[senco-forum] Re Standards Site

Message Received: Feb 01 2007, 11:50 AM

I am new to SENco forum, so am coming in in the middle of a discussion/debate/ argument? (I am Inclusion Manager in a large Junior school with 95% EAL children - so have SENCo and EMACo responsibility, plus Child Protection, Line Manager of 20 + LSAs and manager of a so called LSU which runs 'in house' self esteem/anger management/communication groups -and I do a bit of liteacy on the side, which is my real love!))
I just wanted to say - and apologies if this is inappropriate to the discussion - that anyone who does not include social climate, media explosion, and most fundamentally, parenting practices, when considering illiteracy, is not looking at the whole picture. In particular, how many parents read/tell stories to their children from as soon as they can sit up, and model 'literate activities' in the home? How many parents are supportive of the school, and ready to take a few minutes a day to help their children? How many parents are unable to do so, because they are illiterate, or do not speak English - and are illiterate in their mother tongue too? 
Please do not put all the blame on teachers - there are enough non teachers who are only too ready to do that.
Helen

> Message Received: Feb 01 2007, 11:50 AM
> From: kngbrndn at aol.com
> To: eddiecarron at btconnect.com, dolfrog at tiscali.co.uk, senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk
> Cc: 
> Subject: Re: [senco-forum] Re Standards Site
> 
> The proverb goes on to say: "The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know" (John Heywood 1546). Sounds a bit Rumsfeldian. Bible also reminds us of those who "hear but do not understand". Brendan 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: eddiecarron at btconnect.com
> To: dolfrog at tiscali.co.uk; senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk
> Sent: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 10.32AM
> Subject: Re: [senco-forum] Re Standards Site
> 
> 
> Graeme 
> 
> I know you personally dont mind the heat in the kitchen because you are passionate about your cause but many other potential contributors don't like heated debate . They prefer 'nice' debates in which everybody agrees with everybody else and everybody's always right but unfortunately that kind of exchange changes nothing. When I finally slope off the great classroom in the sky, I would like to think that our literacy statistics will be as good as those in Scandanavia or in other developed countries. The current level of illiteracy in the UK, is the clearest possible evidence that many teachers have an deeply entrenched, inaccurate perception of what is involved in the reading process. Teachers, like everyone else I suppose, are not keen on being told their professional beliefs are wrong yet the attrocious annual literacy statistics show just that. 
> 
> 'There are none so blind as those that will not see!' 
> 
> Eddie C. 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "dolfrog" 
> To: "'Eddie Carron'" ; 
> Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 2:15 AM 
> Subject: RE: [senco-forum] Re Standards Site 
> 
> > Hi Eddie 
> > 
> > There is nothing at all wrong with intense discussion, (in barn > discussions 
> > can also be interesting) but sometimes other external factors may require 
> > more immediate attention, or even some light relief. Otherwise you end up > a 
> > burnt out frazzle from visiting too many hot kitchens that appear to lack > an 
> > air conditioning system, or vent. 
> > 
> > Best wishes 
> > 
> > dolfrog 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message----- 
> > From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk 
> > [mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of Eddie Carron 
> > Sent: 31 January 2007 18:44 
> > To: senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk 
> > Subject: [senco-forum] Re Standards Site 
> > 
> > What's wrong with intense discussion? Surely every debate that increases 
> > understanding is necessarily intense because is causes people to challenge 
> > their own ideas. As far as literacy standard generally are concerned, we 
> > have nothing to be complacent about. If peole are not willing to take a 
> > fresh look at their own ideas for improving literacy, then nothing can 
> > change. 
> > 
> > There's an old saying about 'heat' and 'kitchens' isn't there? 
> > 
> > Eddie C. 
> 
> 