MarkRD

Educational 'reform' back in the news. I don't know the details..

PM Renzi presents reform to boost Italy's sub-standard schools | Reuters

Lorna at Vicenza

"The wide-ranging bill aims to increase the powers of head-teachers in staff promotion and management, reduce class sizes and, from 2016, offer pay increases based on merit rather than just seniority."


Based on merit? And just how will they check up on who deserves something or not? The famous Invalsi tests were supposed to show which schools had better teachers. That became a huge farce as school teachers falsified results and now those bloody tests are being given to the kids as verifiche and as if they were invented for that purpose in the first place.

37100

Based on the OECD results, the UK needs to reform schools too. No, I'm not saying Italian schools need reforming, far from it.

It looks fairly good on paper. Watch a news bit the other day. More lesson in English. Music was mentioned as one that could be taught in English. How many English speaking music teachers are there out there?

MarkRD

Indeed! and the irony .. .are they going to teach them how to pronounce 'allegro' 'andante' 'concerto' and so on with English accents?

primularossa

Exactly! Some ignorant must have said that music can be taught in English!
Here in Doha, the American piano teacher of my daughter is learning from us some Italian because she needs it for her music studies! Many people that study classic music are keen to learn some Italian. And Italian is compulsory for Opera players and singers....

MarkRD

Just goes to show how ignorant some people are of their own heritage. Often Italians are surprised when I tell them that (classical) music uses Italian terms, not to mention opera and so on. Will they be requiring English speaking teachers for Renaissance Art lessons too?

Back to the reforms ... tax relief for those paying private (read 'religious') schools remains. (Well I never!)
The autonomia thing is in theory a good idea, moving away from everything being centralised, but it remains to be seen how schools will cope with heir new found autonomy.
No doubt they'll be needing.. 'managers'.

Lorna at Vicenza

It would be nice if art could be more about painting and drawing and less about "La Storia Dell'Arte", especially at middle school. Instead of being fun, art has become just another subject to study hard for because of all the written art tests.

Lorna at Vicenza

Of course the biggest reform needed is not more money for merit - but getting fired for those that deserve no merit whatsoever.

MarkRD

oooooh! Radical!

37100

That should have been, 'No, I'm not saying Italians schools DON'T need reforming'.

Lorna at Vicenza

Note about a school trip - to a pot holing cave.



Dotazione che verrà consegnata ad ogni alunno: caschetto (completo di impianto luce) e imbrago (completo di longe e moschettone).
Gli alunni dovranno portare con sé:

a)acqua in bottiglie di plastica ( non in borracce di alluminio), frutta secca ( no frutta fresca) o cioccolata, un panino a testa (tutto in sacchetto di plastica resistente all'acqua);
b) abbigliamento da grotta : una tuta da meccanico o comunque vestiario che si possa rovinare né troppo pesante né troppo leggero in quanto la temperatura interna della grotta è di 12 °C.
c) Chi lo desidera, può portare delle ginocchiere. Come calzature è opportuno avere scarponi da montagna resistenti all'acqua;(volendo sono consigliati anche gli stivali tipo pescatore ma se vi entra l’acqua poi ristagna)
d)un cambio completo per il dopo grotta che comprenda anche asciugamano, calze e biancheria intima (è molto probabile che ci si bagnerà fino alla cintola).
e) quattro pile stilo AA per la luce del caschetto.


For some reason the bit about the 4 batteries pissed me off. How can a helmet be completo di impianto luce if it won't work unless you have 4 batteries in your pocket? I know it's only semantics but anything would annoy me today ... and obviously is.

Chloe has already been to this damn place twice already with her other schools (it's famous around here) and doesn't ever want to go again.

primularossa

So, don't let her go. you might find an excuse, i.e. that she did not feel well that morning.
Anyway, helmets for caving must have the light of course but maybe who wrote the message just wanted to clarify for non experts. Of course separated batteries are necessary and it seems perfectly logical that they ask to put brand new ones every time. It's for safety reasons.
What I notice it that you are prone to take badly anything that comes from Chloe's school. Isn't it the case that you have a "dente avvelenato" with that school for some other reasons? :-)
you don't need to answer, just think on that!

37100

Why should she need an excuse? A school trip should be educational and aimed at the whole class. Just how many families have overalls, waterproof boots in their wardrobes? Let alone clothes that can be ditched because ruined.

I agree with the spare batteries, but if you are going to take a group of kids down a cave, its your job to in sure that everything is in perfect working order.

Lorna at Vicenza

Don't forget that we are paying for this school trip. It isn't free. I don't see why each parent must provide batteries for a safety helmet. That's a bit like taking them rafting and asking parents to provide a life jacket for safety - which we weren't asked for by the way.
Chloe only started this school in September and so far I think I've only mentioned that I didn't want her walking about with lots of other people's cash at age 14 so no, I don't think I have a dente avvelenato about this particular school. Yes I have had lots to say about the primary school and the middle school my kids went to and go to and lots to say about Italian schools in general, both here and in real life to people that work in said schools. Bite me.

Lorna at Vicenza

The school trip kids were supposed to be on the coach today at 5pm to set off home. Chloe rang 10 minutes ago and the sodding coach hadn't even got there yet. By the time they all get back to school there'll be no more buses out of town back to the smaller villages so we the parents will have to drive down.
Chloe's already asked me if I can give her a friend a lift home to the next village. Her mother could have picked her up at 6pm but not after 7pm because she'll be at work then.

No word from either kid's school about end of year reports. I have no idea if I have to pick them up before school breaks up on Wednesday, if there's a general pick up evening where you get a two minute grunt from a teacher or if I just collect them from a secretary some time later this month.

Thank God school is nearly over. We're exhausted.