Pupils Select School Staff???

[Merika]

Do you think students should have a say in what staff members are hired for their school?
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School where pupils select staff
By Katherine Sellgren
BBC News education reporter

Casey says pupils know what makes a good lesson
Pupils at a school in east London are so involved in the running of their school, that they interview all prospective teachers - even the head.

Student panels were introduced at George Mitchell School in Leyton two and a half years ago in an attempt to give pupils "ownership" of their learning.

Now up to 20 of the secondary school's 45 teachers have been "grilled" by pupils before getting their jobs.

And it doesn't stop there.

We wouldn't think of having a staff interview without having a student panel said Helen Jeffrey, head teacher.

The 70 pupils involved in the "Making Learning Better" (MLB) scheme regularly observe teachers' lessons and make suggestions about how classroom displays, teaching styles and discipline can be improved.

"We know how we want to be taught as pupils," says Casey, 12, a "lead consultant", or senior pupil adviser, for art.

"Teachers are only teaching, we're the ones being taught. Lessons have to be fun and every person has to learn something - the lesson has to have a purpose to it."

The MLB consultants at the school are clearly proud of their role and do not feel they are regarded by other pupils as "spods" or "swats".

Enkeleda says her peers are proud of what MLB pupils do

"They've seen how things have improved and so they probably respect us," says English consultant Enkeleda, 15, who joined the school after coming to England from Kosovo.

Rest of story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4785538.stm

[Duke]

This is ridiculous and another sampling of how stupid society is becoming. What's next, kids selecting their parents?

[Star]

it's abosulutely absurd. Why is society giving all this control to kids nowadays???? all it's doing is creating more delinquents.

How stupid!

[Vautrin]

It is interesting. It may be too early to have a good idea of the results of these practices, but I expect this to lead to lower drop-out rates, and an improved "transfer of knowledge."

The current schooling system seems to be failing, if we may believe all the laments of the parents. So why insist on sticking to a deficient system?

There are a lot of different schooling models, which at first glance strike us as odd, but in the long run definitely deliver the goods. That is what counts, and that is what helps children to become responsible adults.

[Merika]

For me, the drawback is that the teachers you have who you don't like, who don't like you, who are lazy, who give too much work, who annoy you, who aren't fair all the time.............. is part of the life lesson of learning how to deal with your bosses in the future.

That's what I tell my kids when they complain about a teacher they have.

[Vautrin]

That does not address the issue, that the children do not learn enough in school nowadays. What could be done to address that, in the current schooling system(s)?

[Star]

picking out the staff isn't the way to do that, that's for sure!!

that has to start with the government and school boards to brush off their curriculum.

I don't know about the states but here in canada, the kids learn a lot in school. they cram our kids way too much with information that their little brains aren't ready for.

Kassandra was learning math in the 6th grade that I was taking in the 10th grade in high school. she struggled for a couple years with it. she gets it now though but then, she just couldn't grasp the consept because it was too much information for a kid that age to handle.

[Vautrin]

I doubt that there are no big problems in Canada with the schools. Too much information? How is that possible? Senseless information? I would not know, but there are problems.

And remember, school should teach you the skills needed for the job market. And if that involves a lot of math, so be it. The children have nothing to choose anyway. It is the kids who need to adjust to the job market, and not the other way around.

I really do not see the virtues of the current system(s) that are being employed. Only a lot of drawbacks, which are not worth it, IMO.

[Star]

yes, teaching skills for the job market. they teach tht here in high school. elementary school, kids don't need to be taught about the job market. that's for high school to teach.

it is too much information for our grade school kids. it's next to impossible for kid these days to get an A. I think the government did that to weed out the geniuses in our country which isn't fair to the average kid that's too young to grasp the information (high school info) crammed into him/her in the 4th grade. that's a recipe for failure. kids gets frustrated. they get frustrated, they will lose self-esteem. they lose self-esteem, they won't try. they will give up.

high school is the most important. that will mold a child into whether she/he attends college or university upon graduating. that's where all life lessons are learned.

[Vautrin]

Originally Posted by Star

yes, teaching skills for the job market. they teach tht here in high school. elementary school, kids don't need to be taught about the job market. that's for high school to teach.

And if you lack the proper math skills before getting into high school? You need to end up with the proper skills, and high school does not last forever. There is an answer.

it is too much information for our grade school kids. it's next to impossible for kid these days to get an A. I think the government did that to weed out the geniuses in our country which isn't fair to the average kid that's too young to grasp the information (high school info) crammed into him/her in the 4th grade.

What is wrong with that? a C is sufficient. It is not high school info, otherwise everyone would fail, would not they? It is just that a lot of kids, are mathematically challenged. You can't blame the schools for that.
No point in handing out A's to the average kids. Then grades do not measure a thing anymore.

that's a recipe for failure. kids gets frustrated. they get frustrated, they will lose self-esteem. they lose self-esteem, they won't try. they will give up.

Perhaps. But a cashier at the local supermarket does not need any of those things. If a cashier is content being a cashier, there is no problem. It would be more problematic if the cashier wanted to be more than a cashier, without such a position being available.

Cost-wise the costs of frustrating geniuses is way higher, therefore, it is inefficient to burden the geniuses with mediocrity. See, the schools are run efficiently - as for the extra costs, blame the kid. Great ideology :roll:

high school is the most important. that will mold a child into whether she/he attends college or university upon graduating. that's where all life lessons are learned.

University is the most depressing environment I have ever been. If there are life lessons to be learned, is it that exactly mediocrity is being promoted by a system similar to Canada's education system and grading system.

[Merika]

I really agree with Star. For the sake of being 'college prepared', kids have to learn a whole lot of crap in a whole lot of areas. This way, instead of teaching basic skills of the trade in college, they can teach all their retarded classes here in the USA which don't amount to a hill of beans as far as your chosen profession.

[Star]

[quote="Vautrin"]
And if you lack the proper math skills before getting into high school? You need to end up with the proper skills, and high school does not last forever. There is an answer.[quote]

I was taught the proper math skills before getting into high school and I wasn't crammed. I got A's in grade school no problems. I also was taught the information that my brain could handle. that's my point vautrin. kids that are 8 or 9 years of age can't grasp math skills that are learned in high school.

What is wrong with that? a C is sufficient. It is not high school info, otherwise everyone would fail, would not they? It is just that a lot of kids, are mathematically challenged. You can't blame the schools for that.
No point in handing out A's to the average kids. Then grades do not measure a thing anymore.

it is high school info because I learned that same stuff in high school myself. a C is not sufficient. a C is borderline. My point wasn't handing out A's in any case. My point is that the information is too advanced for a child of that age.

Perhaps. But a cashier at the local supermarket does not need any of those things. If a cashier is content being a cashier, there is no problem. It would be more problematic if the cashier wanted to be more than a cashier, without such a position being available.

who wants to be a cashier??? come on. that's IMO is absurd.

Cost-wise the costs of frustrating geniuses is way higher, therefore, it is inefficient to burden the geniuses with mediocrity. See, the schools are run efficiently - as for the extra costs, blame the kid. Great ideology :roll:

for the few geniuses that there are out there, it's not fair to the average kid. in the past, the geniuses skipped grades and moved ahead quicker then the rest. what was wrong with that system? nothing. they're streesing our young kids to the extreme for nothing. they get frustrated and end up failing and living with low self-esteem.

University is the most depressing environment I have ever been. If there are life lessons to be learned, is it that exactly mediocrity is being promoted by a system similar to Canada's education system and grading system.

anything that calls for work is depressing. College or University is no different. But, by the time you reach that level of education, you're an adult and can deal with it.

[Vautrin]

Originally Posted by Star

I was taught the proper math skills before getting into high school and I wasn't crammed. I got A's in grade school no problems. I also was taught the information that my brain could handle. that's my point vautrin. kids that are 8 or 9 years of age can't grasp math skills that are learned in high school.

You could argue that you were taught too little. And that governments have found out that children can learn more at those ages, and now insist on doing so.

who wants to be a cashier??? come on. that's IMO is absurd.

You can't deny that Canada does need cashiers, right? That means you need people who are happy to be cashiers. And thus have no more skills than what is needed to be a cashier. The same with sewer workers. One way to get those people is to just give them enough education for those jobs, and instill a sense of worthlessness in these people - that they cannot achieve more than being a cashier. Why spend a $1,000,000 if a tenth suffices for that goal? That is wasting money, and that is something Canadians are not too fond of either.

for the few ge