curb your enthusiasm
By Elizabeth
@Poppylicious (11133)
September 21, 2017 1:21am CST
We have a bunch of new people at work and - because they have to wait for their DBS {police record check} to come through before they can be left 'alone' in a room full of students and a tutor - they are given the task of shadowing us.
Awww, says the fake little girl who is the product of nepotism. They're so sweet! No. No, they are not sweet. They are young adults who need to stop acting like little children.
Let me sit next to you all lesson, spoonfeed you information, generally distract you and help you avoid doing your work! beams the 'I was previously a Teaching Assistant in a Primary School' lady. No. Why would you do that? Give them space, let them be independent, allow them the opportunity to breathe and mix with their peers. She's got a medical problem, not a learning condition, for effs sake! As an aside, it's no wonder they come to us so reliant on adult support if the support in primary school is so full-on.
And just as a more general rant, everybody has a label these days. Can't read? You must be dyslexic. Can't do maths? You must have dyscalculia. Can't behave? Definitely ADHD. Universities can't even cope with the sudden influx of students who are entitled to, and demand, exam concessions; their own room, a reader, a word processor or extra time. The truth is that many of these diagnoses are made to secure extra funding for schools and educational establishments. A lot of it is purely down to poor teaching and/or poor parenting.
So, enthusiastic new colleagues. Don't treat the students like children, don't fall for their gooey little child act, and stop being so enthusiastic ... you're making the rest of us look like we're not doing our jobs properly!
4 people like this
5 responses
@YrNemo (20261)
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22 Sep 17
Many teachers around don't like this sort of 'special concession' for this or that disorder created by psychologists. I asked some about this (the psychologists), they said, 'it just a name we use, it doesn't mean that the person is really having any problem, but we like to categorize cases for report purpose'.
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
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22 Sep 17
I am going to make myself feel really old by saying this, but when I was at school children were just naughty, a bit eccentric or a bit slower at learning to read or write. We had no TAs in lessons, but at primary school mum's would pop in and listen to children read. Now if you don't fit the 'norm' - whatever that is - you need to have a label. All we're doing is telling children that there's an excuse for their behaviour and attitude and that they don't need to conform or push themselves. It really irks me.
1 person likes this
And the word processor one, dysgraphia...?@Poppylicious (11133)
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22 Sep 17
Dyscalculia is fast becoming the new Dyslexia. Everybody is getting diagnosed with it these days. We don't 'do' Dysgraphia yet. That one will become more prominent in a few years time after a generation of children spend more time using technology than learning to put pencil to paper!
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
22 Sep 17
@Poppylicious A bit like the losing ability to use a knife and fork correctly because of fast-food places where chips and burgers are handled by hand...
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
21 Sep 17
yes there is often a midiagnosis and exploitation of such conditions
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
22 Sep 17
@Poppylicious the system itself is often very ineffiecent for those with such needs here
@Poppylicious (11133)
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22 Sep 17
Definitely an exploitation. We have students who have Educational Care Plans who don't need them, but they have pushy parents; just because they have autism and needed a lot of support at the age of six, doesn't mean they havent been able to slot into society, find their niche and learn how things work at the age of sixteen! Then there's students who obviously have a need or aren't diagnosed so don't qualify, but because their parents don't understand the system, there's no Plan in place.
1 person likes this
@Jackalyn (7559)
• Oxford, England
21 Sep 17
Well, as you know I have dyscalculia, but also an adult education teaching degree. On my one foray into regular teaching at a college rather than childcare course contracts I was totally shocked at the behaviour of young adults and also how they EXPECTED the learning support to write the course for them. I was so exasperated in one lesson I walked out and told the college I would quit. The head of the department pleaded with me to stay. I was not surprised. The course I had teaching destroyed four tutors before me. Give me adult education in a community centre and all the attendant difficulties transporting an entire course each week, but with people who want to learn anytime. I have never taught childcare since that course. It wrecked teaching for me. The sad thing is it was the college's fault. They had rules, but ignored it if the kids broke them. I even had to have one student removed as she was becoming violent. I said she was not coming back if I was supposed to teach her. Two days later she walked in and said "her dad had had a word with the principal." She stole my memory stick with all my notes and teaching aids on......So I really get where you are coming from. Contrast that to the learning support I had who supported her mature students well and even became the first Asian woman in Oxford to help one escape domestic violence. Now my mature student childcare classes were a joy to teach. I would love to do one again. (Lost the impetus after a year of whoopiing cough.)
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
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22 Sep 17
It's all about the money. We have a student who last year did no work, was attached to her phone or iPad constantly, bullied other students, was rude to both teaching and support staff and often absent. They had to let her progress to the Level 1 course because she's not only a bum on a seat for which the government pays, but also brings in a few extra pounds because she has an Educational Care Plan. She refuses to accept support and is just vile and she's spoiling the education of the students who want to learn. Ironically she's studying Childcare too!
I always used to think I had Dyscalculia but I'm actually pretty good at arithmetic! I'm just rubbish at anything complex, like angles and algebra!
