School: 1958 versus 2008

[Govangirl]

Definitely a comment for the house of fun.
Only someone with a poor understanding of the history of this country, or of global politics, could say this with a straight face.
Sounds like Govan Girl was campaigning with that other Daily Mail reading, Tory fantasist, David Davis.

Your wee face must light up when, after scouring the forum, you find something to have a pop at! What a barrel of laughs you must be at a party!

[hugh]

Enlighten us mo*.

Tell us which particular aspects of the history of this country and global politics render Govan Girl's opinion invalid?

[Govangirl]

Hugh, thank you. I too await Mo*'s answer in anticipation.

[WC1]

I hesitate to join in here, but I kind of side with mo. There's an awful lot of regurgitation of hoary old urban myths in this thread and a severe shortage of evidence to back up the assertions. Perhaps Govan Girl could start by being more specific herself about some of the statements she has made. For example, which education authority issued the directive that all school photographs must contain a racial mix? Name of the authority, date of issue and the relevant document reference number would help. She writes of seeing "the effects of it (a kind of terror in people in case they say the wrong thing) in Russia, in Germany, in Italy, in China, and now it’s coming here". To what, specifically, does she refer? As a teacher, and therefore with something of an academic training behind her, she'll know how to give the appropriate references.

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Where and when did all this pc garbage begin?United States of America?

Amazing..

[Ninja Mania]

Ignorance is bliss.
Its definately all you lot with too many brain cells, that stir the sh..it.
Im glad im stewped

[Govangirl]

Name of the authority, date of issue and the relevant document reference number would help.

Sorry, but I burst out laughing at that. Do you want my passport number, fingerprints and full medical history as well? You couldn't be any more patronising if you tried, quite frankly. It would have just been simpler for you to say what you meant and call me a liar.
I suggest you visit a library and ask the nice lady behind the counter for a book on Critical Theory (but mind you enquire first if she has 'something of an academic training behind her').

[WC1]

It wasn't that difficult a question. It was pretty much what you asked of mo. Answering it without personal abuse should be straightforward.

[hugh]

wc1.

It was actually me who asked the question of Mo*. It just seemed to be such a forthright opinion without any factual evidence to back it up that I thought it might be worth hearing the thinking behind it.

[Govangirl]

No, that wasn't personal abuse, it was sarcasm..... probably not very good, but my feeble attempt at it.
It would be terribly boring and long-winded to give a potted history of the world's escalation towards political correctness as it is today and would probably be indicative of Ninja's earlier correct assumption that we're exercising too many brain cells.
As for your reluctance to believe what I said and your claim for evidence, I am in senior management in a KCC school and when we published our prospectus we were told it had to contain an ethnic mix. I am also an AST and regularly go out to other schools. Last year, I published a learning pack for schools with the DfES that was being sent to all schools and publication was halted for months because there were no 'ethnic' photographs included. I then got the photographer to change a key photo to one of a Chinese girl........... but that wasn't deemed to be acceptable. What they meant was the colour of skin.
Is that enough evidence? The other experiences I recounted were also true and I'm willing to take a lie detector test - perhaps we could go on The Jeremy Kyle Show?

[WC1]

I beg your pardon, Hugh, for overlooking that. Apologies. But we are in complete agreement about the desirability of some evidence here. It's no more than proponents of Critical Theory (in either its literary or sociological form) would expect too. For the benefit of Govan Girl, I'm a senior manager in a school too.

[Govangirl]

For the benefit of Govan Girl, I'm a senior manager in a school too.

I could tell!

[WC1]

Last year, I published a learning pack for schools with the DfES that was being sent to all schools and publication was halted for months because there were no 'ethnic' photographs included.

Since the pack was going out to all schools it seems perfectly reasonable that the photographs should depict a range of the various ethnic groups that make up the population as a whole. HMIe do much the same in their publications here in Scotland.

[hugh]

No problem WC1. and no need to apologise to me! For the rest of your post, well I'm with Ninja Mania on that. Standing in the corner with a pointy hat on.

[Govangirl]

Since the pack was going out to all schools it seems perfectly reasonable that the photographs should depict a range of the various ethnic groups that make up the population as a whole. HMIe do much the same in their publications here in Scotland.

Of course, but why pretend it's to have an 'ethnic mix' when it's colour they really want? I included an Asian child because of the higher numbers of these in Kent schools.