You do not have a democratic right to do anything: get a dictionary.

The most often quoted criteria for liberal democracy take the form of specific rights and freedoms. Freedom of expression, including speech, assembly and protest. (see Wikipedia)

it doesn’t make your opinion right however. Neither so does it make yours right, catch 22 situation hey?

These evenings give the staff chance to build bridges but few teachers use the evening this way

Why should building bridges be left to the teachers? Most of the time the only parents we see are those of the kids we don not have to see, those with good marks and even better behaviour. When called upon to make appointments to discuss bad students (academically or behaviourally) those parents are 80% of the time no-shows, and 20% of the time in denial. Oh and by the way, at what time do these parents evenings take place, usually 18:00 - 20:00. I just bet you loved not seeing your wife at night when she should be home having dinner with the rest of her family.

you would have to “know” what is best for them. You think you know but this is not the same at all.

Does anyone know what is best for anyone else? No we don’t because we have to limit our knowledge to our experiences. My question is just, how can you know what is best if you have not experienced as much as possible? This leads back to what I said about people having set ideas about specifically the schools in their area.

I am in my 6th year of teaching, f.y.i, exams yes granted happen 4 times a year, the most important one we are now preparing for. Just to put it into perspective, I have to set for the coming finals, 16 exams, and their memorandums, before the 7 of November. This week alone, I have 5 classes writing class tests, these have to be marked asap. to be encompassed into the CASS mark for the final marks, this not withstanding the fact that the kids start bugging you two periods later for their results. And how else are you going to realize a child does not understand the work, if you don’t regularly take in the scripts to mark? As for re-hashing old tests and exams, yes, it does work to a certain extent, but every year’s group of kids have a different understanding, and your approach should change with the group, if you stagnate in a certain vein of thinking, you will never get the group to its full potential.

Well done to your wife for going overseas on a working holiday. It must be so great to have a 1000+ kids in a school. You get all the best sponsorships your way, even though the kids from “semi-deprived” backgrounds already pay the highest school fees (so how can they be deprived?). Our school only has 380 kids, with 14 teachers spread amongst them. I myself am trying to organise a trip to the coast for next years group. You think I can get companies to sponsor (”give”) me money? They just don’t, our name is not “good enough”.

As for the pay being good in relation to other similar level positions? She must be doing something on the side. I know I can get more money lecturing and doing research at one of the “higher institutions” with my Masters degree, but I don’t do it. And b.t.w. I know of a handful of newly graduated teachers, with less qualifications than myself, and obviously less experience, that are raking in R7000 a month. Explain that to me.

Can I be a real bitch now, as my blog suggests, I can see that even English was a low priority for yourself at school, due to the usage shown below. I am Arikaans speaking but knowwhere in

And as for them understanding you in the “low countries”, have you actually ever given the people there the opportunity to just speak local to you, or have you been the one to insist in switching to English, as it made you more comfortable? Ask any local European, and they may tell you English is the best BUSINESS language, but they will fight tooth and nail to maintain their own tongue.

teachers have been trying to justify their overpaid, underworked status for years it is nothing new.

My only response to this comment, can be nothing other that a big printed in bold F-U. And I issue the challenge, try doing a teachers job for a week, and see how well you handle it.

Oh yeah, one more thing, do you not recognise sarcasm when it’s written?