School and teaching staff
 

Morning all, I have tried to translate this but am unable to find the translation of this particular word 'flaja' I am thinking it may mean lazy? If this is the case I would be interested to know how appropriate people feel it is to scrawl 'Ultimamente esta muy flaja' across the bottom of a test result handed to a child in primary school. Personally speaking I am steaming from the ears. OH says I should ignore personally I would like to speak to the teacher. Any thoughts?:confused:

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Although I have no idea what flaja means, I would just ignore it.
If it does mean lazy, then maybe your child is a bit lazy?
It's not the end of the world.
My eldest can be lazy when it comes to homework and revising for class tests. She would do the absolute minimum if we didn't continually push her.
I think some Spanish teachers can be very blunt and patronising when talking to foreign parents. Maybe they feel they are just using simple language that you will understand?
Sounding off at the teacher is only going to make life difficult for the child.

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The word you are talking about is Flojo/a, which literally mens loose as the most common use.

Here are more examples of different uses.

http://es.thefreedictionary.com/floja

I think she was referring to nuimber 9.

Re: School and teaching staff
 

Thank you. Although I absolutely understand that a previously reply to my thread suggested that the best course of action may be to ignore this, I feel it completely inappropriate to call any child lazy. Children can lack motivation for a variety of reasons but to call them lazy is so demotivating and damaging to their self confidence and self worth. I feel a little torn as if this had happened in the UK I would without doubt speak to the teacher and express my concerns however here it appears parents are expected to stay quiet and stay out of the realms of the teacher. Very frustrating!

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Dont jump to conclusions that the teacher means lazy, I would translate it as "lately not up to scratch, which is not lazy, it could mean bad handwriting, not much content, only half done or a host of other things, and my take by reading what the teacher wrote in the context, not just the word floja, I think she is talking about the work, not about the child, if you see what I mean.


It would be difficult to get your point across to the teacher without having more command of the language, I am presuming you are far from fluent,as without the vocabulary neither party will understand fully what the other is trying to say.

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There was an article on Breakfast news this morning, about a new uk docu-series called "Dream School" (may be a slightly different title). The premise of the show (from what I saw) is that famous clever people get to teach school drop-outs. Anyway, one of the celebrities (some obnoxious historian - I've seen him on Question Time) started out by provoking the class in stating "Why are you here? You're here because you failed..." I agree that destroying younger people's confidence, is not always the best route to follow, and can have a totally counter-productive effect. I can fully understand why the OP is aggrieved. On the other hand, there's a famous quote somewhere along the lines that the best answer is success. Maybe the teacher is hoping for a reaction, instead of just allowing the pupil to drift?

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My Andaluz workmate has no idea what it means:confused:

Update , he now thinks it should read floja which can mean lazy but dont worry to much initially,many Spanish teachers are fond of blaming pupils for their own teaching inadequacies.

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I do not think that she was saying that your child is lazy but just not putting her all into the subject. Ignoring it is not possible for you and the teacher obviously wrote this to gain a response. I think that if it was me and my child I would have a talk with the teacher to find out what could be done to remedy the situation. This would gain clarity on what is really meant and give you an action plan. Maybe your daughter finds the subject boring so needs stimulation, or maybe she finds it far to difficult so needs additional help or maybe she finds it too easy so is therefore not bothering with it and needs encouragement to take part. No matter what the truth is behind it all a pleasant discussion with the teacher should help but I would not go in all guns blazing which is your natural first reaction to the perceived critism of your child.

Hope you get this resolved to your and your childs satisfaction.

Rosemary

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It does mean lazy but that could apply to meaning just scruffily done.
Teachers here are not always that approachable but I'm sure if there was a serious problem with your childs work they would soon let you know.
My advice, ignore it.

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Floja can mean lazy, but can also mean a drop from the level your child was at before, either in performance or effort, kind of like "weak performance" or "drifting".

I dont think it is inappropriate for a teacher to write that about a student, but yes you should find out the reasons why so you can help your child. If you cant talk to the teacher then bring someone who can! Very important.

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One of my daughters teachers recently put a red cross through her test with the word 'mal', and that was it.

How on earth is the pupil supposed to learn from that.

Surely teachers should teach! and part of this is to show what is incorrect or what could have been done better (differently).

So far I'm not that impressed with the general standard of primary school teachers.:thumbdown:

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Me neither ,I know of one case where the teacher had the parents in and explained their child was disruptive in class,when the one parent asked what they were doing about it the teacher was gob smacked and saying the parents should be able to control the child when not presant!!

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I think this depends on whether the child is 4 or 10 years old. If 4, then yes the teacher needs to be in charge of the situation, if 10 then the parents.

These things have to be discussed with the teachers as personal relationships are everything in Spain. If you arent able to get on with your teacher, and they think your child is misbehaving then there will only be one outcome and it wont be good!

Just saying all Spanish primary teachers are rubbish wont solve anything, it will reenforce to your child that they can do what they like, and your child will end up failing shool. 30% of kids in Spanish schools fail, this is a set proportion, so make sure your child isnt in it!

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As usual an expert but with no experience , and as I recall you have no kids:rofl:

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So what?

I have many younger brothers and sisters. Plus cousins etc. Plus I was at school not long ago!

Plus I will be having children in Spain and sending them to school here.

By your fuzzy logic a doctor cant have an opinion unless he actually HAS the disease he is trying to treat? :blink:

Speaking as someone who went to a bad school in the UK, where only 10% of kids went to uni. And as one of the very few at this school who got all As in their exams at school. I learnt a few things.
1. You cant fight the system, you must use it to your advantage
2. The kids who were disruptive and did worse were from families who didnt trust the education system and just put it down.
3. I feel people who havent got good qualifications think education is purely down to the teachers. It is mainly down to the attitude of the child, which comes from the parents. Having a good teacher is a bonus.

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Ah , so your a paediatrician and a child psychologist today :rofl:I prefer to get advice from those who have been there and done it.

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I'm not forcing anyone to take my advice, but I have a right to state an opinion without being put down by you at every chance.

P.S. I bet you didnt do well at school! :p

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Sadly I gave up trying to talk to teachers here years ago.
Generally, they are not interested in working with parents, it is just not in the culture.
PTA :rofl::frown::blink::huh::(

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Again, cricketman said exactly what I would say. "Últimamente está muy floja" is a really common way to say things. It means that lately she's not working that much, or as was pointed out before "weak performance" or "drifting". I don't think "flojo" is an adjective you use to describe someone, but a piece of work or a performance. It just means that and it's not offensive. It doesn't mean lazy...and even if it did, "vago" is also commonly used. If that word is never uttered by a British teacher doesn't mean a teacher here is a bad teacher or mean because they do. Some kids are intelligent but they're lazy, they follow the "ley del mínimo esfuerzo" and teachers usually insist on that.

I don't expect you to change your opinion about schools or teachers here, your own experience as students and your own culture is totally different. What I find a bit annoying is critising something you don't understand or expecting to have a good understanding or relationship with school life if you can't talk to teachers. About teachers being "unapproachable", I'm there 2 hours every week just to receive parents. I obviously talk to everybody. If you don't speak the language then that's something else.

And yeah, like cricketman said, the biggest problem about education now (here) is that parents distrust teachers, kids see and hear this and act accordingly: "I can do whatever I want at school because my mum says teachers are stupid and if they say something to me, she comes here and tell them off". And etc. Hard work + collaboration between families and teachers. That's the only way. If parents insist on "desprestigiar" schools, the only thing they'll get is harm their own kids.

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If that happened to my kids in the UK I'd have been amazed - it was always so politically correct, you could never get a clue what was going on at school. You had to kinda read between the lines. My two are at an international school and they tell it how it is, which is so much more helpful!

Jo xxx

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Exactly. Generally it is best to not criticise something until you are sure of it.

"Dont criticise what you can't understand"

I think Bob Dylan said that :rofl:

But seriously, if you fight against your children's education then it is your children that will suffer. You have to think that millions of people manage to gain an excellent education in Spain, so your children can too. But you need to educate yourselves a little to help achieve that.

By not being able to talk to your children's teachers, your children are already at a big disadvantage to their schoolmates. If you add a negative attitude to education on top of that, then your child will be fighting a losing battle.

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Kids are kids are kids, and nobody likes thier children to be critisised for no reason.
I agree that the word Floja would not be used to describe a child, it is the effort or standard that is being judged.

The problem is when there is a lack of communication due to language, niether party can express thmselves as they would like.

I remember an incident in my school in the UK, I had a report that said " this term he did not apply himself", or something like that.

My mum took it to mean that I was not "quite legal" in the school, and that I needed to make an application. Which as she pointed out, I was only a child and she as my mother had done all the applications necessary,she felt her role as a mother was being questioned.:o:o

It took me all my time to convince her whiat it meant, as she was ready to go and wring the teachers neck for calling me "an illegal immigrant".:rofl::rofl:

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Thats true, plus the obvious disadvantage of the parents not being able to help with homework, reading, and everyday vocabulary.

I know lots of Spanish parents, that have to help theri children with homework, even at a young age they seem to get quite a lot of it.

When I went to school, we did not get homework untill secondary school, so by then I did not need any help, as I was pretty fluent by then.

Also my homework when it did get done, was really "flojo", as I was a minimum effort type of pupil.:)

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lol!!

at least you were honest.....

I know some kids who have got away with telling their parents that suspendida on a school report means that they don't do that subject:sneaky:

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Unfortunately there is no '2hr' slot provided in my daughters school for teachers to 'receive' parents and I merely speak from my experience of what I see before me on a daily basis. I am not discrediting the school however I am questioning some of the methods of communication in the school of which I speak.

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There are also many children who have no support with regard to homework due to the poor literacy standards in some communities inland.

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By law, teachers have to receive parents. In my case it's Tuesday afternoon. Hours and day may change but whatever type of school it is, there must be an hour for them to receive parents. I've never heard of any school that doesn't do this and I'm sure that would never be approved by inspection.

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I agree though I am fighting 'for' my child's education here as I would anywhere, not against it. I worked with groups of young people failed by the education system in the UK, kindly labelled as disaffected. Many of these bright young people merely needed a teacher capable of meeting their learning needs and learning style. They floundered and failed due to being unable to flourish in the environment in which they were being taught and some were written off by those employed to teach and guide them. I do not have a negative attitude to education however I will question a system if I feel it has a negative impact upon my child.

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Very interesting I will query this with the school, thank you.

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I agree that sometimes is the case, there are a lot of illiterate parents, but at least they can correct their children with speaking, so their children do not have such a "handicap" as the children of parents who dont even speak the language..

Also, I am not going to be ver popular by saying this, but I think it needs to be said anyway.

After a few years living in Spain, if the parents, still have not reached a decent language level, the children often feel embarassed by their parents lack of skills.


I have seen and heard it so many times, I have lived through it on a few occasions myself, I knew an Anglo/Italian boy in the UK, who would not take anyone home to his house because he was ashamed at his dads level of English after living in the UK for about 10 years.
he called everbody boy, girl, lady or man when speaking to them, it was seen as aggressive.

On the subject of children having to help their parents out with the language.

At first the children feel important and clever at being able to help with translating, but after a few years if the parents dont improve it is not so great.

There is nothing worse that having your parents struggle through a basic conversation, when they are asked "how long have you lived here?" and they answer 10 years.........

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All I`ll say is I`d bet you a year worth of your salary that I was a hell of a lot more successfull than you at your age (a safe bet as your obviuosly dont have a very taxing job if you even work as you are always messing around on this site during working hours:rofl:)

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Define succesful

Age 30, live where I like, beautiful wife, income in the top 5% of the population (both in UK and Spain) and very happy thank you!

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Yeah right ,your so successful you have all day to dick about on this web site, I dont believe a word you say but Okay I change my bet ,I was doing much better at 28:rofl::rofl::p

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What has this to do with the original post?

Rosemary

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Teachers,parents,children and expat posters.
There is good and bad in all but we all think we are in the right.
I of course am always good and never wrong:o

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What is the income of the top 5% of the population of Spain and the UK?

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If you don't know it, you're probably not in it! :D (I know I'm nowhere near it - yet - next year Rodders, next year....)

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I personally do not see anything wrong with saying the child is lazy, if she is. But I agree with others that it probably means something like 'sloppy work'.