Schoolwork?

[cee-dee]

It's occurred to me that schools are not really preparing kids for the Big Wide Wonderful World of (gonna say a naughty word now)...... WORK?

Schools seem to concentrate on subjects surrounding academia and good exam results but not all kids are academically minded?

Some kids might go on the become research professors or scientists but most won't. Surely the job of a school is to ensure kids have a good grasp of the three "R"s because they're needed in everything then later, they need to find out what other abilities they might have to prepare them for finding a job when they leave school?

Pushing kids towards academia probably alienates some of them to the point where they can't be bothered any more because they know they can't do it? It's OK trying to push such kids "to improve" but surely it's a waste of time and effort when it's obvious they don't have the ability?

If similar efforts were made to, for example force all kids to become proficient bricklayers, some would make a fine job of it but most would produce a wonky wall?

Do many schools these days have a woodwork or metalworking workshop, a craft room, a sewing/needlework room or a domestic science "lab"? I suppose Heath & Safety preclude the adoption of many of those?

[margaret*e]

Too much pressure now to get children to university which sometimes is a waste of time and money.

[**bustysinclaire**]

In my experience with my own grandchildren CD. The schools seem to be on the turn back to the practical. I think (in my area anyway) they have learnt by the mistake of not offering the woodwork etc for boys and domestic science and needlecraft for girls, but they are now opening it up so each is offered to each gender. There does seem to be many funded courses that the colleges offer too.

[023mjc]

My grand daughters school scrapped textiles (used to be called needlecrafts) and domestic science last year.

Very disappointing - I do a lot of needlework myself, and my mother was a tailor. I had hoped my grand daughter would also find pleasure in designing and making things.

[**bustysinclaire**]

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@023mjcwrote:

My grand daughters school scrapped textiles (used to be called needlecrafts) and domestic science last year.

Very disappointing - I do a lot of needlework myself, and my mother was a tailor. I had hoped my grand daughter would also find pleasure in designing and making things.

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That's a shame. xxx

It seems it depends on which area you are in then. Which to me is really unfair.

I learn't all my skills from school. Needlework and domestic science.  I've since been able to call myself a seamstress and cook/baker.

I think my grandchildren are very lucky then, and love making all kinds of things.

[joe_bloggs*]

Another shortage will be in the construction industry,more training and offering of apprenticeships should be funded,I remember meeting a carreers advisor on leaving school,wanting to be a sparky but didn't have the qualifications so he said try bricklaying,which i did starting with a full time 6 month CITB training course at my local technical college,we shouldn't be importing construction workers but be training them ourselves,mind you at school,a few of us (including some rogues) joined a home economics class thinking it would be a laugh and a chance to chat up the girls,but i must say out of that i can bake some of the tastiest currant scones around !

[right-then-petal]

[upthecreekyetagain]

At the age of 12, after 7 years in full time education, children should have a good grasp of the ‘three Rs’ - if they haven’t then that’s unlikely to improve in secondary school.

The school my daughter and son-in-law teach at has a far superior metal working and design and technology facility than ever existed in any school I attended. 

Admittedly there aren’t bricklaying facilities nor courses for potential plumbers, electricians, gardeners etc. but courses in those career choices certainly exist at college level.

[margaret*e]

My bricklayer son did this, but as an apprentice learning on the job and attending college for the qualifications a couple of days a week.

[esme7crom0]

We had typing RSA 1 in our Nuns run all girls 6th form school when I was younger and it has set me up for life.

I gained a qualification and I am now 70wpm upwards touch typing always even if I have not typed for a very long time.

It is something that has helped me and awed my children too who cannot believe how I can type like this without looking!!!!

[al**bear]

We are racing towards, an Education system,

that copies the disaster of what happens in the US.

Well funded schools, in 'nice' areas, turn out well Educated kids, aided by extra Money put in by parents,paying Subject Coaches outside school.

Well off parents (as always) sending their kids to exceptional schools, paying fees

Then there's the rest (usually inner City & poor rural), taught & coached like drones, solely to pass dumbed down tests, to keep schools ticking over in meaningless league tables (sound familiar ?)

[**bustysinclaire**]

There's not much call for the old way of secretarial skills, I found even the touch typing has become obsolete in the work place because of computers and programmes like exel xx. I gained Rsa typing but apart from the qwerty part of a computer keyboard it isn't up to much now.

[fallen-archie]

I agree with everything you say Al but if you were in their shoes wouldn’t you want the best for your kids also, kids of successful parents are coached in more ways than one whereas if your parents are less able the kind of coaching on offer is generally poor if indeed there is any.
I went to one of the largest comprehensive schools in the U.K. a flagship of labour policy at the time, I can honestly say it was horrendous kids from all backgrounds chucked in together and told to get on with it, there was excessive bullying especially if you didn’t speak with the local dialect, swats were called out, I could go on and on about it! I think overall it taught me that I needed to get out of being one of them which sounds nasty but it has left an indelible mark on me for life! on the one hand people deserve the best education they can get and I mean everyone, however upbringing is a key social factor and if you are unlucky enough to have parents who don’t give a toss the teachers will have one hell of a job to get them on board which either means they have to spend a disproportionate amount of time with them or they will ignore them completely to the detriment of everyone! So what kind of system would work for you?

[cee-dee]

I think you've just reinforced what I said in my OP? Some kids will do better than others in academic things whereas others won't and up to a point, it's nothing to do with their background.

I don't see anything wrong in weeding out the kids that are acadamically "better" than others and putting them in schools where they can thrive or at least do better than if they were shoved in to a school such as you describe.

It's OK for some to want to push, push, push kids to "improve" but surely it should be part of the job of schools to find out what the kids are really capable of and helping them towards their capability not try to shove them in to things they just can't do.

As an example, a kid that's really good at practical things might be absolutely hopeless at working out chemical formulae and the kid who can reel off compound formula might make an absolute pigs ear of constucting a model so is it right that both should be made to try to "improve" what it's clear they just can't do?

[upthecreekyetagain]

What about the child who is good at practical things and is also academically gifted.  At what age would you have them, or someone else, decide in which direction they should be educated.

That was the problem with grammar schools, I was ‘privileged’ to go to one for my secondary education but came out at 18 never having been introduced, let alone trained, in any practical skills.

On the other side of the coin I have met numerous highly intelligent individuals over the years who would have benefited from an academic education but for whatever reason failed the 11+ and never had the opportunity to gain one.