Exam Changes

I have spent today planning, marking, writing e-mails and letters and generally enjoying my day off (that's sarcasm if you don't recognise it) with the radio in the background discussing the changes to the exam system.  The beauty of having a blog is that I no longer have to shout at the radio - I can shout here instead.

This is what I think. It might not be right but I'm going to tell you anyway.

I think we've forgotten what education is about.

I took O levels.  You couldn't get an A if 6% of the country got more marks than you. One year you could get a C with a certain mark and the next year it would be a D (FAIL) with the same amount of correct answers.  This seems so unfair.  Many of my peers were forced to decide which exam to take.  Did you risk a fail at O level or go for a CSE and hope for a grade 1 which supposedly was equivalent, although everyone knew you only took CSE if you weren't as clever.  Teachers panicked and asked your parents to pay for you to take a CSE 'just in case'.   I took a CSE in English, even though I had already passed the O level, just because it was the school's policy.  I don't know what happened to those children whose parents couldn't afford to pay for the exam.  I didn't mind O levels.  I've got quite a good memory and although I never quite got the grades I was expected to get that didn't worry me too much.  Would I have preferred to do modules and coursework?  It really wouldn't have mattered to me either way.  The exams were the hurdle that had to be jumped.  They were not what my time at school was about.  At school I learnt how to think, how to write, how to read, how to learn.  I learnt how to get on with horrible people (especially teachers).  I learnt how to stand up in front of hundreds of people and play the flute without having to be removed from the stage in a bucket. I learnt how to tell a joke and I learnt that there are many funny people in the world.  I also learnt loads of stuff that although I will never use (except when watching University Challenge) I can't seem to get out of my head, like the formula for Boyle's Law (PV = K); the first 20 elements of the periodic table in order (hhelibebcnofnenamgalsipsclarkca); long passages from Macbeth (Is this a dagger I see before me it's handle pointing etc); how to tell someone to open the window in French (Ouvre le fenetre); how to solve a quadratic equation.
The point of education isn't about the exams or the two levels progress, that's just a method by which we can measure it.  It isn't necessarily the only method of measurement or the best it's just a check.

To decide whether the exam system needs to be changed should surely start by asking what the point of the exams are.

As a music teacher, I allow my students to take exams.  In fact, I positively encourage it.  It gives them something to work for, they get a nice certificate to put on the wall and it is great practice to show your skills to someone else.  If a pupil failed an exam it wouldn't worry me.  I don't put them in for the exam until they are ready, if they fail it's because they've had  an off day.  They take them when they are ready not when everyone else is taking them.

GCSE's are more complicated.  O levels used to be for grammar school pupils to 'sort the wheat from the chaff'.  They were a way of getting rid of pupils who were not able to study to A level standard.  A levels were to get rid of the pupils who were not able to study to degree level.  Degrees were to sort out those who could still learn stuff while destroying their brains with drugs and alcohol.  Obviously, the real no-hopers (and the poor or late-starters) had been ruled out of the system long before and went to secondary modern schools to learn how to make things.  But no one makes things any more.  Not for money anyway.  So, what are those who are ruled out of education early going to do.  GCSEs were meant to be a broad exam that allowed late starters and the exam terrified to succeed where they wouldn't have before and as time went on teachers learnt how to teach children so that they would pass and children learnt what they needed to do to pass.  The more people that get the top grades the less the exam is respected and so people have less confidence in the system.

Exams have become a way of measuring a teacher's ability rather than assessing an individual child.  Teachers have to get every child to achieve a certain grade or they are a failure.  This doesn't help children grow and develop.  It just causes stress.

(As I'm typing this Boyles Law just came up on University Challenge - is that a bit spooky?)

Exams have become a way of parents competing via their children. Just look at Facebook, "I'm so proud of my Johnny and his 9 A*s," and notice there is no mention of the 2 C's. Then, look at the reply, "that's fantastic Emily got 10 A*s".  Children do thrive on their parent's love and approval but wouldn't it be lovely if they could get it without the A*s?

I don't think exam results help people get jobs.  People get jobs by being in the right place at the right time, saying the right things and knowing the right people. (Maybe that's not entirely true but it is my cynical observation)

Anyway, the government has decided to change the current system to the English Baccalaureate, with only one exam board, a grading system that WILL ensure that fewer people get the top grades and there will certainly be less choice of subject (it seems that RE and music have been left out already).

Has all this been thought through properly? The children who have just started their GCSEs now will be the first to be forced to continue in education until 18 and as far as I can see no plans have been made about how this will be enforced. Students are currently not allowed to stay in the 6th form unless they are taking more than 2 A levels and if they don't get the grades the school requires for their league tables they are asked to leave.  There is no thought of what a student has gained from taking the course, only the result they get in the exam.  Will we be in the same situation in 2013, with no one exam board appointed, no one having any idea what they are meant to teach and no idea what the point of these exams actually is.

I don't know if there are any solutions if the exam system is really broken but I hope someone is thinking about the children.

Peeves of the Plot

The annual bill for the rent of the allotment arrived yesterday along with the 'Allotment Newsletter Summer 2012.'  It's a fascinating read.

Surprisingly, I didn't win any of the prizes.  They all went to a man with the most perfect plot anyone has ever seen.  Positioned right by the front gate, all other allotments are judged against his and are found to be wanting.  The newsletter says, "he must have his own ray of sunshine on his plot enabling his veggies to thrive so early in the year."  Apart from the fact that he is ALWAYS there, it was nice early in the year.  It was lovely and sunny in April but as soon as mortals like me planted seed in May it rained and rained and rained and was cold and didn't rain and the seeds got confused.

The newsletter also says, "the allotment inspectors or "weed police", as I believe they are called by some tenants have been kept busy this year.A weedy plot is neither good nor clean.  Plots need not be immaculate but weeds must be kept under control."   Well that clears that up then!

When I went today I was really looking forward to picking my last four sweet corn cobs but they were gone. The newsletter told me that, "there have been a couple of incidents where 4 legged intruders with a fondness for sweet corn have been on the site.  I am told these are Muntjac Deer and a small amount of netting will protect your crops"  So frustrating.  Now if they liked huge courgettes or even beetroot I would be quite happy.

ASBO Bambi

Now, call me a grumpy old woman but I think if tenants have a duty to keep their plot 'good and clean' then the landlord has a duty to keep Muntjac Deer out.  "A small amount of netting" will not protect our crop.

The Royal Horticultural Society has this advice on protecting crops from Muntjac Deer:

Deer can be excluded from gardens with netting or fences but these need to be robust and relatively tall to be effective. Deer can squeeze through small gaps under fencing or leap over barriers that are too low.

Wire mesh fencing should be 1.5m (5ft) tall for muntjac and 1.8m (6ft) for other deer, and a heavy duty type of wire like that used to fence sheep or pigs should be used in the lower half. The bottom edge should be pegged to the ground to stop deer lifting the wire and squeezing underneath. The maximum mesh size should be 20 x 15cm (8 x 6in) for most deer but 7.5 x 7.5cm (3 x 3in) where muntjac are a problem.

Entrances to the garden need deer-proof gates. An electric fence, as used to confine farm livestock, is often ineffective against deer and may be damaged if deer are startled and try to run through it. Horizontal strands of plain or barbed wire are unlikely to be effective as roe deer can squeeze through gaps of 30cm (1ft).

Allotment forums on the web have some information on this problem.  Most people think they should be culled because they have sharp tusks and can be dangerous to dogs.  Once they are on a site they are almost impossible to get rid of and their numbers grow quite quickly as they stay in one area to breed.  One allotment holder describes how he protected his sweet corn by making 8ft tall cages with galvanised 10cm square wire fencing.  His sweet corn plots are 4m square and he has put a door in so that he can get in to dig.  Not exactly a small amount of netting!

I can think of a much better solution. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2008/04/22/east_road_kill_recipes_s13_w9_feature.shtml

My potato crop is finally all in and I do have enough potatoes to last me the year but another annual frustration is the affinity my potatoes always have with the fork.

It took me seven years.......

During a sex education class the pupils were invited to write their questions anonymously and one child had written, "What is fingering?" In the staff room I suggested that I could answer the question, after all musicians are great at fingering.  We practise our fingering regularly.  There are charts to show us how to do it.

Pianists make up their own fingering and write notes of how to do it on their music.

Over the years of playing in orchestras I have learnt that violinists are attention seekers who demand a lot of the conductors time and attention.  While conductors pander to these divas I have lost count of the times the woodwind section as been asked to quietly 'finger your parts'.

Obviously, no musician ever sniggers while discussing this important part of their art.  So, I feel I must apologise as I was a little giggly tonight and received a raised eyebrow from a sensible member of the Youth Orchestra.

Not how you play a bassoon

We have acquired a new bassoon and a lovely man who helps out at the orchestra was explaining to the child who has volunteered to take it on how difficult the bassoon is to play.  He said, "I spent 3 years at music college learning how to put the thing together and it took me 7 years after to learn how to finger her."  There is nothing funny about that and I know that any professional musician wouldn't have even had cause to smile.

Village Church Vandalism

For the last 10 years, I have been performing at a tiny village church as part of a concert festival.  It was a regular gig for the Youth Orchestra and then when there were too many to fit in the Adult Music School took the slot.  Every year it causes much amusement.  It's too early in the year  (a phrase that applies to teachers and students in September!) to guarantee a great performance and so there is always a lot of "winging it" (a technical term that all musicians are familiar with.)

As my daughter and several of her friends are going to (or going back to) University they joined us for an evening of sight reading.  I have always believed that if you are not embarrassing your children, you aren't doing your job properly but maybe today I became a bit too good at it.

The concert started with the choir.  We got up and squished ourselves into a small space.  I shared my music with my daughter and despite it all being in the wrong order she coped - with only a few giggles.  The choir sat down to listen to the soloists but there was a vicar in my seat.  I considered sitting on his lap but decided instead to perch on the edge of a table.  Half way through the violin duet  the whole church heard a crack, as one violinist's shoulder rest fell off and landed on the floor.  At the end of the piece there was another crack, the table collapsed.  I plummeted to the floor, the whole church held their breath.  "What was that?"  "It was only Julia!"  I lay on the floor with my legs in the air.  "I'm alright but I've broken your table," I said.  Public stories were told of the time I fell through a hole in a stage and some of my other clumsy moments and the concert continued.  It was decided that I would be best sitting on the floor, as I couldn't get any lower.  Hysterical laughing was taking over my body,  tears streaming down my face, gasping to get my breath, face burning with embarrassment, trying not to catch the eye of the Vicar, or anyone else in the Church.

Luckily, by the time it was time for the band to play I had regained just enough composure to get up.  There were too many of us to fit in easily so the third Clarinets (me) were instructed to sit in the "naughty girl choir pews" From here, it was impossible to see the conductor and the music kept slipping off but it all went quite well until I played a note I really didn't like the sound of, followed it by saying, "yuk" which happened to coincide with a whole band rest.  Asked to fold our music stands away at the end my friend (and with friends like this who needs enemies) told me not to sit on it.  I could tell that this was a clumsy incident I was going to find hard to live down.

At the end of the concert, we were all invited into the marquee for a glass of warm wine and a few crisps.  This is when another friend (again, who needs friends....) told me that he had overheard an old lady exclaim, after examining the table that it was probably the oldest and most expensive thing in the Church - but she didn't suppose it was now.

Several people told my daughter how lucky she was to be leaving home to get away from her embarrassing mother.  What they don't know is that I have genetically passed my talents on.  If you ever see her, ask her about the tree or the chair at the O2.

Passion or Pay?

The media has been full of stories about the wonderful Games Makers at the Olympics and Paralympics.  David Cameron had publicly rubbed his hands with glee and announced that what this country needs is more volunteers like these.  That's one way to solve the government's debt problems - get everyone to work for nothing.

There is no doubt that the Games Makers have been brilliant.  The whole world is talking about them but has everyone missed the point?  These people weren't amazing because they were unpaid.  They were fantastic because they are the most interesting, inspirational people who were passionate about what they do.  And when people are passionate about something they will often do it regardless of what they personally get out of it.

The problem with not paying people who are passionate is that eventually they stop.  The Games Makers couldn't continue to work for nothing.  I assume they have mortgages to pay, children to feed and clothe. After a while they would start to wonder why they are bothering to be brilliant for no reward when they see Boris Johnston is getting paid loads and guaranteeing his re-election.  Most, when interviewed have said that while they enjoyed it they would never do anything as 'grandiose' as that again.

Today I had coffee with a friend who is passionate.  She's passionate about art (music and drama included) and her town and so she has ended up giving up hours and hours of her time to be on a committee to organise a Christmas Fayre in the the town.  I kept asking, "Why?  Why are you doing this again?  Didn't you learn anything from the last Committee we were on?  We said we'd never do it again?"  Some people just can't help themselves.  Most people organise things because they get something out of it.  A sense of belonging, kudos, a backhander (no I'm sure that doesn't ever happen in our Town!), a place for their business, or putting their children in a good position.  But that's not true for everyone who volunteers.  Some people do it because they can see it needs to be done.  When you are passionate about the Arts in a town with two warring councils and no Art's Development Officer, someone has to organise these things.

I very nearly volunteered to join her on the Committee but I managed to resist.  Luckily,  I also managed to resist organising all the Primary School's in the Town to sing at the event. I know a job needs to be done but I'm going to trust that it doesn't need to be done by me.

All Inclusive

Choosing an annual family holiday is a serious business.  If you are lucky enough to be able to afford a holiday, then unless you are a member of the current government or a banker with an enormous bonus or a member of the Royal Family then your holiday is probably the biggest single expense of the year and so you want it to be right and worth every penny.

The first decision is where to go.  Obviously, you can't beat the UK.  It's beautiful, interesting, you understand the language, enjoy the food, you can take the dog and you don't have to fly but the weather can just be so unpredictable.  You can't guarantee clear blue skies and British Summer weather can be just a little unusual, for example:  In 1958 in Sussex there were hailstones the size of Cricket balls; in June 1938 it rained coal in Dorset; A shower of red dust fell over the South of England in 1968 and in 1938 a Wiltshire thunderstorm included a precipitation of Frogs.  If you are looking for a conventional suntan  then most people opt for a foreign holiday.

This year, we had the best of both.  A week in Wales (lots of rain and beautiful scenery) with a week in Majorca (still some rain - we're not very lucky).  The week in Majorca was booked at the last minute because we felt we'd been deprived of a Summer.  It was also All Inclusive, which along with the choice of destination was all that was available.

"Would you recommend All Inclusive?"

That's not an easy question to answer.  The woman from Teletext Holidays said, "Oooh, with a 14 year old you want All Inclusive.  It'll save you loads of money.  All those drinks and ice creams.  If I were you, I wouldn't consider anything else!"  She might be right, but she also said, "You don't want to go to Tenerife, it'll be too hot." and then it rained for 3 days in Majorca and was warmer when we got home, so she might not be the best person to give advice on these matters.

I wasn't looking forward to it.  I thought it was going to be like Butlins abroad.  Not that there is anything wrong with Butlins, if you like that sort of thing but I am used to cheap, slightly grubby self catering in one of the Greek Islands and I have a strong aversion to being told what to do or when to do it.

What I liked about All Inclusive

1.  It was easy.  You didn't have to think about anything. You sat around the pool and shuffled off for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
2.  The food was good.  There was loads of choice.

What I didn't like about All Inclusive

1. It was a bit like Butlins and I don't like that sort of thing.
2. There were too many people in a small space.
3.  It just made me feel a little bit sad.

Now, I know I need to explain number 3 and this is what make the All Inclusive decision complicated.  The rise in All Inclusive, seems to me to have destroyed the soul of holiday destinations.  People stay in their huge hotels, packed like sardines around a pool, getting up at 7am to reserve their sunbed with a towel, too frightened to leave just in case they have to spend any money.

Huge All Inclusive Hotel

This means that restaurants are empty or closed and those that are still open are expensive, because no one is eating in them.

A Closed Beach Restaurant

An Empty Restaurant at Lunchtime

Beach bars are closed, with metal shutters and graffiti or are open with the standard notice, warning their customers that (don't be shocked) they actually have to pay for their drinks.

 

The small businessmen, who have made a living renting out sunbeds on beautiful beaches are close to going out of business.

Empty beach in August

The crazy golf was closed.

Shops in the town area were also closed, which surprised me until I realised that each hotel had it's own tourist shop, which sold gifts and drinks and crisps and silly presents that people take home.  They also had a series of market stalls in the evening, where people who make necklaces, or do name plates for doors, make pots or braid hair set up (probably giving the hotel a 10% of their profit).  The central area of town was also like a ghost ship, with the bars around the central bandstand closed down and no evening entertainment that wasn't happening in the hotels.

 


The doctors and dentists are still doing well though.  British holiday makers are still as stupid as they ever were, getting drunk on the All Inclusive watered down drinks and falling over.

Would I book All Inclusive again?

After everything I've said, I probably would.  It was just so easy.  A week in the sun, with a good selection of books not having to think about food or how you are going to pay for it.  It's what you want from a holiday isn't it?

I would be more selective about where I went though.  I would choose somewhere that wasn't quite so 'English'.  I don't like fruit machines, or Mr and Mrs Competitions or announcements that sing, " Oo way, oo way oo way oo way, we are the Chavs, we are the Chavs.  Oo way, oo way oo way oo way, we are the Chavs who like sport.....There's tennis, mini golf, pool gym, snooker......" 

I do like food and would choose somewhere that had a good buffet selection that included fruit and local dishes again.

Maybe I would like more comfortable pool loungers too but I might have to start saving to accommodate my expensive taste.

I doubt that it is possible to have the kind of holiday I used to enjoy any more.  If the cheap self catering apartments still exist, the cheap restaurants, the bars with friendly locals playing backgammon and beach bars playing soft jazz have all probably gone out of business, unless I can find somewhere that doesn't have a single All Inclusive hotel.

Oh, and I would like one more thing.........

........ A system of identification that doesn't make you feel like one of the lunatics that has escaped from the asylum.

Them

Don't you just hate 'them'?  Those faceless people who are to blame for everything.  Them bosses.  Them husbands.  Them computers.  Them pupils.  Them friends.  Them government.  You know?  THEM!

I said that this morning, when having the usual moan about being old, having to get up after 6 weeks of school holiday and the price of chicken and a colleague said, "Oh, I can see a blog!"  But I'm out of practice.  I've had a holiday.  I've forgotten how to write.  I'm making all sorts of spelling mistakes and I'm soooooooo tired.  So that's it. I give up and I'm going to bed.

Them small children are exhausting!