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Jamie Oliver's Dream School channel 4 last night
Did anyone watch this? Jamie Oliver is trying to help twenty unruly underachieving teenagers turn their lives around with the help of 'inspritational ' experts.
They may be inspirational but they can't teach! David Starkey got into trouble because he called a boy fat and the real Headmaster of the school was appalled.
Half the girls were sick in Robert Winston's class when he cut up a pig.
Simon Callow had a hard job keeping the class quiet while he tried to get them to understand Shakespeare. Rolf Harris did a bit better in the painting class.
They may be inspirational but they can't teach! David Starkey got into trouble because he called a boy fat and the real Headmaster of the school was appalled.
Half the girls were sick in Robert Winston's class when he cut up a pig.
Simon Callow had a hard job keeping the class quiet while he tried to get them to understand Shakespeare. Rolf Harris did a bit better in the painting class.
Comments
They came up with two points which were very valid, I thought, one was that the youngsters didn't know how to 'listen', and the other not glossing over the fact that they've failed, but saying here is a way you can turn that round.
I was out so didn't see the actual programme.So I'll have to use the watch again service.
It will be interesting to see how this goes over the next few weeks. Alistair campbell is teaching next week. I'm looking forward to seeing how Cherie Blair gets on.
What idiot school lets kids have their phones on during class time anyway?
I know they say that those that can't, teach - but rocket scientists don't always make the best teachers.
Very good point BB. I'm not sure of the answer to that but the point about t being a TV show is a valid one. It's not real, it is entertainment and as such will have production manipulation to ensure it receives media attention and viewers.
And that Jamie Oliver annoys me - he's bad enough when he's throwing things in a frying pan and nagging school kids to eat raw vegetables but this is beyond the pale.
I'm not saying some of the 'teachers' are not top of their own field, but that field isn't teaching. Come on Jamie you are annoying enough to harangue the real people who have the power to change things into changing policy and adjusting the disaster that waits in the darkness for education in this country. Just more wallpaper TV to cover up the cracks so we don't notice the rising damp crawling underneath.
Well put!
My English teacher may not have ever written a best selling novel, but he was a wonderful communicator. He later changed careers and became a painter and decorator. Why? Because his son was handicapped and he decided to support him and they both worked together. Teaching's loss, but what a father.
Your English teacher sounds like a true man and father. My main inspiration in school was my English teacher too. Hard as nails, strict as a bunch of P.E teachers from Kes, but boy it was like magic in his class when he spoke about books and our language.
Maffs may have been boring but he was sooooo funny, I laffed as well as learned.
Then he was replaced by idiot features and I lost both the laffs and interest in maffs .
"what is that noise?"
my claim to fame, gone unnoticed. :(
As for Jamie Oliver he should be locked in a school kitchen and force fed school cabbage, can't stand the bloke, never have been able to.
Funnily enough not watching the show either.
A review.
Interestingly I found Starkey to be like a grown up successful version of those kids: bolshie and with little respect for others. They said he comes from a tough background, so maybe he got to be successful but kept the attitude.
That's a shame STF, is there any way you can make your teachers aware they are doing this? I am sure they will appreciate your input as perhaps, dealing with all their duties as teacher may mean they forget some things they should remember.
I do know what you mean though, as this is something I have long been aware of myself, in my former position at work and now a mother. I make every effort I can with my three children to ensure I balance praise with disapproval.
The photographer, Rankin, was good and seems to be the best teacher so far I think. They all produced good work for him.
Jamie Oliver said that there is no GCSE in Photography, my daughter did one 15 years ago now, perhaps they don't have it on the curriculum anymore?
Simon Callow still struggled with his Shakespeare class, they really don't seem interested in Shakespeare at all. David Starkey did better this week with some of the class saying they enjoyed his lesson on Henry 8th.
I found it totally boring too, when I was at school. Maybe if the teacher had shown a tot of imagination it would have helped.
What was Simon Calow's teaching ability like, as I don't watch this prog. Teaching and acting a part do have similiarities.
I can see why people have mixed reactions to Jamie Oliver but at least he's trying to address this issue of de-socialised feral kids. Exclusion never was and can never be the answer, this response has created a whole raft of kids that have no idea of how they fit in to the larger world.
Having failed himself at school, as well as recognising why, he's keen to show all is not lost for these kids so good on him I say
I think photography may start at NVQ level now Kateyanne.
I agree. I like Jamie and the effort he makes.
I never used to like Jamie but I'm starting to warm to him. My mum took Conner to the tower of London and she was with him when he saw the lances. Mum says that he was the class clown and that's why he never got any GCSE's. Most of the teachers at school are angry that he said that the school did not care about him.
Doubt it dora, been happening for years. My kids have always been near the top of class and I had to BEG the teacher to give my youngest a sticker for arithmetic in Junior school, when she had THREE exercise books without a single wrong sum! Her friend, nice girl but a bit slower used to get one for getting 6 sums on the trot right, or reading two pages.
Like StF It really irritates me that people think the bright ones don't need to work - -most of them put just as much, if not more effort into their work as the slower ones do. trouble is, this country always focusses on the negative.
we are told to praise the positive, but we still concentrate more on the negative. when i was teaching at one staff meeting they wanted to review the letters they sent to parents. this is as much of eh lsit as I can remember:
Late letter
No Homework Letter
No gym kit letter
No equipment letter (pen pencil etc)
Non uniform items letter
Trainers not shoes letter
Disruption letter
There were more but I can't remember them all and I caused a massive shock when i suggested that we had a letter to praise pupils for just getting on with their work and doing their best. they agreed, but i think I was the only person who ever sent any.
Funny really, 'cos I writes it in me diary when he's not there and ... they'v gorrit wrong.
I meet them and they tell me personally that he's doing brilliantly apart from one oik who gave him a good, excellent write up on his report, then when we met her at this meeting, she kinda told him off for one thing and another. Not that it bother him, or me, we just walked away smiling nicely to her, then got round the corner and laffed at her inconsistency and inability to know her students properly.
Seems to fall off a bit when they reach year 10...