Forty years on and how far have we really come?
Regular readers of my column, assuming I have any beyond the withered old crone, will know that my beloved life forms are the primary focus of my life, with the focus being on trying to rid myself of the not-so-little darlings.
That end is in sight but, if I am to succeed, the life forms must succeed, and so their education is a crucial part of the plan. If they make it through school with good grades and the all-important credits, they will have a better chance at meaningful employment and career growth that will enable them to leave the nest and have the ability to support themselves.
Failure means they may be forced to redock at the mothership - or worse yet, never leave it.
Failure is not an option for me and, whether it be for good or bad, it also appears that failure is not an option at school, even if it means "cooking" the books with this wretched credit system.
Worse still is the absolute lack of creative accounting while doing so - it's so blatantly obvious.
Please ... give me, give us, some bloody credit - we can see right through it. Even I passed maths and the allocation of credits, as I see it, just doesn't add up.
Take English, a core subject. I've watched as my eldest life form has read and researched a given topic; he's studied hard, written, edited, rewritten and finally submitted an essay that he has literally spent an entire school term on for the measly reward of six credits maximum.
Alternatively, you could get five credits in PE in just one lesson for just displaying a range of basic skills like running, jumping and throwing a ball. If farming is more your thing, you can run up a hill and round up three sheep for 12 credits in no time, or you could select a CAP course where you will given a worksheet and a tutor who will give you the required answers to fill in as you go for four credits in the space of a morning.
I'm not saying one subject is better than another but I am concerned that the amount of credits given do not reflect the time and effort put into the task. It's a little insulting to those who choose the academic route - such a meagre result, comparatively speaking, is almost belittling.
I'm not surprised then that my life forms use terms like "credit farming" to describe how the intellectually challenged manage to make the grade.
Are we really doing our kids a service by creating a system where easy credits are made available so everyone appears to succeed? Will this idea of success be so easily achieved once they are out in the real world?
We are hoping the distraction of a quick fix, that can easily be doctored to achieve the required pass rate, will be enough to divert our attention from the gaping wound that remains untreated.
If that's the so-called National Standard we are setting, is it any wonder it's a national disaster ... is it any wonder that more kids than ever are leaving school with the basic literacy skills of a baboon?
Here's a thought - they might want to add bananas to the breakfast menu and, while they are at, give them 10 credits for peeling it. Credit where credit is due, but this is a credit crisis of a different kind and we are failing our kids if we let it continue.
I'm heading back down memory lane ... much happier times to be had there.
Keep warm and smile loudly - no extra credit, sorry, but it feels good.
investik8@gmail.com
