BBC NEWS | Education | Experts to champion better maths
I noticed this story earlier in the day but didn't pay it much attention.
I'm now sitting here at half seven, with the TV on in the background. BBC News 24. They just had a feature on this, with an interview with some or other expert. The expert made the point that many Primary School teachers are not comfortable with Maths. I resisted the temptation to think "A Primary School teacher who is uncomfortable with Primary School Maths is perhaps in the wrong job", because, what do I know?*
Then the coke-addled halfwit so-called 'journalist' on the BBC put a question to the expert. It started off half-sensible. Along the lines of, you'll be looking for people who love Maths to take on this role. then he went into a total wibble and giggling fit "Ha ha ha I suppose there are people out there who like Maths, strange people, giggle giggle, I can't imagine it, oh my word, Maths!!!!!"
What a total arsehole. Try substituting 'English' or 'Literacy', or 'Sport', into that, and think how utterly ridiculous it sounds. Who are these people, self-confessed innumerates, who get some position of influence and present a news bulletin broadcast before the watershed and think they have the right to mock people who are better than them? It's not a new phenomenon, but it does make me very angry.
I watched that drama about Mary Whitehouse the other day (on time-shift) and I did wonder if I am, in fact, turning into Mary Whitehouse, complaining about the piss-poor standards on the TV. But then I remembered, she was in favour of ignorance and oppression, I am in favour of knowledge and enlightenment, and I detest the way these cocky TV people assume their entire audience is thick. And I like swearing.
* I had one of those teachers in Junior 4, (now Year 6). She had the spiffing wheeze of getting the top people to teach ourselves. Not just in Maths, but also in English and History, too.
