Comments on: Raising the barriers to entry http://bellagerens.com/2010/01/18/raising-the-barriers-to-entry/ inde vides agilem bella gerentem Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:13:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bellagerens http://bellagerens.com/2010/01/18/raising-the-barriers-to-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-1487 bellagerens Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:45:32 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=894#comment-1487 Well, I guess it's because when a teacher makes a mistake, people don't usually die a painful and fiery death. I dare say as well that, all of us having gone through school ourselves, we remember what the good teachers were like and are probably identify what they did that make them good - and then we can imitate it. Teachers are best trained on the job; if I could count how many times I've heard a teacher say, 'I learned more in my first three weeks at work than I did in the whole of my training,' I'd be rich. Well, I guess it’s because when a teacher makes a mistake, people don’t usually die a painful and fiery death. I dare say as well that, all of us having gone through school ourselves, we remember what the good teachers were like and are probably identify what they did that make them good – and then we can imitate it. Teachers are best trained on the job; if I could count how many times I’ve heard a teacher say, ‘I learned more in my first three weeks at work than I did in the whole of my training,’ I’d be rich.

]]> By: John http://bellagerens.com/2010/01/18/raising-the-barriers-to-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-1486 John Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:36:38 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=894#comment-1486 As someone who carefully selected a post-grad course that would NOT lead me into a D Phil and lecturing because I knew I am no good at teaching, I wholeheartedly agree that having a top degree does not necessarily make you a good teacher. However I feel that welcoming any volunteer into teaching without giving them any training is an unduly high-risk strategy - we don't do that for bus or lorry drivers, let alone pilots, so why for teachers? As someone who carefully selected a post-grad course that would NOT lead me into a D Phil and lecturing because I knew I am no good at teaching, I wholeheartedly agree that having a top degree does not necessarily make you a good teacher. However I feel that welcoming any volunteer into teaching without giving them any training is an unduly high-risk strategy – we don’t do that for bus or lorry drivers, let alone pilots, so why for teachers?

]]> By: The Great Simpleton » Tories lose plot on education http://bellagerens.com/2010/01/18/raising-the-barriers-to-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-1481 The Great Simpleton » Tories lose plot on education Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:31:40 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=894#comment-1481 [...] you should go and read it all she sums it up in one nice paragraph at the start and one at the end: People of Britain, do you want fewer teachers? Do you wish to have teacher:pupil ratios of 1:45 across the land? Do [...] [...] you should go and read it all she sums it up in one nice paragraph at the start and one at the end: People of Britain, do you want fewer teachers? Do you wish to have teacher:pupil ratios of 1:45 across the land? Do [...]

]]> By: william http://bellagerens.com/2010/01/18/raising-the-barriers-to-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-1479 william Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:01:48 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=894#comment-1479 "Because in Britain, clearly, quality of education takes a serious backseat to social justice and equality." And in Finland, what? Well, they're pretty damn keen on social justice and equality there too. In fact, it is part of the hidden curriculum at school. “Because in Britain, clearly, quality of education takes a serious backseat to social justice and equality.” And in Finland, what? Well, they’re pretty damn keen on social justice and equality there too. In fact, it is part of the hidden curriculum at school.

]]> By: Rumbold http://bellagerens.com/2010/01/18/raising-the-barriers-to-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-1478 Rumbold Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:34:51 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=894#comment-1478 Good post. I agree with it, but you have missed out the elephant in the room: the parents. Too many parents are now willing to side with their children when it comes to misbehaving (I am thinking of the state sector here), which makes most punishments in school useless. I was put off teaching because of the discipline aspect; I worked in a school before considering this option and even though it was/is a well-run school with good results, there were a few children who you just couldn't punish because at home there was no sanction. Good post. I agree with it, but you have missed out the elephant in the room: the parents. Too many parents are now willing to side with their children when it comes to misbehaving (I am thinking of the state sector here), which makes most punishments in school useless. I was put off teaching because of the discipline aspect; I worked in a school before considering this option and even though it was/is a well-run school with good results, there were a few children who you just couldn’t punish because at home there was no sanction.

]]> By: Chris http://bellagerens.com/2010/01/18/raising-the-barriers-to-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-1477 Chris Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:01:09 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=894#comment-1477 Every summer, students from the top universities (such as myself) get paid shitloads to help out in schools and (state-funded) summer camps, the aim being to encourage us to apply to teaching. The one I attended was run by Exscitec (exscitec.com), and we worked out that well over a million pounds of taxpayers' money is going into this per year (the school gets some as well). This is a complete waste although it makes lots of students happy... out of the 14 people who went to my school, 11 were doing it for the money and the other 3 had already got a teaching job. Same with my friends who went to other schools. Half of us aren't even British/EU. So basically they sponsor 500 students, about 300 of whom will actually stay in the country after studying and about none who will decide to go into teaching. In Singapore and South Korea, teaching is not necessarily a high-status profession. The difference is that the school students actually study HARD in those countries, even the dumb ones. Unlike UK state schools they do not do all the touchy feely stuff. Parents pay for extra tuition after school which may take place every day, whether or not the teacher sucks. If you don't do your homework, then tough, you will fail your exams and have to repeat the year or get relegated to the stupid class. And then of course all the top students get sponsored by their governments to go to Oxbridge. You could say that this is like the British system used to be in the early 1900s, which probably means that in 50 years time all those countries will find themselves in the mess the UK is in... If you want to watch a movie about education in Singapore, try I Not Stupid (look up on Wikipedia). Every summer, students from the top universities (such as myself) get paid shitloads to help out in schools and (state-funded) summer camps, the aim being to encourage us to apply to teaching. The one I attended was run by Exscitec (exscitec.com), and we worked out that well over a million pounds of taxpayers’ money is going into this per year (the school gets some as well). This is a complete waste although it makes lots of students happy… out of the 14 people who went to my school, 11 were doing it for the money and the other 3 had already got a teaching job. Same with my friends who went to other schools. Half of us aren’t even British/EU. So basically they sponsor 500 students, about 300 of whom will actually stay in the country after studying and about none who will decide to go into teaching.

In Singapore and South Korea, teaching is not necessarily a high-status profession. The difference is that the school students actually study HARD in those countries, even the dumb ones. Unlike UK state schools they do not do all the touchy feely stuff. Parents pay for extra tuition after school which may take place every day, whether or not the teacher sucks. If you don’t do your homework, then tough, you will fail your exams and have to repeat the year or get relegated to the stupid class. And then of course all the top students get sponsored by their governments to go to Oxbridge. You could say that this is like the British system used to be in the early 1900s, which probably means that in 50 years time all those countries will find themselves in the mess the UK is in… If you want to watch a movie about education in Singapore, try I Not Stupid (look up on Wikipedia).

]]> By: Current http://bellagerens.com/2010/01/18/raising-the-barriers-to-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-1476 Current Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:40:09 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=894#comment-1476 Though I don't normally approve of him, I thought Steve Sailer was quite funny on this "What could be more sanity-inducing than the government conspiracies against conspiracy theorists?" Though I don’t normally approve of him, I thought Steve Sailer was quite funny on this “What could be more sanity-inducing than the government conspiracies against conspiracy theorists?”

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