Re: [SLUG] operating systems and schools

["Simon Bryan" <sbryan@nospam.olmc.nsw.edu.au>]

Jumping in once and only once....
</sopabox on>

I am a teacher, I have worked in Govt schools and am currently in a private 
school. I have been teaching for over 20 years and teaching computing since 
it was introduced about 15 years ago.

From my viewpoint schools are not for 'job training' they are for education, I 
wish that all my strudents could leave school with the love of learning that I 
had when I left school (I think I still have). It should not matter whether I 
teach C, C++, Windows, Linux etc etc. I am trying to give my students a set 
of skills that will stand them in good stead for life, long after all the current 
OS's and languages have faded from memory (humans not machines!). BTW 
just when am I suppose to train for all the nnew langauges and OS's that 
keep appearing? (If you are muttering 'What about all those holidays?' then 
add it up, compare the fact that most Public Holidays are now in the school 
holidays, there are no flexi days or RDO's and compared to some jobs we 
are not all that far in front - besides if you want the holidays all you have to 
do is to become a teacher - can't see the queue yet!)

The success of education is not measuerd by how well a students does at 
the HSC or UNI, the good academic students would succeed whether they 
are taught in schools or at home. Most of my students never even want to go 
to Uni it is not part of their life plan or dreams, but they (if I succeed) love 
learning and they have what I consider a great set of values (no discussion 
will be entered into on thaat one!).

Sure teachers are well underpaid by any standard, and if you believe what 
you read in the papers about the fairness of the government offer then you 
probably believe that you can run NT in 8mb RAM! Get the real facts before 
you start knocking people who want to stay in teaching, who love teaching, 
but also have their own families that they need to support and be able to 
spend time with. (I am in a private school and I like my conditions - so I am 
not complaining from a personl viewpoint). Teachers have not agreed to 
teaach x hours for x dollars, that is the dispute, the hours are to go up and 
wages in real terms to go down. (Starting to soapbox)

I teach the curriculum that is dictated to me by the Board of Studies (not 
DSE - they do not control curriculum in NSW), I work within the horrible 
constraints of the HSC, I work underpaid, under-resourced (why else would 
several people be offering 486's to schools if they were not already dreadfully 
underresourced) BUT if my school supports me and the parents support me 
we can still do a wonderful job. Trouble in govt schools is that the system is 
running scared of lawyers and parents too often don't care.

It always amazes me how maany people are willing to knock teachers and 
schools but will always say "I couldn't teach, I don't have the patience" or 
similar.

Now let me see IT people, especially Linux people, they are all bearded, non-
communicative, live in a fantasy world, use strange arcane terms, 'just 
rebuild your kernel', only come out at night, have trouble spelling simple 
terms like 'windows' and 'microsoft'........ Just joking

Cheers,


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Simon Bryan                    sbryan@nospam.olmc.nsw.edu.au
Information Technology Manager sbryan@nospam.mpx.com.au
OLMC Parramatta
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