry, but if the people who've bid aren't offering as much as a lump sum straight away, it's fair game as far as I'm concerned.

 

Other people may not be as skint as I am. Other financial situations and dispositions are available. I see your argument, though.

To be fair I'm looking at through bidders eyes right now, so equally get your point.

 

But if you start an auction at 99p and then end it early, that's a bit mean.

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To be fair I'm looking at through bidders eyes right now, so equally get your point.

 

But if you start an auction at 99p and then end it early, that's a bit mean.

Point also taken. 

 

If someone was to offer me a decent amount of money near/on reserve for the van I would take it, simple as. They get the van quicker and I pay outstanding bills faster. Both parties win. 

 

Yes, it does go against the spirit of the auction - but at the end of the day, if they wanted the van enough, they'd have bid accordingly. That's the whole point of an auction: the person who bids the most wins. If you really, really want the item listed, you can short circuit the system if you make it worthwhile for all concerned. People might see this as dishonest; I don't give a shit, frankly. 

 

You can't really approach an auction for an obsolete item with an 'I want a bargain' mentality unless it's badly listed. That's worked for me in the past. The £1, still in code, V rated 195/60/14 tyres I won for the Piazza are still doing stellar service. 

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The constant MOT tester bashing on here is getting tiresome . Most of us drive old bangers so failures happen - deal with it . We should strive to maintain our cars better than the bare minimum the goverment requires anyway .

These guys are doing their job - ie following a test that they didnt make up . They are just there to follow it and do as they are told . 

Sure you get dickhead testers , much the same as you get dickhead Tesco checkout staff . But testing is a soul destroying horrible job that I wouldnt do again for all the tea in China .

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The constant MOT tester bashing on here is getting tiresome . Most of us drive old bangers so failures happen - deal with it . We should strive to maintain our cars better than the bare minimum the goverment requires anyway .

These guys are doing their job - ie following a test that they didnt make up . They are just there to follow it and do as they are told .

Sure you get dickhead testers , much the same as you get dickhead Tesco checkout staff . But testing is a soul destroying horrible job that I wouldnt do again for all the tea in China .

My thread wasn't about bashing them it was about trying to understand what they do and why as I've no idea.

 

Like why stuff that's past/failed before gets the opposite thing or how you can get an advisory one place but not another. Like any subject test it's all reliant on the person doing it some good some bad but that's the same with everything.

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I know this isn't the place and all that, but it's just been confirmed my wife's sister has incurable cancer. Keeping it off social media for now until we've reached all the family. 

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Fucksticks, had a little accident earlier with the hedge cutter, I was up my ladders cutting a bush in the back yard, when they gave on the soft ground, feeling myself falling I put my hand out to grab the top of the Bush but put it in the path of the cutters, luckily I whipped my hand out of the way before i went through the bone

 

post-4828-0-94014900-1501173508_thumb.jpg

 

Got a few stitches, came home and finished cutting the Bush, I hate gardening

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