'Shuggy': wot's wrong wiv our edukashun servis

In an exchange with 'Shuggy' a few days ago he was bridling at criticisms of our 'edukashun servis' and condemning the Tories'* new ideas as being an effort to turn our schools into supermarkets.  I pointed out that supermarkets were something of a miracle in that they offered fresh produce from all over the world 364 days of the year, that they were clean and staffed by people who had been trained to be polite and helpful and who dealt with any complaints promptly and often generously.  I asked 'Shuggy' if that was a description that fitted in any respect the reputation of our 'edukashun servis'.  He claimed that I had impugned his, er, 'professional reputation' and banned me whilst maintaining that there was nothing too much wrong with our teachers.

I read this yesterday:

Sir Michael Rake, chairman of the telecoms giant, said the firm had received 26,000 applications for 170 places on its apprenticeship scheme starting this autumn.

But 6,000 - nearly a quarter - were not even worthy of consideration.

'They were unable to complete the form because they could not spell, put it together or read properly - completely illiterate,' said Sir Michael. [...]

Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Tesco's director of corporate and legal affairs and one of the most powerful women in British business, condemned a lack of discipline at school as she complained that growing numbers of British school-leavers have 'attitude problems' and believe the world 'owes them a living'.

Meanwhile Sir Stuart Rose, the Marks and Spencer boss, said too many school-leavers 'cannot do reading..cannot do arithmetic..cannot do writing'.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1290132/BT-boss-Sir-Michael-Rake-condemns-education-standards-disgrace.html#ixzz0s8NWVJfX

I sent this extract to a post of his in which he told us that his school term was about to end and that he had been playing videos to the few youngsters who bothered to turn up!  The video was Groundhog Day, a film that passed me by but not, I think, generally recognised as a masterpiece of film-making.  In view of the remarks by these captains of industry I asked him gently whether he maintained his disparaging attitude to supermarkets as compared to our 'edukashun servis' and also whther he could let us know exactly how long his summer holiday would be.  After deleting my comment this is the response offered by this great pedagogue:

Duff, the reactionary blogger who admires the art work of Adolf Hitler has learning difficulties. It's sad but but he really needs to seek remedial education from someone who is a) interested in his particular problem and is b) getting paid for it. Neither of these apply to me so he is cordially invited - again - to fuck right off. He seems to imagine, for example, that it is the job of a history teacher in a secondary school to teach people to read and write.

Of course, it tells you so much more about 'Shuggy' than it does about me.  First, his pig-ignorance concerning the difference betwen the appreciation of art and the character of an artist.  In effect, he is telling lovers of the works of, say, Richard Wagner that because Wagner was virulently anti-Semitic it reflects to their discredit.  He then, in the spirit of trade unionists everywhere, and particularly public service trade unionists, says it is not his job as a history 'teacher' to teach his pupils how to read and write - 'Not my job, mate, can't go crossing demarcation lines; playin' into the 'ands of the bosses, innit?' 

 

Instead, he spends two days playing them trash films.  Need one say more?  Except to wonder whether you would wish your children to be 'edukated' by this idle, foul-mouthed moron?

 

Normally I don't link to the feeble, sensitive, little souls who ban me but I will make an exeception here so that you may judge for yourselves:

http://modies.blogspot.com/2010/06/end-of-term.html#idc-container

 * Corrected, see below, and a hundred lines just completed!

 

Comments

[Shuggy]

"Tory's new ideas"

That should be "Tories' new ideas", you silly man. On bemoaning the standards of education: first take the beam out of your own eye...

[David Duff]

But, 'Shuggy', and try hard to follow the logic, I am not a teacher, I am a product of the 'edukashun servis'. Even so, as regular readers will know, I am always grateful to anyone who corrects my grammar or spelling, so thank you. And should you return, perhaps you could give me a good reason why I shouldn't follow your example and ban your entire comment and substitute one of my own?

[Shuggy]

"perhaps you could give me a good reason why I shouldn't follow your example and ban your entire comment and substitute one of my own?"

Well, you seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that banning is a function of weakness so no doubt you'd want to leave it as it is to show your virility or something? But it's your blog so I'd encourage you to do as you please - I've copied it anyway...

[David Duff]

"perhaps you could give me a good reason..."

I think 'no' is the word you are struggling for.

Oh, and by the way, I think the question mark at the end of your first sentence is redundant, but feel free to check with your English department - oh, wait a minute, I suppose like you they've gone off on their two month summer hols!

[ortega]

Here in Spain we have a similar problem with education. One out of three students that finish what we call primary school (about 12 years old) do not know how to read.
I think the Tory change is trying to follow the example of the places that saw the terrible mistake of the reforms of some years ago. Sweden is a good example of learning from one's own mistakes. Of course, the best results come from those places smart enough not to start any reform at all: Corea or Bavaria, for example.
The problem with some teachers, well, with most of them, is that they claim a moral position that they belive makes them impervious to criticism. The idea is: the results are awful but we mean well.
And about the supermarket. Are not the schools today already a supermarket, but of values? You need only to walk the corridors of some school and you won't see anything else.

[Macheath]

'He seems to imagine, for example, that it is the job of a history teacher in a secondary school to teach people to read and write. '

Maybe it isn't, and maybe the pupils are being let down by their primary teachers, but surely anyone who has the best interests of his or her pupils at heart will set out - albeit with gritted teeth - to remedy the situation, so that the pupil can achieve the best result possible in History/Geography/whatever.

There's no place for demarcation in education - at least not if you have a vocation to teach.

[JuliaM]

Yeah, but no, but yeah, but no, but films is better than history, right, maaan? History sucks!

[JK]

"Virility?" Hed ta look thet 1 erp Davey, ah serpose cents yer got banned et's applyabull.

Bet yer orribull spelun? Whet's erp wid dat? Ow kerm yer onstly kerect esambull were "edukashun servis"?

Purrfekdly unnerstooderbull furm my whey er alookin et stuf.

Madder ahf fack, ah thank Shuggy oars yer a Docterett.

[David Duff]

Sorry to hear that Spanish education is no better than ours, Ortega, it's like a cancer at the heart of the western world.

In a nutshell, Macheath!

Yeah, Julia, er, or no!

Oh God, 'JK', don't confuse matters by introducing 'Arkie' into the debate!

[JK]

Don'chall no proffer languish azn erzatz uz Perfesser Shug ('skuse mah familiairity Unkul Shug bet yer dood mangle ter larn us perper punkciashoun).

Ner mandible deeze otusely funz er der whey yer'll ullers skrazulin Ant Jimney uttern yer balliwick Unkel Shug.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6-wG5LLqE

[David Duff]

Er, yes, 'JK', or on the other hand, er, no. Whatever!