Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

Yep, we are truly in an 'everyone's a winner' world these days. Plus everything is 'awesome'

I came to Canada between grade 11 and 12 back when they also had grade 13 so I did grade 12 and 13 here in Ontario. I got an average from my best 6 grade 13 credits of 81% and got into the programme I wanted. Back then if you got an average of over 80% you got a $100 award from the Ontario government (this was 1983). Probably at my high school of 250 grade 13 grads maybe 25% or so got 80% or more.

Fast forward to 2018 and surprise, surprise any financial award is gone and it seems at my son's high school 80% of the students get a grade 12 average of 80% or more. Probably 30% get 90% or more. Crazy marks yet they deny grade inflation. There are kids getting 95% in subject like english, french, history etc.

Rant over.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

We had the tables thing at my school. But I never had any sense that it was competitive. I didn't admire the people who were further ahead than me nor did I think less of those behind me. I can't recall anything other than "great, I got the next one" as each kid succeeded.

So long as you get a balance and different opportunities for kids to succeed.

In class, we had the tables, spelling and other tests so someone might be good at geography and someone else at Maths. We had projects too, so there was a chance to be knowledgable about a specialist subject.

We had Rugby and Netball, but also Tunnel Ball, egg and spoon race, sack race, three legged race....all needing different skills, strength co-ordination etc. Most could excel at something.

Similar at the comprehensive. If you couldn't run fast, maybe you could run slow and you were better at Cross country running. If not particularly 'fit' maybe the shot-put was your thing. If you were a beanpole you could high jump.

Everyone could be a winner, not through lack of competition, but through plenty of it.

Even the chess nerds were looked on differently when Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer were on the news every night. :lol:

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

Spelling bees still happen and it's a bigger competition now than it ever was, culminating in national and international televised finales with big prizes. In the early 60's our grade 3 and 4 teacher divided the classroom into 2 sides and we competed as teams until only 1 student was left standing, and it usually came down to Marylin Hnatiew and myself standing across from each other to break the tie. Ahhh, glory days.... I don't remember any resentment or even hard looks from those who got to sit down and be out of it early.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

Very rude and detrimental in my opinion.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

Depends on the teacher, the child, the grade, the relationship between them.

When I was at school I had a propensity for turning in "adequate" work that would get me a passing grade but that required the bare minimum of effort. I knew, and my teachers certainly knew, that I was capable of better, and we all absolutely knew that fundamentally it was laziness preventing a better standard of work. I was called out on it frequently (not that I gave a stuff, of course) and couldn't possibly take offence because I knew that they knew that I knew they were right...

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

I would dislike being called 'girl' even in that sentence. By all means call me lazy but say 'You're being a bit lazy Penny'. Flashback to my entire school life. :lol:

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

I still have a school report from primary school.

"A conserver of energy".

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

My kids used to complain about having to do history "there's no history in Canada, it's another year of the Plains of Abraham".

I'd tell them that, since there's so little to learn, they should get 100%.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

Good one. Plains of Abraham, pioneers, repeat repeat.

I find that teachers are afraid to give a 'poor' mark. You really have to screw up, and repeatedly not take advantage of 2nd chance tests etc. Deadlines to submit assignments that are marked don't really mean much as the teachers never really deduct marks for handing it in late etc. So basically great training for the real world. :eek::eek::eek:

My father (retired 20 years from being a prof in the sciences at U of T) was the chair of the admissions committee for his department and he saw the incoming marks increase over time with no noticeable improvement in the knowledge of the students.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

It serves the student no good service to falsify assessments of their progress, and it's an abrogation of responsibility not to push students to achieve to the very best of their ability.

Allowing children to progress at their own pace will allow them to do what children always do, play the game, and systems of education should recognise this.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

I'm not sure why that is such a big deal. The plains were not that big, even then, and the battle was over in an hour with only a couple of hundred killed.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

I still remember getting pulled out of the classroom by a teacher yanking on my right ear. I was marched like this all the way to the Head Masters office.

Never did me any harm and I certainly would not have any objections to a teacher using words such as lazy boy/girl to my children.

Kids these days don't even know they're born. Bloody snowflakes the lot of them.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

Is this you?

https://4f9f43c1b16d77fd5a81-7c32520...7fig21left.jpg

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

what about" do your Maths the Canadian way"!!! my daughter was taught in Scotland to do the sum?problem in her head,not primary but it was middle school she went into in rural MB. Well she would get the correct answers near every time but would be marked down as wrong because she didn't show how she got to the answer. There was me thinking in real life doing it in your head was the way to do it ,,,not scribbling down on bits o paper.

Re: Teachers and the use of language
 

'use of language" ..My OH got called in to school because my daughter said she had brought a flask on a trip.(called before they left on the trip). Seems it is not a flask but a thermos....a flask is for booze. My OH let them know in no uncertain terms to check things out before wasting her BLDY time on a *****wild goose chase.and lets not go into "A horrible child" said in a conversation with a teacher. Seems to sound like something very upsetting to the schoolteacher when said in broad scots.