The General Conversation Area

[MercenaryRaiden]

....On TV shows I see schools where people are made to repeat a year....

Let me just see if I got this right. You don't fail a year in school here? If you do fail, what happens?

Not sure if it's just based on the subject or establishment but with the Access to Higher Education course that I did you could most certainly fail. You've got 3 different units and if you fail either of the first 2 you get a one time re-sit. Fail that and you're straight out, no questions asked. Unit 3 is a one time deal, no re-sits. There are other more obvious criteria for being booted out, such as plagarism or vandalism, but even stuff like truancy doesn't seem to affect it. But the main education system, GCSE's and the like, it certainly didn't seem to matter if you did horribly on the curriculum - you were just downgraded classes. At least that's how it happend where I studied, not sure if it's different elsewhere.

New world record set today at Fenway Park for the largest recorded toast at one venue. Unfortunately, this wasn't just a massive piece of bread.

It says a lot about me that I immediatly thought "I wonder if there are different categories for these things, such as individual slices or one giant portion?"

Sigh.

 

[Vashdaman]

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Why has this not had funding yet!!?

The name of the role I play in this film is Rin. She is cool and uses a gun. Even during the action scenes, I express my cool character of her.

8)

 

[chaos]

There is no real pass/fail criteria at the vast majority of schools in the country. You could be kicked out for some reason, though.

I must confess I dislike this notion. Chances and advice must be given, but still, there's only so much that can be done. Letting a kid progress in school without some real progress seems far more damaging to me than actually holding the kid one grade.
It could get to the point where people is educated, but still functionally illiterate.

Drinking and playing pool? You ruffian, Chaos!

There is meaning on my nickname. And yes, I must confess I was quite premature, at 14 I never left the bar. And I even showed up drunk for a couple exams on that particular year.
And then, at uni when everyone drinks themselves silly, I was past that point and actually applied myself. Go figure =P

I have never seen anyone fail a year at school here. If you do anything bad enough to warrant that, you'd generally just be expelled. I guess you can fail to be accepted for A Levels or Uni but that's not really the same as being held back for a normal year of education.

But wouldn't there be a level of expected achievement? For instance, I don't expected one to get to high school without being able to read.

Not sure if it's just based on the subject or establishment but with the Access to Higher Education course that I did you could most certainly fail. You've got 3 different units and if you fail either of the first 2 you get a one time re-sit. Fail that and you're straight out, no questions asked. Unit 3 is a one time deal, no re-sits. There are other more obvious criteria for being booted out, such as plagarism or vandalism, but even stuff like truancy doesn't seem to affect it. But the main education system, GCSE's and the like, it certainly didn't seem to matter if you did horribly on the curriculum - you were just downgraded classes. At least that's how it happend where I studied, not sure if it's different elsewhere.

This does seems sensible. Then again, who would want to be treated by a doctor with a major uni degree, unless the uni held back those that didn't achieve a certain standard?

 

[Vashdaman]

Well to get into college over here, your usually required to have a certain number and standard of GCSE's which are basically the big tests at the end of secondary school, but it depends from college to college and course to course exactly what they will want. And you can do your GCSE's again at college if need be.

 

[MercenaryRaiden]

Well to get into college over here, your usually required to have a certain number and standard of GCSE's which are basically the big tests at the end of secondary school, but it depends from college to college and course to course exactly what they will want. And you can do your GCSE's again at college if need be.

This is what I had to do, although it's not necessarily the ideal solution. Trying to cram an entire Higher Tier Maths and English syllabus into one 2 hour session a week? Absolutely horrendous, with even the teachers agreeing on that statement. But then I guess it fits into the current conversation, because it meant that a hell of a lot of personal studying and allocation was needed to actually suceed. There were definitely a group of people just showing up to try and coast, whilst all that really happend was a stern "Well, why are you in this class then if you only want to work hard enough to get a C?"

But wouldn't there be a level of expected achievement? For instance, I don't expected one to get to high school without being able to read.

Most likely going to show off my huge inexperience here, but I don't think so...? I thought that public schools, in a sense, outright taught kids even if they were lacking these basic skills...? But again, I'm really not sure on that so I can't say for certain.

 

[ilmaestro]

There is no real pass/fail criteria at the vast majority of schools in the country. You could be kicked out for some reason, though.

I must confess I dislike this notion. Chances and advice must be given, but still, there's only so much that can be done. Letting a kid progress in school without some real progress seems far more damaging to me than actually holding the kid one grade.
It could get to the point where people is educated, but still functionally illiterate.

Unfortunately, this is quite a real, and increasingly large, problem.

Why has this not had funding yet!!?

Because I have only just learned of its existence. I know where my annual bonus is going now!

 

[MaxonTreik]

Amen.
Are you the one I've known as Maxon previously?

 

[Tachi]

Well its been a really busy day, i knew the first day would bring its own problems and things but surprised at just how smooth its actually gone.

Really busy though, I've had my praises sung today and even have an admin under my wing to train up from day dot so yeah i'm actually very happy with the way things have turned out


Hope alls well with everyone on here.

Time to sign off and go home!!

 

[chaos]

There is no real pass/fail criteria at the vast majority of schools in the country. You could be kicked out for some reason, though.

I must confess I dislike this notion. Chances and advice must be given, but still, there's only so much that can be done. Letting a kid progress in school without some real progress seems far more damaging to me than actually holding the kid one grade.
It could get to the point where people is educated, but still functionally illiterate.

Unfortunately, this is quite a real, and increasingly large, problem.

;_;
I don't think this bodes well... Back home we have exams every quarter and if the annual average doesn't sums up to a minimum grade, you have to stay to a few more weeks at school after most people actually go on vacations.
if you failed in the test resits, you'd be made to repeat the whole year, even on subjects you originally passed. Hardly the best solution, but IMHO, works better than letting everyone just breeze through schooling.

Amen.
Are you the one I've known as Maxon previously?

Oh, is that a picture of a younger you?

 

[MaxonTreik]

Amen.
Are you the one I've known as Maxon previously?

Oh, is that a picture of a younger you?

Nah. I'm much better looking.

And yes I'm Maxon. Next time you forget me, I'll make sure you sleep outside when you come up here for SLA. :wink:

 

[Mutsumi]

Amen.
Are you the one I've known as Maxon previously?

Oh, is that a picture of a younger you?

Nah. I'm much better looking.

And yes I'm Maxon. Next time you forget me, I'll make sure you sleep outside when you come up here for SLA. :wink:

I remembered incorrectly anyhow. I thought there was a Maxon before you, but it was a Maxen instead. I knew I remembered someone before you with a similar name though.

 

[chaos]

Amen.
Are you the one I've known as Maxon previously?

Oh, is that a picture of a younger you?

Nah. I'm much better looking.

And yes I'm Maxon. Next time you forget me, I'll make sure you sleep outside when you come up here for SLA. :wink:

Nooooooo!!!!

It's not that I forgot you, it's just that it has been so long since I last read the forums, that I didn't know you changed your nickname, so I wasn't sure it was you!

 

[Vashdaman]

;_;
I don't think this bodes well... Back home we have exams every quarter and if the annual average doesn't sums up to a minimum grade, you have to stay to a few more weeks at school after most people actually go on vacations.
if you failed in the test resits, you'd be made to repeat the whole year, even on subjects you originally passed. Hardly the best solution, but IMHO, works better than letting everyone just breeze through schooling.

While I'm not sure that exams are necessarily the best criteria to be judged on -surely consistent observation on progress by teachers would be a better form of assesing?- I do agree with the sentiment. Especially because our schools don't really teach us how to learn or how to study effectively, and instead of teaching us all these valuable skills, are just often wasting time. I think it would certainly be a good idea to have a pupil held back a year until they master the appropriate skills.

It's not that I forgot you, it's just that it has been so long since I last read the forums, that I didn't know you changed your nickname,

You think that's bad. When I heard you on the podcast, I thought you were arbalast doing a different accent for some odd reason

 

[Tachi]

Working my balls off this week but all the systems are now set up. i've build a database that can collect and collate information on a daily basis, i've got a 42inch tv with call data in realtime that i'll be running reports first thing monday morning and built 3/4 of the staffing packs.

Also burst a few misconceptions that i was an "admin to dump work on". I was actually shocked but laughed when i posed the question of "what do you think i do here?" and the reply was "office biatch"

I brought to their attention that actually i am responsible for half of the department and the reason i've been skipping out of meetings and asking for feedback was because i'm building the systems they will be using. Nice enough team but fun (for me) to see their faces when they heard i'm part of the management not a lowly admin.

 

[ayase]

Does anybody else ever have lucid dreams? I've always had very vivid dreams, but last night I achieved functional lucid dreaming for the first time ever. Didn't want to mess around too much for fear of immediately shocking myself out of it (as that's what's happened every other time I've realised I'm dreaming) so I just began by stopping and starting time Evie (or Bernard, if you're too young to remember Evie) style to enable me to exit interactions and explore the world more. Also when I was trapped in a corridor with no exit, I imagined a door behind me to enable me to leave, turned around and there it was. I don't know if I can adequately put into words how awesome this felt. It would have felt like being a God, were it not for the fact that I knew none of it was is real at the same time. I hope I can manage to do that again.

 

[Mutsumi]

I have those whenever I am ill. Last time I was ill, in the lucid dream I was Metal Gear Rex. I tell yet, being a giant robot is a strange experience, even if you've done it before.

 

[Vashdaman]

^ I think that may be just about the most amazing power fantasy I can think of. Your a building sized giant robot who looks kinda like a dinosaur and can shoot nuclear missiles if he chooses to. It would be kinda ruined if you stumbled across Solid Snake, though...


I don't think I've ever had a dream quite as lucid as ayase's one sounded to be. I have occasionally had dreams where I sort of realised I was dreaming and not awoken (which is what usually happens) but I still didn't feel fully in control of either myself or the world around me, I was still subjected to whatever weird roller coaster my subconscious wanted to take me on.

 

[ilmaestro]

But how do you know that you didn't just dream you were in a lucid dream?

/"illusion of choice" essay incoming

 

[Vashdaman]

Well, any kind of dream is better than a wet one.....real talk.

 

[Zin5ki]

Well, any kind of dream is better than a wet one.....real talk.

Regarding their hypnopompic consequences that is true, but at the crux of their illusive grip there is plenty in the latter's favour.