‘Mum, Dad, that’s not how we do it at school’ [timesonline.co.uk]
- Published: 17 May 2010
Are you ready for a maths test? A ten-year-old girl asks for help with her maths homework. Which of these would you be able to explain to her? (1) Number bonds; (2) Partitioning; (3) Division by chunking; (4) A Carroll Diagram; (5) The grid method.
That’s it, test over. How did you do? If you struggled, don’t worry, you are not alone. The vast majority of adults in Britain would score zero in this test. It’s not that we are innumerate but, as any parent will know, the methods and language used to teach maths in primary schools have changed. All the terminology in the test above will be familiar to a primary school teacher but for most of us — including me until my daughter started school — it is gobbledegook.
Full Story: www.timesonline.co.uk
Employment law putting schools at risk of teacher shortages [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 17 May 2010
SCHOOLS could be left short of teachers in essential subjects because of an employment law guaranteeing permanency, after four years for contracted staff.
School managers are seeking talks with the Department of Education to review the 2003 Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Work) Act, for which procedures have been in place, in schools, since 2006.
The rules mean that a teacher is entitled to a contract of indefinite duration (CID), equivalent to permanent employment, if they have worked for four years, or more, at the same school under two or more contracts. Around 450 second-level teachers were given CIDs this year, bringing the total number with such contracts to almost 2,000.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
What parents can do for children [Independent.ie]
- Published: 17 May 2010
- Ensure your child's school can identify and act on bullying problems.
- Tell children to report incidents. Make it clear it is always right to tell when they see something wrong.
- Make children aware bullying is not simply physical.
- Challenge every incident of bullying that is witnessed.
- Don't confuse your children by talking one way and acting another.
Paul Stevens: Death of Phoebe Prince is a wake-up call for us [Independent.ie]
- Published: 17 May 2010
THE death of Phoebe Prince in the US is a wake-up call to everyone here that action needs to be taken to combat bullying in schools.
Many other Irish school-goers have fallen victim to a similar fate -- but have dipped under the radar because of the culture of silence that pervades both the issues of bullying and teenage suicide.
What has already been proved beyond doubt is that bullying has serious emotional consequences for victims.
Suicide is the third most common cause of death among young people.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
'School left my son to suffer in silence' [Independent.ie]
- Published: 17 May 2010
MY 12-year-old son was being bullied by classmates, but the school did nothing and allowed the bullying to escalate.
I had three or four meetings with the principal. There was a group of five boys involved, but she told me that, because they were all friends, she was reluctant to break them up.
There was name-calling, pushing and shoving, and some of my son's clothes were stolen.
He was threatened with physical abuse and they chose to do nothing. I finally had to remove him from the school and I'm now home schooling him. He was left to suffer in silence. The school had no anti-bullying policy. There was a complete disregard for the safety of the children.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
