DUMP THE DEVICE
What a delight to read Rob Jones’ letter in 12 January where he raised some very interesting points.
My 10 year old granddaughter who attends primary school is one of the unfortunate children who now has to work with an electronic device which I understand is compulsory.
She tells me that she misses ‘‘writing’’ and does not like the long spells of using her device in class.
She is computer literate and has her own ipad for home use, but she prefers to spend her time in the classroom without having to use a device.
You only have to look on Facebook, Trade Me adverts etc to witness the very low level of literacy prevailing in this country.
I have many adult friends who are not able to spell and write succinctly and who have little or no knowledge of the correct use of the English language.
New Zealand is already well on the way to becoming a nation of illiterates.
I also believe that parents should have a say in the way they wish their children to be educated and most parents that I have spoken to are not happy with the way their children are progressing at school with the use of an electronic device.
I would suggest that concerned parents home school their children in the essential basics of reading, writing and basic arithmetic.
The teachers salaries debacle is a great indicator that computerised systems don’t always work.
Traditional teaching methods have worked for decades. I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments expressed by Rob Jones in Give Classrooms Back to Teachers in the January 12
Readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmetic have certainly fallen behind year after year since schools have been pressured by miscellaneous companies touting their unnecessary wares and also pressured by government in a ‘‘keep up with the Jones’’’ mentality.
The predominance of students using ‘‘workbooks’’ for maths instead of good old exercise books.
The setting out of maths and neatness of numbers is so important.
This leads me to the number of children in Kerikeri who are not able to form numbers and letters correctly.
It’s very difficult to break a habit like that in children once it has been set in place.
It’s a disgrace the number of children who use what I call a ‘‘claw grip’’ on their pencils; not only does it make them look like they are a bit odd, but a claw grip is just not practical.
I certainly support a return to traditional teaching in primary schools and the sooner the better.
Classroom teachers do indeed know better than ‘‘make-a-buck’’ companies with their ‘bully-boy’ tactics; classroom teachers do indeed know better than politicians whose only expertise in education is that ‘‘they all went