French Teachers Rally Against New Rules.

[elleng]

Government Mandate on Classwork Is Seen as an Attack on Long-Held Ideals.

TOULOUSE, France, July 10 -- Alain Refalo, a veteran elementary schoolteacher in this luxuriant corner of southwestern France, decided enough was enough.

In a defiant letter to local authorities, he refused to carry out a new Education Ministry rule mandating extra classroom work for slow learners because, in his view, it would overtax his young charges. Worse, he explained in an interview, the orders from Paris seemed to be part of a trend inching French schools away from some of their most cherished ideals, making them resemble something in England or even America.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/10/AR2009071002766.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[Demeter]

1. Good for the Teacher

American educational policies are bullshit. Education should be a joy, not a punishment.

[adnelson60087]

2. How I wish more American educators would actually

show some spine and stick their pedagogy when confronted with silly, and often disastrous practices. High-stakes testing, endless conformity of practice, and a lack of student-centric learning is a recipe for making students hate education and schooling.

[elleng]

3. And many do hate 'hate education and schooling,' so called.

One issue I think is significant is the size of the U.S. France (and most other countries?) are relatively small, have much older cultures, and are therefore arguably easier places in which to achieve agreement on issues. This is true concerning many issues, tho these days electronics make communication easier than ever.

[Fire1]

4. I think we showed some 'spine' on change.gov,,

whithouse.gov, e-mails and letters to our congresspeople, unions and the President. I don't know what else we could have done. We knew when Duncan was appointed that there would be hell to pay and we rallied the troops but to no avail. Any suggestions?

[Joe Chi Minh]

5. K&R Though I don't blame our teachers. We have respective, unresponsive political

political cultures. There, their politicians fear them.

[elleng]

6. Because of the form of government?

'National' issues more important for locals?

[Joe Chi Minh]

8. No. The degeneracy of our governments and our respective nations as a whole.

[burning rain]

7. What is wrong with those characters that they hate Bill Maher...

but gush over Jerry Lewis?