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You can find previous Brain Dumps here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21. Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32.

A new study trimester started for me a few weeks ago! I have been a bit preoccupied with other things, so it sort of caught me off guard. But it is actually quite nice to start a new teaching and learning session and be done with that crap show that was the last trimester.

Thankfully I got through the last two subject assessments in the last trimester with decent enough grades... But I had reached the point where I was just writing any of crap to submit and just handing it in... Glad to be done and finished.

Reading the comments... Well, it was more than apparent that it was all a waste of time anyway! The comments seemed to be written in a way that completely ignored what I wrote. Things like 'where is the mark scheme?'.... Written right next to the mark scheme. It seemed like crap shooting random comments and hopefully something being relevant to the assignment that I had handed in.

Anyway, I start this trimester with a single subject load (that is a quarter full time, I think). A much more relaxed load, as I am finding that I'm having less time then expected to study... And to be honest, I'm not sure I want to be teaching in a classroom anyway!

I was just able to pass my literacy exam, which is a nice relief... I honestly can't believe what passes for literacy these days, it is a load of meaningless crap that have to read and digest! I am still dumbfounded that kids are being taught to write as though they were incomprehensible middle managers.

Meanwhile, I am still unable to book a numeracy exam, as they come up once per quarter... And the single day of two that they are open always seems to clash with existing commitments. Ah well, next time...

So, this trimester is a History of Australian Education. A purely social/humanities topic that is not anything to do with the practice of teaching. It was one of the few electives that was of interest to me... The rest seemed just gimmicky or not really that interesting to me. Mostly gimmicky..

Anyway, I am quite interested in how the Australian system of education has evolved into the state that it is now. A real entrenched system of have and have-nots that manages to take the worst of all possible styles of interference from politics of all stripes! And of teachers still trying to make do and do the best for their students...

.. The key thing from the first week for me that sums it all up. Students (and their parents) are now seen as consumers... This is the sort of crap show that you will get when you have bean-counters, politicians, parents, and metric chasers in charge of things. It is fine for unimportant things like running a business... But for an educational system, it is a job best left to professionals without additional 'help'.

Rant out!

I can also be found cross-posting at:
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