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Thread ID: 86817	2008-01-29 22:42:00	School leaving age	JJJJJ (528)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
635205	2008-01-30 00:06:00	Cops need to have ok maths skills. Get the kid to do the online test, www.newcops.co.nz a Took me 3 minutes 22 to get that pathetically easy test right. He doesn't have a problem with maths or English. My point was his available extra subjects this year have no relevance to his chosen career at all. Which leads me to think what use is even more schooling going to do for some kids who want trades or cop jobs or something? None.	pctek (84)
635206	2008-01-30 00:22:00	And what do some of our older members think? Staying on at school is an obvious waste of time if you do not want to be there. You need some type of motivation. If you don't have a reason for staying, then you could stay until you're 28, you'd still do nothing. What difference would it make? John Key has a silly idea. The army has already stated that they don't want those misfits. They want people who want to be in the army. "Join the army, meet interesting people - and kill them." Perhaps it is an old worn excuse, but I think that the motivation must begin with the parents. They need to want their children to do well and need to praise the kid's achievements, however small. If they do, the small achievements will move on to bigger achievements and so on. The motivation needs to continue with the teachers. No point in saying that kid is useless, even if he is. Praise works so much better! I was brought up where everybody complained and criticised anything and everything. There was no praise when you did well, just criticism when you failed. When you come from that type of environment you tend to do the same yourself. I certainly did. Fortunately I was part of a group that taught me the opposite. It is hard to change old habits, but I realised that I had to change otherwise my children would also grow up with a negative attitude. Luckily I have not passed too much of that bad attitude to my kids and they are doing well. "Praise the good stuff, ignore the bad." That went totally against everything I had learnt. How can you ignore the bad? When they know that they will get away with it, they will just do it again, I reasoned. But it did not happen that way. I found out that kids of all ages crave attention and they are not too fussy if it is good or bad as long as it is attention. Obviously they do not like a smack up the bum, but it is better than no attention at all. My kids responded extremely well to that. I was surprised and pleased. They have both gone on to better things and both have excellent careers. My point to all this dissertation is that kids need to learn with praise. Learning needs to be fun. Why would you want to leave school, or play truant, when you're having so much fun? Some people used to say to our kids, "School holidays are nearly over. Not much fun going back to school, eh?" Their response was invariably positive. They had had a good holiday but they were looking forward to going back to school. The unmotivated ones just need to be able to leave and no immediate dole. You may not be able to do too much with them. Concentrate on the young ones still at primary. Change their negative attitudes even if their parent don't or won't. Then you will not have to worry about leaving ages - they will leave when they are ready.	Roscoe (6288)
635207	2008-01-30 00:39:00	Way past time NZ caught up with the rest of the world in education. Loosers are identified at Primary school and rarely improve at Intermediate or High school so let them leave. Less money we have to pump into schools to keep them there. No DOLE though, let them work how to make money. Bantu, you wouldn't want to see my primary (up to std 6 back then) school reports, bloody awful. Teachers do make a difference, 5th form I managerd 1= and teacher had me teaching Maori students maths. Worked 28 years in the accounting world as un-qualified branch accountant, so a loser in my early years but turned out better later on. Lurking.	Lurking (218)
635208	2008-01-30 00:52:00	Do the government subsidise apprenticeships? I know a few people who dropped out of school to get an apprenticeship, and for all of them, it is the best thing they could have done for themselves - they are now all skilled tradesmen earning more than me. The school careers advice people always tell people to stay in school right through 7th form even when it is clearly not in the student's best interests.	Greven (91)
635209	2008-01-30 01:10:00	No one here has bothered to read what the PM said. Sample:- "Miss Clark flagged the government's intention to lift the compulsory school leaving or training age to 18, highlighting New Zealand's low skill base as a brake on the economy. As part of that plan the government would roll out the Youth Apprenticeship Scheme being piloted in schools this year across New Zealand by 2011. Miss Clark also announced plans to establish a tripartite body with Business NZ and the Council of Trade Unions to help drive through the skills push. It would focus on programmes to upskill the current work force." Notice that it's "leaving age" or "training age" It seems that people won't be forced to carry on with school as it is now but there will be alternatives offered to cater for those that don't have an academic bent.	dvm (6543)
635210	2008-01-30 01:39:00	I remember about 20 years ago I was one of a group of teachers who managed to get a girl student expelled. I saw her shortly after and she gave me a great welcome and thanked me for the effort I had put in to get rid of her. Like the other teachers I had realised she was unhappy and useless at school. Expulsion was sadly the only way out. But as a hard working shop girl she was happy. She was only 15 - I worry about kids like her, good kids, but just not school inclined. They are better off working, and as I have discovered in my lifetime often end up with incomes several times what I ever earned as either an engineer or teacher. One became a millionaire. He had no academic ability or qualifications - just loads of common sense and loved to work hard. Tom	Thomas01 (317)
635211	2008-01-30 02:06:00	I think thats bollocks, I hated school by 7th form, I passed 6th form no worries at all - I didnt leave because I was a drop out, I left because I was at a crap school offering nothing of interest to me. I left and got a job. I do think they need to knuckle down on teens who leave and do nothing, or go on the benefit. But forcing eduction is pointless in my eyes, you just distract other students by keeping the ones who hate it there. I think the bootcamp idea is a good one, or go to the army - only if they cant or wont get a job.	Enigmur (10547)
635212	2008-01-30 02:08:00	John Key has a silly idea . The army has already stated that they don't want those misfits . Exactly, and who is going to join when you know its full of useless and potentially dangerous youths? We will end up with an army of psychos . It's not the army's job to deal with the ones schools cant .	Enigmur (10547)
635213	2008-01-30 02:30:00	Good point DVM. Talking about some vague idea that someone skimmed off a larger article isn't that helpful. Upskilling is never a bad thing. Ever.	Thebananamonkey (7741)
635214	2008-01-30 03:21:00	Exactly, and who is going to join when you know its full of useless and potentially dangerous youths? We will end up with an army of psychos. It's not the army's job to deal with the ones schools cant. I agree but once someone's been in the army and they stay with it for a while, they won't come out useless and potentially dangerous youths (or adults by then). The army would straighten just about anyone out.	--Wolf-- (128)
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