Teachers should avoid calling pupils "clever"

Nick_UK

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Teachers should stop calling bright pupils "clever" for fear they might not be thought "cool" by classmates, a union is expected to be told.
Instead they should refer to academic high-achievers as "successful", the Professional Association of Teachers' (PAT) conference in Oxford will hear.

Simon Smith, a teacher from Essex, will say it is important to avoid a culture which "mocks being clever".

A government spokesman said it was "not the brightest idea we have heard".


At least he didn't say it wasn't the cleverest thing he'd heard :rolleyes:

Whatever next ? Why should teachers pander to stupid youth culture ? How about instilling proper values instead ? Or is that not "cool" ? :rolleyes:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/5241524.stm
 
reminds me of when i had to do textiles, and i made a nice cushion, the teacher held it up so the rest of the students could "admire " the good workd i had done in textiles- no lasting damage :D
 
To quote John Lennon:-
"They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool"
I think it's always been the case and it doesn't seem to have harmed people calling them clever does it ?
 
The PAT seem just a little odd... I thought most teachers were part of NUT or NASUWT

This was just a motion by one person... however ...Last year, the PAT voted to replace the word "failure" with "deferred success".

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
They could ,of course ,be clever with their hands showing great aptitude for mechanics or other vocational practices
 
krish72 said:
The PAT seem just a little odd... I thought most teachers were part of NUT or NASUWT

This was just a motion by one person... however ...Last year, the PAT voted to replace the word "failure" with "deferred success".

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Sounds like someone has been attending too many pyramid selling meetings :D
 
la gran siete said:
They could ,of course ,be clever with their hands showing great aptitude for mechanics or other vocational practices

ego cavo ergo sum

.... not trying to shore up your own ego there are you ;)
 
In my day you were clever if you got A's at school - that must mean most children must fear looking uncool now ;)
 
krish72 said:
This was just a motion by one person... however ...Last year, the PAT voted to replace the word "failure" with "deferred success".
I propose we replace the word "teacher" with "people who disregard the fundamental problems with the education system and waste their time on pointless trivia"

The whole idea of failure equating to deferred succcess is clearly nonsense anyway, as it turns an evaluation into an optimistic and irrational prediction. Do we also now call non-attendance "to arrive at some future point"?

As for the original point, I really don't know why we need a term for teachers to describe academic high achievers. Don't their marks and exam results provide all the necessary feedback?

No wonder we're turning out so many school leavers that are at best semi-literate.
 
I think it's just the teachers of the PAT who are out of touch and increasingly willing to jump on the PC bandwagon

Children have always decided for themselves what is cool long before they go into the classroom. Certainly don't need the thought police telling them how to think

Let's be honest - every child know whether they're clever, middle or stupid. There I said it. They don't need patronising. And I don't get the pandering to chavs :confused:

P.S. The PAT are the smaller/smallest teachers union? Just saying as Manchester schools don't seem to go with their nonsense
 
Pat_C said:
Don't their marks and exam results provide all the necessary feedback?.

It depends on the pass rates - there seem to be an awful lot of people getting A/A* grades which used to be used to be a guide to the top pupils...
 
LFC_SL said:
....... Let's be honest - every child know whether they're clever, middle or stupid. There I said it. They don't need patronising.

Not necessarily. My wife thought she was stupid when she was quite young. Later she was diagnosed with mild epilepsy, and she went on to get better qualifications than me.
 
Yes yes, I get other reasons, but go with it for arguments sake. Kids don't need patronising and have subtle language changes to avoid hurting their feelings

Anyway, imo nothing wrong with some friendly teasing then outside for football afterwards. It's when it turns to bullying that's the problem...
 
This is almost as stupid as teachers not being allowed to call the Black Board a Black Board...
 
LFC_SL said:
Let's be honest - every child know whether they're clever, middle or stupid.
Only up to a point. Being relative terms, it is necessary for them to be defined within an objective, meaningful context. It has to be constructive too, to avoid low achievement becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
 
waf-tastic said:
It depends on the pass rates - there seem to be an awful lot of people getting A/A* grades which used to be used to be a guide to the top pupils...
I think that getting an A is still a good indication of above average performance, although I accept not to the extent that it used to be. I assume that some teachers still add appropriate remarks for particularly good or poor work though, and that can be equally valuable feedback.
 
Reign-Mack said:
This is almost as stupid as teachers not being allowed to call the Black Board a Black Board...
I'm a bit out of touch with the latest PC terms. Is a blackboard now a 'low reflectance illustration platform'? :)
 
No, they use whiteboards now, which is a perfectly acceptable term ;)
 
So what are you saying? That White Boards are better than Black Boards?
Careful, you'll be accused of prejudice by the Information Board Equal Rights Board just now. :spam:
 
dakara said:
So what are you saying? That White Boards are better than Black Boards?
Careful, you'll be accused of prejudice by the Information Board Equal Rights Board just now. :spam:

No, but it appears that the term White Board is perfectly acceptable, but Black Board isn't.
 
I find it so bizarre that elements of society from specific social economic groups seems to consider, intelligence, the pursuit of an education, academia, and knowledge in general as being "uncool" or something to deride. It's staggering.

Educational has always been a political tool that has been used by governments and regimes to control and even subjugate a society.

We now live in a age and country where everyone has access to free education which broadly equips you with basic skills. Sure it's not ideal and in some areas it's a mess, but compared to the developing world or areas with particular religious persuasions, it's a godsend!

I don't like the word stupid too much. It often gets used in as an oppressive label and I'm not too keen on them. I prefer the term ignorant. It is a logical phrase. I am very ignorant on advanced quantuum physics. However, I can go to the library and pick up a book and start to familiarise myself with the basic concepts. Ignornace is a non-judgemental description that decribes a condition that can be rectified.

What we have now is a growing youth culture (again only in specific social groups etc.etc.) that openly choose's to be ignorant. It is perceived to be even a badge of achievement.

I can remember Victoria Beckham recently almost proudly proclaiming that she'd never read a book. I interpretted her statement in this way. " I choose not to expand my knowledge of life and the world that I live in".

I remember what Comedian Chris Rock said about this issue in relation to American black youths choice to refute education. "I don't know that sh*t (in response to the question, what is the capital of Zaire), I'm keeping it real". "Yes (says Chris), real dumb".

Rant over.
 
Confucius said:
Yeah, I know of a lot of people who's success has been deferred a fricking lifetime.
Yup, good old Dubya himself as regards everything he's ever done ;)
 

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