Welcome to a special post on The Male Childcarer. Today I interview a friend of mine from University who has ADHD and created a stunning video about his struggle for his final project. The video entitled "A dance through my mind" is available on YouTube to watch. Below is the video and the interview with Josh.This is my first ever interview for The Male Childcarer and I hope it helps people understand how ADHD does affect children and young adults, but also how different things can help, in Josh's case its his dancing. Enjoy.
A Dance Through My Mind by Josh Egget
Interview with Josh, June 2014
Please feel free after watching these videos to visit Josh's YouTube Channel. He is willing to answer questions or comments and looks forward to sharing his stories and showing people that it doesn't matter what you have, you can do anything you want in life, and do what you want to do.The links to his channel and the video on YouTube can be found at the end of the interview video.
Right so this is a little bit different for me. Its been over a month since I posted anything on here due to University getting in the way. However through the hours of procrastinating and looking back at old shows I used to watch as a child I have come to realise something. There used to be old awesome cartoons and television shows that made a difference, had educational material embedded into them and should never have been taken off the air.
Now before I start there is many TV shows out there aimed at children that have educational content and have underlying messages. However in my recent experiences they seem to be dropping less and less especially in shows that are aimed at any child over the age of three. Just to clarify I was a child that had access to the old style Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, however there were also cartoons and TV shows broadcasted here on standard TV channels which were just awesome.
The first TV show that I loved as a child and most people just overlooked was a show called Animaniacs. The show was a 'sketch style' type cartoon based around several characters at Warner Brothers Studios who each had their own sketch shows. The main characters were the 'Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister' who lived in the water tower at the studios. These three were crazy yet they had some absolutely awesome songs that were educational.
Here are two videos from Animaniacs which are probably my favorite and most memorable songs that I ever learnt from them.
The first video on the left is the Animaniacs singing the history of the presidents of the United States of America. Although this song is very catchy and not really relevant to English Children it does have some History in it and since the show mainly had a US Audience this was remarkable. After reading through the comments on YouTube there were several American Students that even today use this video to get through History Tests! So tell me why was this show taken off the air back in 1998?! (Great now I feel really old). Oh a word of warning since this was back in the 90's it is a little outdated...
And here is probably my favourite ever Animaniacs song, just because it is pure genius whoever wrote it. Yakko sings all the countries of the world. Now this video he doesn't sing them in any particular order its just the ones that rhyme with each other. This video would still help children with Geography and should be used. However Cartoon Network took this show off the air in 1998 and if it had kept going then these cheesy catchy songs could still be going but with new updates and helping children understand complex issues and history without even knowing it.
After doing some research on Animaniacs for this article I did discover that Cartoon Network has decided to re-run Animaniacs, however not at any time a child would be awake. Good effort Cartoon Network but you still prefer the no so educational shows which win on popularity such as Ben 10.
Yes I had to mention it. Ben Ten. Now from my research (and hearing from countless children) Ben 10 is a modern childrens television show about a boy called Ben who has some strange watch which changes him into different types of Aliens which he then combats monsters etc. Now I've seen episodes of this when channel flicking through early on a morning and to be honest I don't see what children see in it. All I see is yet another violent male superhero who has strange powers.
Now I completely understand why children love this type of show. Maybe its personal preference but they never appealed to me. Why do I want to watch some violent boy change into aliens and beat up monsters when I can watch something else in the same genre but actually learn something. Now one show that does come to mind and was probably one of my favourite from Cartoon Network ever was The Powerpuff Girls.
Now if you can remember them you'll remember that they were probably the first ever female superheroes for children. Now I must stress that a lot of the stories weren't educational but had hidden meanings that if you were smart enough you could pick up on. In fact the final episode was actually never aired in the United States and in other countries such as China, Russia due to its message about communism. Yes the Powerpuff Girls went there! Just to quickly recap there is a strange gnome like man that comes to their town and promises to make everyone happy and safe if the girls surrender their powers. They agree to hoping that everyone will be happy, however he controls everyone's lives in order to make everyone happy. Basically he turns the town into a dictatorship communism. (You can see why there were countries this wasn't aired in). However in the end the girls get their powers back but not after explaining to him just about how everything is in balance. Watch the video on the left, its powerful and has so many hidden meanings. I didn't see this as a child but its message makes children realise that there are good and bad in the world yet you need to balance it. Its quite philosophical if you ask me.
Now I've looked at the shows that were mainly on Cartoon Network and other Sky Channels. However there were other TV Shows that were on the main channels (Back when we only had channels one to five, great now I feel really old!). The first show that came to mind was the traditional classic Rosie and Jim! Now Rosie and Jim was about these two rag dolls that would go around on a Narrow Boat on English Canals and learn about the different things they encountered. During my research I was shocked to learn that I still know every single word to the theme tune. I remember that Rosie and Jim used to be on TV everyday after school as part of "BBC's Children's Hour" a long time before CBBC or CBeebies. My favourite episode was about how Rosie and Jim discovered how their narrow boat was built as well as other boats. I think this is why I was fascinated by canals and loved to go on bicycle rides along the tow paths when I was younger. Now I recently found this episode on YouTube and I am going to admit I did sit there and watch it whilst writing this article. The episode in on your right and I strongly suggest that if you want to see what I was on about, you can see just how educational and awesome this show was! (By the way I wanted to go on one of these boats so badly as a child my dad asked a friendly couple if I could have a ride, it was the best day of my life).
So another example that was featured on TV and was educational yet fun was a TV Show called "The Magic Schoolbus". Now not many people remember this show, but I remember it quite clearly. The story was about a class and a teacher who would take the children on field trips to answer their questions or to cure their curiosity. Now to get around obvious barriers the bus was magic and could do pretty much anything, from fly to turn microscopic etc. And yes if you're already wondering I still know all the words to the theme tune its actually scary how much I remember these old shows. So once again I've included video evidence to support my explanation, the video on the left is the episode where the class and the Magic School Bus go back in time to discover Dinosaurs after visiting an archaeological site. Seriously when I become a teacher I'm going to see if I can get myself one of these "Magic School Buses", they seem like a necessary education tool that every teacher needs...
So far I've identified that there are two types of educational childrens shows, those which teach directly such as Animaniacs and those with hidden messages underpinning the story.
So now I'm going to look at some modern examples which are on air, but are not yet widely known or appreciated. The one TV Show that does stand out to me and has a remarkable audience is the modern version of My Little Pony. Now since my house mates are the biggest Bronies I've ever known I've also gotten involved just because I was curious in what they see in the show.Now I am going to write a special blog post on this topic but from what I've seen of My Little Pony its not just a show about female ponies living in a fantasy land, but it actually had serious messages about being a better friend and a better person in general. This is one thing that I love about this show and the stories reflect this and even though many people especially boys and men believe that this show is "for girls only" its actually not. If you watch it, or simply give it a try you'll understand that yes the show is aimed at girls but it has messages that are relevant to all. Its not all glitter and fancy clothes. I found a compilation of the end of all of season 1 from My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic which follows the format of writing a letter of what the characters have learnt about friendship. Give it a watch and tell me how this is for girls only and how this doesn't apply to everyone?
Just to clarify MLP covers many topics in modern life that children face everyday. From choosing between two friends, to how to deal with a bully and from how to trust your family and elders decisions. I've seen pictures of people bullied by others for liking this show, so I just wanted to say that those people who are too arrogant and stuck up to realise that the messages and lessons in this show are actually helping children become better citizens, then that goes to show just what upbringing you had doesn't it?
Another modern example of an educational show but had an underpinning message is Disney's own Phineas & Ferb. Now this is a show that I discovered back in 2010 when on Holiday in Tenerife and Disney Channel was the only TV channel we could find in English. On the other hands I learnt how to count in Spanish due to the Johnson Baby Oil advert... but anyways from watching the show I learnt that the first few seasons didn't have any educational content, but as the show progresses it does slot in some history and other educational content as it progresses. It does this in the clever way of the actual story. The show is about two step brothers called Phineas and Ferb who can somehow create magnificent things to do throughout the summer months and get away with it each time. Seriously they build a rollercoaster, they go back in time they go around the world etc etc. However its underpinning messages are not as clear but are there. For example they are step brothers and have a complex family structure like modern children these days yet they're also bets friends. The show also plays on childrens stereotypes such as The bully, The Quiet One, The Popular one etc and it basically runs with it. Just like My Little Pony, Phineas and Ferb express their lessons and messages through the use of songs. To the right is a song sung by Candace who is feeling guilty of getting her brothers into trouble and how much they actually mean to her. This can help children in relations with siblings, especially older children with younger siblings. However what I love about this show is its sense of humour, its amazing animation and its weird and wacky storylines. It really does appeal to modern children and Disney have done a fantastic job of getting educational content into this fantastic cartoon. It also applies to both gender sterotypes, especially in the case of Isabella who has a massive crush on Phineas and often sings about it. Seriously I can remember having crushes on girls when I was younger, where was Isabella back then to help me?! (Watch the bottom video for more context).
This has turned into a superlong post/article about childrens TV shows and educational content. However I firmly believe that even though the modern shows have some fantastic content (In relation to MLP and P&F) there was a time when TV shows had more meaning in them. Yes MLP and P&F have some great messages and lessons in them, but compared to what used to be shown back when I was a child they can't compete. I can flick through the childrens channels now on standard channels and find TV shows with hardly any or none educational content at all. The TV Channels where My Little Pony and Phineas & Ferb are broadcasted on are both channels that you need to pay or subscribe to and they are not broadcasted on standard channels. This makes it hard for children from poorer families to watch and learn. As a childcare practitioner I can see which children have access to these shows and which don't and its a huge gap. If we're going to make educational childrens television we need to make sure that its accessible for all and not only on paid for channels.
These are just my views on how childrens television has changed and I've only scratched the surface in this post, there are many ways its become better and many ways its become worse. But for now I'm going to just say that some modern childrens television is brilliant and some is utter garbage. TV producers and animators should look back on the past and at some of the truly successful childrens shows and learn from them. After all children spend much more time in front of a TV or looking at a digital screen than they do outside, mainly because we're all scared that if we take our eyes off them for more than thirty seconds they'll get kidnapped. But that's for another post, this is all for now! Arigato! :)
Well its tragic news that gripped the country. A teacher from my home town of Leeds, Mrs Ann
Maguire was stabbed to death in front of her class this week. As a training teacher and childcare provider I am shocked to hear about this. Apparently it was also an unprovoked attack. First of all my thoughts go out to her family and friends, however it has occurred to me that the media are blaming video games for this random out burst.
First of all there are game out there which do have violence in them. I have played games such as Left for Dead, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto and to be honest its never crossed my mind to randomly jump out at my Spanish teacher and stab her. An article by the Telegraph states the current known facts about the situation. (Click here to read).
Now, from reading through the article it seems that the boy (Who will remain nameless) often brought alcohol to school, disobeyed his parents and was described as a "loner" and an outcast. Now these are not very nice things to say about anyone. The one thing I want to know is why wasn't the school doing anything about this? The fact that an under-age teenager could have, drink or even buy alcohol is questionable to say the least. Why was he driven to such lengths and why did he change into this from what he used to be?
The media can be a massive influence and unfortunately video games have started to become more violent, mainly because the market has changed. When I was little playing Pokémon on GameBoy Colour (Yes I'm that old) was considered a normal and easy going game. However, I now hear children talk about first person shooters and violent games that I wouldn't dream of playing when I was that young. Seriously though, when a Five year old child starts asking his friend how many head shots he's got on COD, isn't that when you start to wonder why they are playing such a game?
The video game industry is constantly changing. However unfortunately 8 out of 10 parents will allow their twelve year old play a 18 rated game without giving a second thought. I am a very firm believer that the ratings are there for a reason. If a game has an 18 logo on, it shouldn't be played by, with or around anyone younger than that, especially younger children who have yet to learn from right and wrong.
This isn't the first time that murder has been blamed on the video game industry. If you're old enough or study childcare like I did, you are probably familiar with the James Bulger case. Two children kidnapped a three year old boy and repeated what they had seen on their games to him then left him on a railway track to die. I'm not going into any detail because what they did was seriously horrific.
However, once again Mrs Maguire's death has been blamed on one individuals obsession with violent gaming. I don't believe this is right. From what I've read then young man had several serious underlying issues that should have been spotted and addressed. Now I don't know if they were or not and were in the process of doing so, however I can only assume that they weren't recognised. Perhaps if they were noticed and he was receiving help then this tragedy could have been avoided.
As a childcare practitioner, I feel very sorry not just for Mrs Maguire, but also for the young man that resorted to such actions. I know what its like to feel alone at school and I know how it feels to have personal problems. I also understand that everyone has their own way of dealing with their issues, mine was to write it out and turn it into a story. I seriously hope he receives help to stabilise any insecurities the young man has, yes he's facing murder charges but it does make me wonder what caused him to do such and act and why it wasn't noticed earlier.
Overall this tragedy is horrible. A much loved teacher killed by her student mainly because he had no other way of acting, maybe he didn't know how or he just couldn't express himself. Also I believe that violent video games did have a participation in this but it is wrong for the media to solely blame it on that. I just hope that in the future more parents regulate what their children are playing and be a little stricter, maybe then we'll have a generation where violence in children isn't a problem.
To the family of Mrs Maguire, my deepest condolences and I hope she rests in peace.
So recently I have decided that I need to widen my audience and to get 'the ear' so to speak of more people. Here I present you with The Male Childcarer's first video! Please watch so that I can explain how I am going to make this more entertaining and easier for all users to access and my opinions heard.
Also for those observant people you may have noticed that I have a new logo! Yes I sat down and made something pretty instead of using the background image all the time!. So here's a little snapshot of it!
So please keep checking for more from The Male Childcarer Blog! :
I've been doing some research into this topic in the last few weeks, and I now sit here at 6am on this Foggy Tuesday Morning to bring you my thoughts and findings. According to several sources many people are angered at Disney's newest film success "Frozen".
For those who don't know what Frozen is about or have yet to see the film, it is a Disney Computer Animated film set in a fictional kingdom on an island which relies on sea commerce to survive. There is a Monarchy in command of this small kingdom, one King and Queen and their two Princesses. One of the princesses has an unique magical power allowing her to control ice and water. This character is called Elsa and is the oldest daughter. When Elsa accidentally hits Anna her younger sister with her powers during play it is revealed that for Anna to survive the memories of Elsa's powers have to be removed and she should not know. This is due to a direct hit to Anna's head.
Therefore Elsa has to painfully isolate herself from her sister. Something which Anna (because her memories have been magically altered) doesn't understand. This lead to a song called "Do you want to build a snowman" which is about Anna's feeling of loneliness and not understanding why Elsa is hiding away. During that song however their parents the King and Queen go on a trip and the ship is lost in a storm. The video of "Do you want to build a snowman" is provided here on the left.
However several years down the line Elsa is still struggling to control her powers. This is because she hasn't had any guidance and has to control her emotions. It doesn't help that she has now come of age and is expected to take the throne and rule the kingdom. However on her coronation the stress and emotions get to her and after an argument with Anna she loses control of her power and exposes her powers. She runs away as she is rejected by her own people and the visiting powers set out to find her, with one leader wanting her dead due to her powers.
However not all is lost. Anna sets out to find her sister and meets a man who sells ice for a living. This mans name is Kritsoff and his best friend is his reindeer called Sven who has been his partner since he was a child. He helps Anna get to Elsa's new ice palace that she has created and convince her to come home. However during a conflict scene Elsa accidently hits Anna with her ice powers again, this time to the heart. The only cure for this is true love. Anna who is rushed back to the castle to find her true love (One of the visiting princes that she instantly got a crush on when they met, the whole 'love at first sight thing that Disney loves so much'). However this prince doesn't love her and plans to let Anna die, and kill Elsa and therefore take command of the Kingdom.
So Anna then realises that she loves someone, that being her sister. So after a great scene where Anna sacrifices herself to save Elsa. Elsa breaks down and starts to cry and therefore the love from Elsa thaws the now frozen Anna and saving her.
So that's the basic story. However for the last few weeks there has been several articles, even one published by the BBC stating that the film is all about encouraging children to be Lesbians and that Beastiality is accepted in society. Now before I start I am going to make this clear, I have often said and will always say this. I have no problem with what sexuality anyone is, whether that be Straight, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or other. I am in no way supporting these stupid claims which is ruining the magic of yet another good Disney movie.
One song in particular is scrutinized in detail from the movie. This song is called "Let it go" which is about Elsa running away, finding her own freedom and finally allowing herself to use her powers instead of hiding them. However the Article on the BBC Quotes a fellow Blogger, Kathryn Skaggs. She says: "The words to Let it Go are clearly not Christian-values friendly, by
any stretch of the imagination, when understood and heard. This is not
an innocent song, with a catchy tune. It is rebellious. It mocks moral
absolutes. It is careless. It is unaccountable. It is anti-obedience. It
is regardless. It is selfish. And if you still disagree, then by all
means, feel free to show me how I've misinterpreted the lyrics".
I have provided the video of "Let it go" on the right so that you can watch and listen to determine it for yourself. However I don't see this at all. This song is about Elsa being able to use her powers and not hide them anymore, something which has brought her great pain and isolation in her life. Personally I love this song, it represents freedom and it allows children to see that they have hidden powers that should be seen not hidden behind closed doors. Saying it doesn't have "Christian-values friendly" is a stupid way of describing this song. I'm not religious, but how does this song encourage children to "come out of the closet" and become Lesbians? I think that some people need to stop reading too far into this and need to simply sit and enjoy the movie.
However that is not all. It is said that the film also encourages Beastiality which is the act of having sexual relations or contact with animals. This is because Kristoff has a trusted partner of Sven his reindeer who he see's as his best friend. Honestly I think this is just pushing it too far. It is made clear in the story that Kristoff has grown up with Sven from an early age and they have been isolated together for many years. Its a classic story of a isolated boy growing up with an animal and they love and trust each other, what is wrong with that? Children grow up with their loved pets in their own homes, whether that be dogs, cats, rabbits etc. Just because they come home from school and their pet loves to see them and vice versa, does this mean that they are going to grow up and have sexual contact with them? No it doesn't!
I really do not understand people's fascination with this film saying that it has hidden homosexual agendas. Yes some Disney movies have hidden reasons within them, I'm not going to deny that at all. There are several hidden agendas in lots of the classic Disney Movies. However the moral of the story for Frozen is that true love doesn't have to just be from a man you've just met, but family have a special kind of love that can't be broken no matter what. I think that is a wonderful thing to have and for children to learn. A lot of children grow up and unfortunately don't understand that their family do and always will love them. Frozen shows children that no matter how much siblings, parents or other family members fight and argue they still love each other regardless. Please someone show me in any religious book where it says that love in a family is forbidden!
The scene which everyone is scrutinizing and in some cases, parents not allowing children to see is the one on the left. This is the scene where Anna sacrifices herself to save her sister and gets completely frozen from her frozen heart. This is where Elsa then realises that love can thaw a frozen heart and using the love she has for her sister, thaws the kingdom she accidentally froze.
If you watch the film its not about encouraging young girls to become Lesbians. Its about showing children that love is always around them and this helps them realise how special they are.
I want to just cover this point while I'm on the topic. If you do believe that Frozen is about encouraging children to become lesbians and accepting themselves, then what is your problem with it? I am going to be really blunt here and even though I am not religious I do not force any of my beliefs onto anyone, and neither should you. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have a universal right to believe in what they want to believe and choose their own religion and sexuality without the pressures of anyone around them. So what is some children grow up to become Lesbians or anything else, it doesn't really matter. You should stop labeling them and by always taking things out of context, you're just doing more harm. Like I always say and will always make it crystal clear, I have no problem with Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Straights or otherwise. My policy is, if you respect me for who I am, I respect you and that's what everyone should do. So what does it matter? Why do some people always take things out of context?
To conclude this post. I do not believe that the Disney film Frozen has any intention of encouraging children to become Lesbians and slyly suggesting that Beastiality is acceptable. I honestly think that some people in this world need to come into the 21st century and see a film for what it is, a film. Just because its about the love and relationship between two sisters, doesn't mean that its about them being Lesbian. I will sit and argue the point until the cows come home, this is a great movie and I honestly thoroughly enjoyed it. The film has won countless awards and has meaning in it that allow children to understand that they are valued and loved regardless of family issues. Something which Disney recognises is a problem in the modern world. So thats my simple Analysis of Disney's Frozen and these stupid allegations against it, anyone who still believes this film is about encouraging children to become Lesbians, needs to honestly think about their actions and stop taking things out of context, its a Disney Childrens Film!
This remarkable video came up on my Facebook News Feed today and I was very moved by it. Its tells the wonderful story about a girl called Emily James who has beautiful long hair. However she has decided to have a hair cut and instead of throwing the excess hair away, she is donating it to children who have cancer and don't have their hair anymore.
To me this little girl represents the future of humanity. She has recognised that there are children that get sick with Cancer and due to their treatment lose their hair. This made Emily feel sad and made her do something about it. By contributing her hair to a charity that makes wigs for children affected by Cancer she is making a difference. She has also seen that having no hair can be upsetting for any child and they can go through very rough times and even be picked on by other children who don't know what the other child is going through.
Emily is one very generous and amazing child. At the age of three I as a childcare practitioner am amazed that such an act can come from someone so young and delicate. She is a true inspiration to us all and I just had to share this on my blog because I feel like she is setting a brilliant example for other children. She is selfless and caring and that's all that matters. Well done Emily, this caring and selfless act has touched many hearts and has really made my day!
I just read an article from the BBC explaining how the Uk's Department of Education is bringing across 60 Shanghai maths teachers to 'rise the standards' in the UK. They have developed this idea to open up new "Maths hubs" where you can go to improve your maths. All this came because children in China have better maths skills than English Children.
So, does the government actually know what they are doing? This sounds very childish to me. It seems like someone has been reading the test scores of other countries, noticed that Chinese children in Shanghai have better maths than us and simply gone "Oh, well they must have good Maths Teachers. Lets pay them to come over to us and teach us how its done shall we?"
To those that are teachers and work hard to teach Mathematics in any setting whether that be Nursery, Pre-School, Primary, Secondary or Higher its a little bit like being stabbed in the back. Plus its not going to solve the issue at all. There are some children in our country that need extra support to understand the subjects, however with government cuts we are unable to do this. Basically what is the point in cutting back funding for teaching in our English Schools, but then spending that on shipping teachers in from another country because children aren't doing too well in Maths?
If the Ministry of Education actually started to listen to the teachers they might actually learn that Maths is not an easy to subject to teach. It can be very tedious and it can be hard to grasp a firm understanding. Its hard to keep children motivated and focused on some Maths lesson because the standard they want taught are hard to teach without help. I know for example I was never good at Maths, and it wasn't until year 9/10 of Secondary School that I actually started to understand half of the formulas needed. (However it was all bloody algebra and there was more X's, Y's and Z's in Maths than numbers at GCSE, so of course I was going to get mixed up).
Plus not to mention all children learn at a different pace and stage. For example some children can pick up Maths really easy and be able to count and do sums easy, however some can really struggle. I really don't see how bringing over 60 foreign Maths teachers is going to even make a dent or do any difference whatsoever. The Chinese way of teaching is totally different from our methods.
From my module at University on International Perspectives and from my Lecturer and Class mate talking about their experience about the Chinese Education system it is totally different. The picture on the left is a photo taken of a standard Chinese Primary School Classroom during a lesson. From what I understand Chinese children will sit at those desks and learn independantly whether they understand or not. There will be one teacher for all the children in the class and hardly any teaching assistants. It looks like something you would expect to see in an old American or Japanese Childrens Cartoon. However this is how it works over in China. Also Chinese children are put under a lot of pressure to learn. We have to remember that their government and education system is not about being free and developing as they should, its about passing hard tests and not failing as a citizen of the country. Chinese children are taught for long hours and are lectured to and they are expected to know this. Our Education system is based on the children having a better development holistically and allowing them to cherish and grow. We don't necessarily call them a failure to Society because at age Ten they can't work out what 97x46 is. (Which is 4462 by the way)
The Department for Education NEED to stop coming up with stupid and ridiculous ways of bettering our education system. Instead of shipping over 60 random Maths teachers from Shanghai and coming up with a program thats only going to affect a small area of the country. How about they simply give the teachers what they want, more support and funding so they can support children struggling with Maths in their classrooms. There have been countless times I've seen teachers understand that they have children struggling with subjects and want to help them but just can't because the school can't afford to hire someone to come in even part time to assist them. The funding for Education has dropped over the recent years since the Coalition Government came to power. Do they really not expect some things to change?
Personally I am rather offended and annoyed that the Department for Education have basically said that our teaching isn't good enough so they are going to get someone else, from another country no less to do it for us. To me thats just going to piss teachers off and not provide any motivation anymore. Afterall if we're not doing it right, why should we when clearly the Chinese teachers can do it better? Oh, but maybe if they actually let us have the funding and support needed to actually do the job correctly?
So yeah. Thats basically it, I can't believe this is happening and to me the Department for Education is just coming up with yet more stupid and down right awful decisions. I feel sorry for the generation of children that have to go through this.
Well its tragic news that gripped the country. A teacher from my home town of Leeds, Mrs Ann 
Also for those observant people you may have noticed that I have a new logo! Yes I sat down and made something pretty instead of using the background image all the time!. So here's a little snapshot of it!
I just read an article from the BBC explaining how the Uk's Department of Education is bringing across 60 Shanghai maths teachers to 'rise the standards' in the UK. They have developed this idea to open up new "Maths hubs" where you can go to improve your maths. All this came because children in China have better maths skills than English Children.
From my module at University on International Perspectives and from my Lecturer and Class mate talking about their experience about the Chinese Education system it is totally different. The picture on the left is a photo taken of a standard Chinese Primary School Classroom during a lesson. From what I understand Chinese children will sit at those desks and learn independantly whether they understand or not. There will be one teacher for all the children in the class and hardly any teaching assistants. It looks like something you would expect to see in an old American or Japanese Childrens Cartoon. However this is how it works over in China. Also Chinese children are put under a lot of pressure to learn. We have to remember that their government and education system is not about being free and developing as they should, its about passing hard tests and not failing as a citizen of the country. Chinese children are taught for long hours and are lectured to and they are expected to know this. Our Education system is based on the children having a better development holistically and allowing them to cherish and grow. We don't necessarily call them a failure to Society because at age Ten they can't work out what 97x46 is. (Which is 4462 by the way)