Freggyragh Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 You could be in the same class as the PG-Tips' monkeys and still walk away knowing more than me. fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 You could be in the same class as the PG-Tips' monkeys and still walk away knowing more than me. fixed Arf arf! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freggyragh Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Well Albert, I know when it comes to written English, and possibly maths, that standards may not be what they were - but then the same was said when I was at school. (Maybe the reality is that we tend to continue to improve our skills in these areas throughout our working lives - and then judge kids just out of school as if they had the same experience). The sorts of things they are studying at GCSE in science are amazing though - the structure of DNA, the makeup of the human genome etc, and then in languages, look at the range of different languages they are taking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.K. Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Well Albert, I know when it comes to written English, and possibly maths, that standards may not be what they were - but then the same was said when I was at school. (Maybe the reality is that we tend to continue to improve our skills in these areas throughout our working lives - and then judge kids just out of school as if they had the same experience). Stuff and nonsense. The reality, certainly with grammar, is that you are at your peak when you finish your education and then slowly slide downhill. I look now at my maths and physics and think "what the fuck????" We had work placements from the so-called "university" who could barely string a sentence together. Sure they might be as bright as Einstein but if they can't convey it then they might as well be on X-factor for all the good it's doing them. Don't confuse gaining experience with good English. A little example: H.M. EMBASSY MOSCOW Lord Pembroke The Foreign Office LONDON 6th April 1943 My Dear Reggie, In these dark days man tends to look for little shafts of light that spill from Heaven. My days are probably darker than yours, and I need, my God I do, all the light I can get. But I am a decent fellow, and I do not want to be mean and selfish about what little brightness is shed upon me from time to time. So I propose to share with you a tiny flash that has illuminated my sombre life and tell you that God has given me a new Turkish colleague whose card tells me that he is called Mustapha Kunt. We all feel like that, Reggie, now and then, especially when Spring is upon us, but few of us would care to put it on our cards. It takes a Turk to do that. Sir Archibald Clerk Kerr, H.M. Ambassador Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatopian Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I agree 100%. Do you read into gender studies yourself? No - observations are courtesy of my time studying educational psychology. I knew it would come in handy one day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebrof Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Well Albert, I know when it comes to written English, and possibly maths, that standards may not be what they were - but then the same was said when I was at school. (Maybe the reality is that we tend to continue to improve our skills in these areas throughout our working lives - and then judge kids just out of school as if they had the same experience). Stuff and nonsense. The reality, certainly with grammar, is that you are at your peak when you finish your education and then slowly slide downhill. I look now at my maths and physics and think "what the fuck????" We had work placements from the so-called "university" who could barely string a sentence together. Sure they might be as bright as Einstein but if they can't convey it then they might as well be on X-factor for all the good it's doing them. Don't confuse gaining experience with good English. A little example: H.M. EMBASSY MOSCOW Lord Pembroke The Foreign Office LONDON 6th April 1943 My Dear Reggie, In these dark days man tends to look for little shafts of light that spill from Heaven. My days are probably darker than yours, and I need, my God I do, all the light I can get. But I am a decent fellow, and I do not want to be mean and selfish about what little brightness is shed upon me from time to time. So I propose to share with you a tiny flash that has illuminated my sombre life and tell you that God has given me a new Turkish colleague whose card tells me that he is called Mustapha Kunt. We all feel like that, Reggie, now and then, especially when Spring is upon us, but few of us would care to put it on our cards. It takes a Turk to do that. Sir Archibald Clerk Kerr, H.M. Ambassador Thank you, PK. Your transgressions are forgiven. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.