Saturday - November 15, 2008

Here’s a sure Moonbat award. Schools forced to seek pupils’ views on discipline.

The lunacy never ends.  They just keep on finding new things to be really silly about.  These ppl need real jobs I think.
Oh right.  Who’d hire em?  Forgot.  The state of course.

Schools will be forced to ask pupils’ permission before imposing rules on discipline, uniform and the curriculum under new legislation.

By Graeme Paton, Education Editor
Last Updated: 9:25PM GMT 14 Nov 2008

In a move branded “crazy” by head teachers, all state schools will be legally obliged to consult children on major policies, including health and safety, food and equality.

Baroness Morgan, the Children’s Minister, insisted schools must do more than simply solicit pupils’ views on “what colour to paint the walls”.

The rules will be introduced as part of the Education and Skills Bill currently being debated in Parliament.

But the disclosure sparked outrage among teachers who said it would be “open to abuse”.

There were also fears it could trigger a raft of legal action as pupils and parents sue local authorities claiming children’s views were ignored.

(and of course that would NEVER happen)

Lord Elton, the Conservative peer, insisted pupils’ opinions had to be taken into account but said: “I am sorry that it has to be in legislation. We are a litigious nation, and it would be very unfortunate if we were to have a rash of cases of parents saying, ‘You were not listening to my little Johnny’.”

The Liberal Democrats tabled an amendment to the Bill in the House of Lords requiring school governors to “invite and consider pupils’ views”.

Ministers said the change, which received cross-party support, would be added to the legislation. The Bill is due to be debated in Parliament for the last time next week.

Baroness Morgan said it went further than existing rules which require schools to “have regard” to pupils’ opinions.

“Governing bodies must do more than simply solicit pupils’ views,” she told the Lords. “Through regulations, we intend to require governing bodies to invite views on a core set of policy matters. As a minimum, schools should seek and take account of pupils’ views on policies on the delivery of the curriculum, behaviour, the uniform, school food, health and safety, equalities and sustainability, not simply on what colour to paint the walls.”

She said schools would be exempt from discussing staff appointments or the school budget with children.

Guidance is expected to be drafted - and sent to schools - setting out the full detail of the rules.

The move follows the introduction of new-style Ofsted inspections, in which pupils are asked to rate teaching standards and conditions in their own school.

Many schools already include children on interview panels when appointing new staff.

But John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the latest move went too far,

“This is crazy”, he told the Times Educational Supplement. “I am a strong supporter of pupil voice, but schools are increasingly consulting pupils because they think it is the right thing to do, not because Government tells them to. I am annoyed and furious that yet another in this continual stream of legal and educational duties is being placed on schools.”

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT union, said: “This is completely unnecessary and will be open to abuse.”

http://tinyurl.com/5f7l5u

Oh Heaven help England.  The English won’t.

Posted by peiper     on 11/15/2008 at 09:41 AM   
Filed Under: • Education • Insanity • Stoopid-People • UK •  
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   Friday - November 07, 2008

Are you sure you don’t work for the school system?

It was career day at the local school. All the little kids submitted a crayon sketch of what their parents did for a living, or one of what their dream job would be. Little Jenny turned in this one:

Posted by Drew458     on 11/07/2008 at 11:13 AM   
Filed Under: • Education •  
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   Monday - November 03, 2008

Unruly school pupils will be punished with… a foot massage. (punishment liberal style)

Ever see anything so totally stupid?
Oh right. Not since yesterday.

I GUESS THIS IS HOW THE LEFTARDS THAT MAKE THESE DECISIONS THINK THEY CAN CONTROL BAD BEHAVIOR.
How much more stupid will they get?

Unruly school pupils will be punished with… a foot massage

By Ryan Kisiel
Last updated at 7:46 AM on 03rd November 2008

Some say massaging feet can curb aggression.

Pupils who create mayhem in the classroom are to face a punishment that will make them quake in their shoes.

They will be asked to slip off their socks before being given a foot massage designed to control their unruly behaviour.

Medical experts say there is little evidence that such treatment can improve the behaviour of young tearaways.

Yet Labour-run Lambeth Council in South London is to spend £90,000 next year sending reflexologists into its schools to practise their soothing art.

The team, from a company known as Bud-Umbrella, will work in 60 primary and 14 secondary schools, with children under 13 deemed to be badly behaved.

The firm is run out of a flat in Brixton and its website claims reflexology ‘releases energy blockages’, ‘can calm aggressive feelings, improve listening skills, concentration and focus’ and ‘relieves headaches and sinus problems’.

Tory MP John Penrose is unimpressed. ‘The idea that a foot massage is going to keep a hoodie happy is laughable,’ said the member for Weston-super-Mare.

‘Experienced teachers have a range of ways of dealing with badlybehaved pupils and stroking their feet is not one of them.

‘Dealing with bad behaviour should not look like a reward to those who misbehave. Discipline should be brought back into schools.’

Mark Wallace, spokesman for the TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign group, said: ‘How on earth is the education system going to succeed if there are luxuries given out for naughty children and nothing at all given to those who work hard and do well?

‘With everyone struggling in the financial crisis, this is crazy money being paid out on a crazy scheme.’

Despite Lambeth’s enthusiasm for foot massage in schools, reflexology sessions are not provided for the wider public by the local primary care trust.

The traditional healing art dates from the ancient Egyptians and Chinese. It involves manipulation of pressure points in the hands and feet and is often used to ease period pain, headaches, sinus and back problems as well as the effects of chemotherapy.

By massaging different points on the feet, therapists claim they can unblock energy pathways and help the body regain its natural balance and heal itself.

Reflexology is not a regulated therapy and medical authorities have raised concerns that qualifications are not needed to perform the massages.

However Lambeth Labour councillor Paul McGlone said the council was right to provide the alternative treatment.

‘It’s incredibly important that we address young people’s behavioural problems and we make no apologies for using different and innovative methods but this obviously won’t replace more traditional ways of dealing with anti-social behaviour.

‘We need to deal with the root causes of young people’s behavioural problems and nip them in the bud - prevention is better than cure.’

http://tinyurl.com/6lg9pg

Wanna bet the kids are laughing their socks off?

Posted by peiper     on 11/03/2008 at 10:32 AM   
Filed Under: • Education • Stoopid-People • UK •  
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   Sunday - November 02, 2008

Evolution of the Government schools 1957-2007

I probably should have titled this the Devolution of the government schools. I got this in an email from my buddy flapjawman.

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.

1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.

2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.

1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.

2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won’t be still in class, disrupts other students.

1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.

2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.

1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2007 - Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.

1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.

2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.

1957 - Ants die.

2007- BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny’s Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.

1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

I know, this is a fictional email that’s doing the rounds. But I can recall similar stories to every single one of these scenarios. Stuff I did back in the 60’s and 70’s would get me arrested and/or drugged. I disrupted class, got into fights, took guns to school (my bolt-action .22 for the shooting club), carried aspirin, broke windows (not car windows, and not on purpose.). I got paddled at school AND again when I got home.

I think I turned out fairly well.

Stupid government schools.

Posted by Christopher     on 11/02/2008 at 12:33 AM   
Filed Under: • Education • Liberals • Nanny State • Outrageous •  
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   Thursday - October 30, 2008

children who walk to class each day along 5,000ft cliff ledge.  (A MUST SEE)

I can hardly believe this.  I keep getting away from Moonbat stuff but then, how do you avoid this?

If you go to the link, you’ll be able to see a full view and it really is a sight to see.

Here in the UK it would most assuredly violate Health and Safety act.

Be sure and see these enlarged. Awesome!

School drop-off: The children who walk to class each day along 5,000ft cliff ledge

By Eddie Wrenn
Last updated at 2:05 PM on 30th October 2008

For most parents the school-run may seem death-defying, but it usually only consists of a quick drive or walk to the gates.

So spare a thought for the families of Gulucan village in West China, who take their lives in their hands every day with a a school walk which involves navigating a narrow path carved into a 5,000-ft cliff-side.

It is the only way they can get to the school, which with its five concrete rooms is the known as the best construction in the village.

Cliff-top walk: The daily walk to and from Gulucun Primary school certainly takes some courage with a 5,000ft sheer drop on one side.

High school: The tiny village can be seen nestled in the bottom right of the picture.

http://tinyurl.com/6fdm7u

Posted by peiper     on 10/30/2008 at 11:41 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Education •  
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   Sunday - October 26, 2008

A NEW QUIZ FOR FIVE YEAR OLDS?  (NAME THAT BODY PART) couldn’t make it up folks.

Alright it isn’t really a quiz but heck .... it is bizarre.

Some short while ago I posted this subject and then forgot about it with so much else going on.
Well, apparently the powers that be haven’t forgotten and so we re-visit the subject with a mom who also writes for the Telegraph.

She makes legitimate points.  Even as a non parent, I’m certain I would not be too comfortable with this if I were.
She’s right.  There really is something ‘creepy’ about this.

Must they know about sex at five?

By Jenny McCartney
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 26/10/2008

One thing stumps me about the news that the Government is to provide compulsory “sex and relationships” lessons for children from the age of five: how much can there really be to say?

On the subject of relationships, obviously, one could go on forever, recommending lengthy homework on everything from Jane Austen to Leonard Cohen lyrics. On sex, I would have thought there was rather less to discuss: one could surely exhaust the topics of contraception, pregnancy, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases in a matter of weeks at the age of 11, perhaps with a brief refresher course at 13. After that, in what precise style young people proceed with sex in later life is surely a matter for them: there must be some areas to which even the omnipresent hand of the nanny state does not reach.

The news that there will now be a “naming of parts” session for five-year-olds, however - in which they learn the correct words for genitals and the differences between the sexes - gives me the creeps. By the age of five, many children have their own names for their private parts, often of a friendly, silly variety that will do them perfectly well until they are older. Is there really any point in school insisting on teaching them otherwise?

If a friend or relative suddenly insisted on lecturing your five-year-old about the official name for their genitals, apropos of nothing, I imagine they would be asked to shut up pretty sharpish. I am at something of a loss as to why this interference should be thought preferable coming from a primary teacher. And yet a sex education comic - Let’s Grow With Nisha and Joe - is already being promoted to primary schools. We learned to read with Dick and Dora: I shudder to think what they would do with that pair today.

The great irony in the Government setting itself up as the supreme educator on sexual and emotional matters is that, when it is given the task of actually looking after confused and vulnerable children all by itself, it is the worst parent imaginable. Girls who have grown up in care are sexually active earlier than other teenagers, and are 2.5 times more likely to become pregnant. A quarter of girls leaving care are already mothers or pregnant.

These girls are subjected to the same sex education at school as everyone else: I would be extremely surprised if any of them did not know in theory how to avoid having a baby. The real point, surely, is that they do not greatly want to avoid it. The emotional isolation they experience during their period in the unfeeling British care system means that they gravitate towards men as a source of affection and attention. The prospect of motherhood then offers them both an acknowledged social status and perhaps a reason for continued financial support from the state. Their early pregnancy is entirely logical, for any state that cares to read its own shortcomings written in the logic.

This, to a lesser degree, holds true for very many teenage girls who “accidentally” find themselves pregnant. The phenomenon is not helped by the fact that at the moment there is a wealth of information on what it means to have sex and very little on what it means to be in sole charge of a small baby that cries round the clock.

I believe in the good sense of basic sex education at school for older children, even if my own was pretty much confined to a terrifying film of a woman giving birth, and a hilarious, crackling 1960s film about male puberty called From Boy to Man. (We never got to see From Girl to Woman, despite being primed for yet more helpless laughter: the projector broke.)

There is a danger, however, that any philosophy that mainly concentrates on the somewhat deceptive notion of “safe sex” and the judicious use of contraception is in fact misleading. If a teenager doesn’t think that he or she is ready for the life-changing complications that might arise from sex - and few are - then the best advice is not to do it at all. Otherwise, they should be warned that contraception is very far from infallible, and they would be advised to double up on their methods.

I yearn for the day when “sex and relationships” lessons actually do something to make teenage behaviour wiser, and when lessons include: “Just because he sleeps with you doesn’t mean he loves you” and “New mum Mary can’t go out for two years. It’s 3am and the baby’s screaming with colic.” Sadly, the glum news that Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, has decided instead to start badgering the nation’s five-year-olds into naming their private parts doesn’t lead me to think that will happen any time soon.

for more:
http://tinyurl.com/6kttyo

Posted by Drew458     on 10/26/2008 at 09:02 AM   
Filed Under: • Education • Nanny State • Sex • UK •  
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   Monday - October 20, 2008

Schools bribing pupils to cut truancy.  School days, School days, Good Old … take it guys …

Maybe I’m just a dinosaur and way out of date with the modern world. But I just don’t understand rewarding or bribing bad behavior.
Sure, there were incentives when I was in school.  Like, you wouldn’t get hit if you behaved yourself.  I remember we used to get these little tiny glued on stars of different colors to rate how we did.  There was gold, green, and I think blue. Or maybe red. Can’t recall the third one.  The teacher would put one on some bit of work you turned in I think.  Golly. Rewards like what?  In my day I think the most they could have given would have been a radio. This would be before TV of course.  And you can be certain we were never given anything in the way of bribes.  We worried more about how parents might react then we were about the teacher. You’d get punished 2wice.

Once upon a time England really did have a first rate education system and it allowed for NO nonsense.  This country produced outstanding people in every field of endeavor you can name.  It was a glorious country with a totally fascinating history and traditions.  Sure, they had juvenile delinquents.  Who hasn’t?
And who among us never ever played hooky? Gosh that’s a word I haven’t heard or used in years.  But we darn well never received any rewards of the nature this story exposes. And you can bet your life the Brits never did either.

Schools bribing pupils to cut truancy
Schools are spending up to £30,000 a year on “bribes” to keep order in the classroom and cut truancy.


By Graeme Paton, Education Editor
Last Updated: 7:18AM BST 20 Oct 2008

In some cases, children can win plasma televisions, games consoles, iPods, lap-tops and even flights abroad for turning up on time and working hard.

Under a new reward scheme, pupils are being urged to collect good behaviour “points” which they can cash in for prizes.

Habitual truants can get extra rewards for turning up regularly to classes, with headteachers claiming incentives are now more effective than detentions.

The disclosure comes just days after Ofsted suggested rewards were a “powerful incentive” for students who struggled with school.

But critics claim taxpayers’ money is being wasted as many pupils “play the system” to get their hands on prizes.

The Daily Telegraph has learned that the Government’s flagship academies – semi-independent state schools in deprived areas – are among those spending the most on reward schemes.

Barnfield South Academy, Luton, is investing £28,000 this year on prizes and incentives.

Mark Bennison, associate principal, said attendance rates had already soared from 88 to 93 per cent under the scheme.

“Some people say that you should not bribe children, and I am prepared for the fact that it is going to be controversial, but the fact is it has played a big part in motivating children at this school,” he said. “Learning and earning are inexorably linked and if children don’t see that they are not going to survive when they leave school.”

Many schools already operate small scale reward schemes, handing out certificates for good behaviour.

But Barnfield is among 14 to sign up so far to the Vivo Miles programme - a new reward scheme administered by a private company offering expensive gifts to the best pupils.

Under the system, pupils earn points for good behaviour, attendance, healthy eating, smart uniform, hard work, excelling in sport and helping around the school.

(a reward for “healthy” eating too? Boy did I miss out when I was a kid. When any of us cut up in class, our teacher would make us hold out a hand, palm up and slap it with a ruler. Damn it that stung. Kept kids like me in line too.  For a while anyway. I was a class clown and it is not any wonder that I should have ended up a DJ. Still remember the ruler on the palm after all these years though. Wasn’t a delinquent in my class.And there wasn’t a boy in the class that wasn’t in love with pretty Miss Beers. That was really her name.)

Each point is worth a set value – depending on the school - and students can save up for prizes, cashing them in at any time on a specially-accessed website.

Mr Bennison said the scheme was funded largely from renting school playing fields and facilities to community groups, and he insisted it was cheaper than expelling pupils altogether.

Westminster Academy in central London is spending £20,000 on the scheme this year.

Rod Boswell, a house principal, said pupils could win “anything from three tennis balls to a plasma TV”.

Prizes for the most credits include a Sony laptop, a PlayStation3 and a Palm Tungsten handheld computer. Pupils can also get a Nintendo Wii, iPods and sporting equipment, including cricket pads and footballs.

“Simply imposing detentions doesn’t work in an inner-city setting like this, because the punishment is quite often little in comparison to what some of these children see outside in their day-to-day lives,” he said.

Another school is in negotiation with a local airport to turn points into air miles. Pupils in other schools can use Vivo cards to get reduced or free entry to local cinemas or swimming pools - and discounts in some high street stores.

George Grima, chief executive of Vivo Miles, said it could spread to other state schools.

“Several schools are spending £30,000-plus on the rewards themselves” he said. “They have also successfully turned around the behaviour of some very disruptive students who were at risk of being expelled. They saved around £4,500 per student in out of school provision as a result, even though more traditional thinkers would see it as unethical.”

But critics say the scheme effectively rewards bad behaviour.

Richard Gerver, a former headteacher and Government advisor, said: “This is all about short-term impacts rather than making sure pupils really have a deeper understanding of the negative impact of bad behaviour. There are a large number of children who will simply play the system without really changing their attitude.”

A study last week by Maurice Galton and John MacBeath, from Cambridge University, found “little sign” reward systems led to improvements in pupil behaviour.

http://tinyurl.com/65nr4k

Posted by Drew458     on 10/20/2008 at 03:26 AM   
Filed Under: • Education • UK •  
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   Sunday - October 19, 2008

Trivia

A trivia question:

Name a President who served without a Vice-President.

Posted by Christopher     on 10/19/2008 at 08:45 AM   
Filed Under: • Education • History •  
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   Saturday - October 18, 2008

Continuing Education

I think it’s been awhile since we did a book list. I want to do something just a little different here.

Not ‘my favorite books of all time’.

What books of a political/current events persuasion have you read this year?

Here’s my list:

Climate Confusion by Dr. Roy Spencer.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism by Christopher C. Horner.

Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg. This one is on my ‘must buy’ list. I’m just waiting for the soft-cover edition (due out early next year).

The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness by Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr. MUST BUY!! Excellent!

This one has an interesting story for me. I recommended my library purchase this so I could read it before buying it. I’ve recommended many books over the years and not once has the library ever acted on my recommendations. I’ve assumed that my recommendations are too ‘politically incorrect’. Imagine my surprise to get this answer:

Yes. They were going to buy it and I was first in line on the reserve list, which grew quite quickly. I had to just skim the last half because I couldn’t renew it. This is not light reading. So I’m gonna buy it. I’m still astounded that they bought a recommended conservative book. I thought the title alone would offend someone.

The Little Ice Age by Brian Fagan. If you are worried about ‘global warming’ wait until you read about the effects global cooling had on Europe circa 1250 AD.

America Alone by Mark Steyn. I first read the library copy and then bought a copy direct from Mr. Steyn. Autographed by the author, no less.

Two by Robert Spencer: The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades and The Truth about Muhammed.

Black Gold Stranglehold by Joel Rosenberg. Oil is NOT a ‘fossil fuel’.

Surrender Is Not An Option by John Bolton. Yes, that John Bolton. This book convinced me that ‘President Bolton’ would be a good idea.

Understanding Terror Networks by Marc Sagemon. This guy used to advise the Pentagon, until a high-ranking military aide, who is muslim, became offended.

Those are my serious, non-fiction, reads so far this year. This does not include my ‘light’ reading.

So, what books are on your list?

Posted by Christopher     on 10/18/2008 at 08:32 PM   
Filed Under: • Education •  
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   Friday - October 03, 2008

BRING BACK THE CANE FOR DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOLS SAY A FIFTH OF TEACHERS.

What I find so very interesting about this short article is that the subject is even being discussed publicly.  What with PC and touchy-feely attitudes not to mention LAW SUITS!

Kids aren’t stupid and they are far more sophisticated then my generation was. They by god know their civil rights. They’ve been taught.
I think they learn those before their A B Cs.

Fifth of teachers ‘want cane back’

Press Assoc. - Friday, October 3 01:10 am

One in five teachers would like to see the cane brought back in schools, a survey has found.

The deterioration of pupils’ behaviour was the main reason teachers were in favour of corporal punishment being brought back.

The Times Educational Supplement (TES) survey of 6,162 teachers found that those in secondary schools were more in favour of it than their primary school counterparts (22% compared to 16%)

Overall, 20.3% supported “the right to use corporal punishment in extreme cases”. The idea was less popular with heads and deputy and assistant heads, with just 12% favouring the idea, the TES reported.

Supply teacher Judith Cookson told the TES said: “There are too many anger management people and their ilk who give children the idea that it is their right to flounce out of lessons for time out because they have problems with their temper.

“They should be caned instead.”

And primary teacher Ravi Kasinathan said: “There is justification, or an argument, for bringing back corporal punishment, if only as a deterrent.

“I believe some children just don’t respond to the current sanctions.”

http://tinyurl.com/4q6lkc

Posted by Drew458     on 10/03/2008 at 03:55 AM   
Filed Under: • Education •  
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   Tuesday - September 23, 2008

Through The Eyes Of A Child

An 11-year-old in Aurora says his first amendment rights are being trampled after he was suspended for wearing a homemade shirt that reads “Obama is a terrorist’s best friend.”
...
The boy’s father Dann Dalton describes himself as a “proud conservative” who has taken part in some controversial anti-abortion protests. Dalton says the school made a major mistake by suspending his son for wearing the shirt.

“It’s the public school system,” Dalton says. “Let’s be honest, it’s full of liberal loons.”

The school district told the student, Daxx Dalton, that he had the choice of changing his shirt, turning his shirt inside out or being suspended.

Daxx chose suspension.

“They’re taking away my right of freedom of speech,” he says. “If I have the right to wear this shirt I’m going to use it. And if the only way to use it is get suspended, then I’m going to get suspended.”

Daxx’s dad agrees with him and is encouraging his son to stand his ground.  “The facts are his rights were violated. Period.”

Aurora Public Schools would not talk about the case but said the district “Respects a student’s right to free speech, such as the right to wear specific clothing,” but administrators say they review any situation that interrupts the learning environment.

Paperwork submitted by the school district says Daxx Dalton was not suspended for wearing the shirt, but for willful disobedience and defiance.

The boy’s father says he intends to pursue a lawsuit against the district.

Posted by Drew458     on 09/23/2008 at 05:21 PM   
Filed Under: • Education • Politically-Incorrect •  
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   Saturday - September 20, 2008

The phrase Old Masters is sexist, authors and students are told.  (Here We Go Again)

About a month or so ago I posted something similar and asked, what next? How far is this gonna go?

Well, my answer appeared in today’s paper. These folks really need to find a job that involves an 8 hour day at the minimum.

I had originally intended to highlight just some lines to stand out, but this is so overly stupid and so overly bizarre, I’ve made bold the entire article.

My Moonbat Award for the week past ...  And it really is NOT funny.

The phrase Old Masters is sexist, authors and students are told
Students and academics are being banned from using the term “Old Masters” and “seminal” because of claims they are sexist.

By Martin Beckford, Social Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:40AM BST 20 Sep 20

Publishers and universities are outlawing dozens of seemingly innocuous words in case they cause offence.

Banned phrases on the list, which was originally drawn up by sociologists, include Old Masters, which has been used for centuries to refer to great painters - almost all of whom were in fact male.

It is claimed that the term discriminates against women and should be replaced by “classic artists”.

The list of banned words was written by the British Sociological Association, whose members include dozens of professors, lecturers and researchers.

The list of allegedly racist words includes immigrants, developing nations and black, while so-called “disablist” terms include patient, the elderly and special needs.

It comes after one council outlawed the allegedly sexist phrase “man on the street”, and another banned staff from saying “brainstorm” in case it offended people with epilepsy.

However the list of “sensitive” language is said by critics to amount to unwarranted censorship and wrongly assume that people are offended by words that have been in use for years.

Prof Frank Furedi, a sociologist at the University of Kent, said he was shocked when he saw the extent of the list and how readily academics had accepted it.

“I was genuinely taken aback when I discovered that the term ‘Chinese Whisper’ was offensive because of its apparently racist connotations. I was moved to despair when I found out that one of my favourite words, ‘civilised’, ought not be used by a culturally sensitive author because of its alleged racist implications.”

Prof Furedi said that censorship is about the “policing of moral behaviour” by an army of campaign groups, teachers and media organisations who are on a “crusade” to ban certain words and promote their own politically correct alternatives.

He said people should see the efforts to ban certain words as the “coercive regulation” of everyday language and the “closing down of discussions” rather than positive attempts to protect vulnerable groups from offence.

The list of banned words is now sent out to prospective authors by Policy Press, a publisher of social science books and journals based at the University of Bristol, but is also used in many academic institutions.

The University of Bristol’s School for Policy Studies recommends the guidelines to help students “challenge heterosexist assumptions”, and they are included in a “toolkit” to combat institutional racism included on the University of Leeds’ website.

King’s College London says they “may provide a good starting point” and Liverpool John Moores University provides a link to them in its students’ guide. The Open University said they are an “appropriate source of reference and advice” for students.

Napier University in Edinburgh says the list is “well worth looking at” while the University of East London advises its students they should “attempt to incorporate” it.

Even a secondary school in Norwich includes a link to the list on its website, with the statement: “Students may care to consider how far we inadvertently reproduce inaccurate sexist assumptions in the language we use, both written and spoken.”

The list of racist terms features black, which “can be used in a racist sense” and should be changed to “black peoples” or “black communities”.

Immigrants is said to have “racist overtones” because of its association with “immigration legislation”, while developing nations - intended as a more sensitive replacement for Third World - is “prejudical” because it implies a comparison with developed countries.

Although not included on the Policy Press list, the BSA warns authors against using civilisation because of its “racist overtones that derive from a colonialist perception of the world”.

Among the “sexist” terms to be avoided are “seminal” and “disseminate” because they are derived from the word semen and supposedly imply a male-dominated view of the world.

Authors are also told to “avoid using medical labels” when writing about disabled people as this “may promote a view of them as patients”.

In addition, the list says “special needs” should be changed to “additional needs”, “patient” to “person” and “the elderly” to “older people”.

“Able-bodied person” should be replaced with “non-disabled person”, it is claimed.

http://tinyurl.com/4xymh5

Posted by Drew458     on 09/20/2008 at 09:36 AM   
Filed Under: • Awards • Education • Insanity • Stoopid-People • UK •  
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   Wednesday - September 17, 2008

Another Zero Tolerance Attack Of The Stupids

Oh brother. The Ninny Police are at it again.

A 10-year-old Hilton Head Island boy has been suspended from school for having something most students carry in their supply boxes: a pencil sharpener. The problem was his sharpener had broken, but he decided to use it anyway. A teacher at Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate Elementary School noticed the boy had what appeared to be a small razor blade during class on Tuesday, according to a Beaufort County sheriff’s report. It was obvious that the blade was the metal insert commonly found in a child’s small, plastic pencil sharpener, the deputy noted.

The boy—a fourth-grader described as a well-behaved and good student—cried during the meeting with his mom, the deputy and the school’s assistant principal. He had no criminal intent in having the blade at school, the sheriff’s report stated, but was suspended for at least two days and could face further disciplinary action.

District spokesman Randy Wall said school administrators are stuck in the precarious position between the district’s zero tolerance policy against having weapons at school and common sense.
“We’re always going to do something to make sure the child understands the seriousness of having something that could potentially harm another student, but we’re going to be reasonable,” he said.

Hey Randy? You’re a fuckin twerp.

But hey, Hilton Head is just rife with troubles these days. Shootings galore, leftists rallying for illegal alien rights and calling it a “Peace Meeting”, even doubts about the stability of the oyster supply. Trouble in Paradise. Obviously the solution is to bust little kids for carrying broken school supplies. Another Columbine averted, for sure!

Posted by Drew458     on 09/17/2008 at 10:13 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Education •  
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   Tuesday - September 16, 2008

Primary schools ‘should celebrate homosexuality’ And They Are!  Surprised?  Thought not.

So the subject of abnormal behavior can only be celebrated. What next?  I don’t think I wanna know.
This is no longer a sane world ppl.

Primary school classrooms should be a place where “queer sexualities are affirmed and celebrated” in order to stop homophobic bullying, educational researchers have said.

By Urmee Khan
Last Updated: 9:49AM BST 16 Sep 2008

In a seminar at Exeter University this week, researchers from the No Outsiders project will discuss “pleasure and desire in educational contexts”.

No Outsiders is a taxpayer-funded organisation which aims to stop bullying and prejudice aimed at homosexuals. The project currently operates in 14 primary schools.

In documents prepared for the seminar, project leaders have set themselves a goal of “creating primary classrooms where queer sexualities are affirmed and celebrated”.

“The team is concerned to interrogate the desexualisation of children’s bodies, the negation of pleasure and desire in educational contexts, and the tendency to shy away from discussion of (sexual) bodily activity in No Outsiders project work.

“The danger of accusations of the corruption of innocent children has led team members to make repeated claims that this project is not about sex or desire - and that it is therefore not about bodies.

“Yet, at a very significant level, that is exactly what it is about and to deny this may have significant negative implications for children and young people.”

During the project, the seminar paper says, its members have “challenged each other to go beyond imagined possibilities into queer practice”.

The seminar will “question the taken-for-granted of the supposedly sexless, bodiless and desire-less primary classroom’ and examine ‘the place of the research team members’ own bodies, desires and pleasures in this research”.

Section 28, the law which banned the promotion of homosexuality in state schools, was repealed five years ago. Current guidance on sex education says it should not promote sexual orientation or sexual activity.

The No Outsiders project is led by researchers from Sunderland University and is backed with £600,000 of public money provided by the Economic and Social Research Council.

The group uses books, puppet shows and plays to teach children about same-sex relationships.

(well heck. why stop there? why not show the full monty and have porn movies. hey, how about live theater for the kids. these folks are plain stupid and maybe crazy as well. learn to “celebrate” queer and abnormal behavior?)

Project leader Dr Elizabeth Atkinson said the seminar had no connection with No Outsiders work in classrooms. “The seminar is part of a long-standing academic debate and has nothing to do with schools,” she said. “It has no connection with sex education.”

However, the proposed seminar has attracted criticism. Patricia Morgan, author of studies of family life and gay adoption, said: “The proposal is that primary school classrooms should be turned into gay saunas. This is about homosexual practice in junior schools. The idiots who repealed Section 28 should consider that this is where it has got them.”

Posted by Drew458     on 09/16/2008 at 09:54 AM   
Filed Under: • Education • Homosexuality • Sex • UK •  
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