Sunday 8 November 2009

Random Musing #2

'Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.' Oscar Wilde.


Oh.
My.
God.
As most of you know by now, I work in a school. Last week one of our teachers was off sick for three days. Each day a different supply teacher came in to take the class.
On Fridays the children have been learning about the history of the English monarchy. This week the lesson planned was all about how George VI came to be King after his brother Edward stepped down from the throne.
Just before the lesson began, the supply teacher came to me, lesson plans in hand, and asked me if I would help her. She wanted to know what the word abdicate meant and why did King George have the roman numeral VI after his name.
I was flabbergasted to say the least.
She was a qualified teacher in her thirties (although, admittedly, she was Australian!), surely as such she should know the meaning of abdicate and why King George VI was the sixth King George!
What chance do the children of today have?

6 comments:

Rick said...

A friend of mine used to tell me that "education is no substitute for intelligence." Now I know that he was right!

Alan W. Davidson said...

I'm thinking, Akasha, that those of us in the colonies got hammered with the royals as much as any one else...it's not like the abdication was an obscure royal fact from 300 years ago...*shakes head in bafflement*

Akasha Savage. said...

Rick ~ I'm still in shock.... :o

Alan ~ I thought there were some facts everyone just knew...guess I was wrong!

Anonymous said...

They have about as much chance as those that get all their info from certain news channels in the US. ie, they have no chance at all.

Akasha Savage. said...

struggling writer ~ it doesn't fill you with confidence does it!

Vesper said...

At least she knew what VI meant... :-) :-) :-)

Oh. My. God. indeed! Unbelievable! :-)