Minister Apologises: Comments About Teachers
Education Minister Nalton Brangman has apologized for comments made at yesterday’s press conference, saying it “has rightly caused upset and anger amongst our educators.”
During yesterday’s press conference, Minister Brangman said: “The weakness in our system has been found to be quality of teaching, specifically within the middle school system.”
Speaking in the Senate today [Oct 2], the Minister said: “I was asked about the problem at the middle school level. I certainly chose the wrong words in my response.
“The response I should have made is that our problems at the middle school level require multiple strategies to resolve. We must focus on the quality of teaching but equally important, we must ensure that we at the Ministry of Education provide the professional development and framework to ensure student success.
“We, the Ministry of Education must implement appropriate supports and supervision around instruction to provide timely interventions.
“Finally, we need parental support at all levels of the system in support of their children and to raise the level of expectations in our schools. We know that parental support and teacher expectations are the keys to student success.
“My comment has rightly caused upset and anger amongst our educators and I wish to publicly state that I do appreciate all that they do and the pressures they endure to give their best to our children every day.
“I am hopeful that our teachers will accept my apology and give me the opportunity to show them that we are on the same team working to provide the very best to the children of Bermuda.”
Lol once you understand how the system works these politicians are hilarious.
Thank God he apologized. If teachers are failing he has to answer these questions:
1. How many principals were evaluated?
Answer: Not more than 3 last year
2.How many teachers were evaluated??????
Answer: I don’t know and they don’t know either
3. How many officers were evaluated and why do we have so many?
Answer: They can’t answer that
So all in all the Minister made a big mistake in his comment and he himself should be evaluated because he has virtually NO qualifications to put him in such a position as MINISTER. What? Minister of Education. Lord help us. And to date to make matters worse, to date….NO accomplishments. Another BAD OBA decision. More to come.
Politicians are soft.
Call a spade a spade when it is necessary.
Reminds me when Mr. Marc Bean criticised the education standards a few years back, under Xr. Brown’s rule, (and rightly so) and then was forced to issue an apology for simply telling the truth.
Our kids are much more important than the feelings of a few individuals. But unfortunately the protection of someone’s pride trumps the needs of our next generation.
And a 28% opass rate does nothing but damage to every facet of our society.
I agree. He should stand by his statement if that is what he truly believes.
As for the standard in middle school, its two-fold really. You need good teachers that really care about their students future and good parents who support the teachers and push their children in the hopes we will not be reading about them in the media in the years to come regarding stupidity.
I agree, it might not be nice to hear but is it an untruth. The cost to educate a child in the public school system was calculated to be almost 2X more than in the private sector. You cant say that the kids are lacking the facilities, comfort, tools and materials to learn. These kids have more computers, laptops, whiteboards, internet access, printers and anything you can think and have more at their disposal than the private sector. However, the results are severely twisted? Saltus, Warwick Academy, BHS , Somersfield all had record years for their results in the extended IB type programs. Any our government shools are struggling to have 40% above C average!
Teachers – some of you AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, are the weakest links.
Nelson, don’t let ‘emotions’ get the best of you. I met recently with my child’s teachers and counsellor and I am extremely happy with all of them.
Education Minister Nalton Brangman should not apologize for anything! The truth hurts these teaches because it’s the TRUTH. Get off your a**** and teach properly instead of b****** about an insult. If you don’t have the means to teach, let it be known to the public and Minister. Instead of moaning about having to give up a day a month; parents should be holding you accountable. As for the apology, a real man would not apologize and stick to his guns. That would garner a man real respect…no apology needed for telling the truth!
If you do not have a clue as to what you speak about, then STFU. Nalton Brangman knows about as much of the education system as he does rocket science, and obviously so do you!!!
@Beyond2…go do some teaching and get off Bernews. That’s exactly why the kids are being let down!
@Beyond2 – you got owned!
Not true!
Nalton Brangman, all he does is apologise for his stupid statments!!!!!! how the hell did he get this post as education minister ? lord the Oba must have been desperate to appoint this man !!!!!!!!!!!!!
agreed. Very desperate. He himself has poor qualifications. Walton Brown tried to warn us by pointing this out.
Everyone learns at different rates. Some kids get it quickly and they are bored. Other kids don’t get it the first time are left behind and check-out. Let’s introduce more video learning so that everyone can move at their pace. This appears to even be true among adults and politicians.
Lol you did choose the wrong words, however you did say the correct thing…. Our Primary school system is at a good level and in my view is generally improving, why is it when our students are promoted to the middle school level there is this big fall off?… Oh yeah it is what it is, let them be angry, the question is can thay turn said anger into a motivational tool? That my friends remain to be seen…..
This is because the middle school system has the majority of immature, hormonal teenagers with negative attitudes towards everyone. Even their parents are frustrated beyond belief. The error was made when they introduced the middle school system in the first place.
your right about the middle school that why I am sending my grand daughter to private school in September 2014 maybe some can answer this we have an English system but the education director is american
As one who has been through private school here and interacted with kids from several of the private schools, I can assure you, they too have their share of immature, hormonal teenagers with negative attitudes towards everyone. Those schools just do a better job of covering it up.
So if we didn’t have the middle school system teenagers wouldn’t be immature, hormonal with negative attitudes? Serious?
i believe what was meant was that the middle school system is a cesspool of most hormonal, emotional child in one of two MEGA schools place feeding off the negative emotions of others, and negatively affecting many as well. The traditional school system that we had, had smaller manageable schools with a broader age group of children.
Not sure what to make of this, “teachers are the weakest link”, while there may or may not be some truth in this I think the messenger got in the way of the message, here we have a guy who hasn’t graduated in anything ever (excluding attendance class at BC) delivering a message of incompetence to educators….not the best strategy
But he’s right.
Oh my, he must of trod on some toes. As the saying goes, If the shoe fits……
Those whose feet fit the shoes know who they are. The others should not be offended at all.
Brangy don’t need to apologize, what he needs to do is separate the smarter more motivated kids and put them in advanced classes taught by capable caring teachers. Let the mediocre and slow kids wallow along with the teachers that just want a pay check.
Are you serious? They’re “mediocre and slow” because they learn differently? Do you then wonder why they’re unmotivated? I’d give up too if I was labeled mediocre and slow and this is the greatest example of why our education system is failing us. “If you judge a fish on it’s ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life as if it is stupid.” I barely scraped through high school. I was labeled mediocre and slow, told I had a learning DISABILITY, ADD. There was one class I always passed, with A’s, design technology/wood work. Because I learned with my hands and still do. “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand” As far as I’m concerned the only disability I had was sitting in a classroom listening to a teachers lesson in a monotone voice that drove me to the point of boredom where I felt that taking a freshly sharpened #2 pencil and ramming it into my face was a reasonable escape. Where is our trade school? Kids have to leave school and go out to work in order to get into a trade, they may even have to do a few trades to figure out what they like best and from my experience, you have to be with a company for a very long time before they even give you a chance to work with and learn from a tradesman so these mediocre and slow students are yet again put years behind the rest. On top of that they are looked down upon in society as people who failed or didn’t do well in school and had to go into construction or the like. Funny thing is I know “smart, motivated” that would bang their thumb through a wall before they could hit a nail with a hammer. So yea, maybe they should be separated from the rest with teachers that can adapt to the way they learn but to label them mediocre and stupid is plain wrong and defeating from the get go. I’ve even heard these words from teachers so it goes to show through lack of compassion and understanding, they are the weakest link.
@ Come Correct, this is an excellent response. I would encourage you to attend as many schools as possible (especially middle and high) to share your story.
We all have to get away from labelling ourselves and others as dumb, slow etc.
Given a chance, each of us will achieve more than expected.
I do admit, however, that parental involvement is key.
Come Correct, thanks for that response. It’s the “mediocre and slow” kids that are the very ones that need the very best and most highly skilled teachers. These kids have no other opportunity but the one we give them in school.
The problem is that inept and mediocre teachers can’t be dealt with. The unions won’t let anyone get rid of inept teachers. If you dare to suggest a teacher problem, you have to apologize.
And, swing voter, the idea of labeling kids as “mediocre and slow” is repugnant. They’re little kids. Give them a chance without a negative label, and maybe they’ll make something of it.
I Agree with that Suzie Q
Teachers need to inspire learing, not just go through the material. Kids are too quick to be boxed into a category, when in many cases they were never inspired.
Kids who do have special needs, should never be left behind.
Absolutely right.
That is the best message I have read on here! Ditto on all counts.
Come Correct, great comment. And as Hmmm said, kids with different learning styles or with special needs should never be left behind. Never give up on them. It’s too important. But we need teachers who are dedicated and experts, the best teachers we can find. If we can’t weed out mediocrity in teachers we won’t address the problem.
I have the greatest admiration for a person who is clever with their hands. My husband is an academic but is useless at fixing things. Bermuda needs a good trade school and train these kids who are not so academic but good with their hands. We won’t have so many problem kids if they learn a trade and they will probably earn more money in the long run than the kids with degrees . The hotel school at Bermuda college is an excellent example of children excelling in culinary skills . They do a wonderful job and the kids take pride in what they do. Get rid of these mega schools where children are only wasting their time and can’t wait to leave.
“teachers are the weakest link”. What we actually need is an education minister who has the correct credentials to lead. You Mr. B are the weakest of all the links as you’re not qualified or experienced to do the job.
maybe they should do away with the ministry and create an education authority
Yes, an educational steering committee of sorts with qualified and knowledgeable people. This guy is drowning in his own saliva the more he speaks.
He may have had to say sorry, but he’s telling the truth IMO..
@swing voter I pray that was a sarcastic commeny because I have a special needs sibling who is in PUBLIC school and in a regular class and is doing EXCELLENT. If that was not sarcasm that was a low blow for sure….
*comment
The Minister was right – our kids are failing.
It isnt a surprise that the standards fall off at middle school, if the parents would have let the Ministry do thier job and carry out the transfers and put people where they are best suited maybe this wouldnt be so. i just find it horribly ironic that the middle schools Principals were supposed to be transferred and now where the issue is…..pta’s thanks for getting in the way..
@ LOL – the PTAs did not obstruct the transfers. The Ministry did not have a plan to effectively improve schools. The plan was to move around some of the good teachers and leave gaps at the schools they were transferring from.
It would have been better to simply replace any or all of the underperforming teachers and principals.
moving teachers around is not going to solve nothing the truth is some teachers just need to be fired
Yes. 15 years of poor middle school results is the fault of the PTAs who for the past 2 years have mounted public objections to the shifting of deck chairs while SS Education sinks slowly into the Atlantic.
The parents of the kids are failing them. Teachers should get some of the blame too, but certainly not all of it.
I’ll argue that the middle schools are not the weakest link, though they are weak.
The weakest link is the parenting, or the lack of it. It all comes from the continuing cycle of children having children & they are raised in single & often no parent homes.
The teachers job is not to be the parent & teacher.
It is a known fact that a lot of parents abandon their kids once they reach the Middle School level. Check the streets when you leave work. look at the grocery packers who are there until late evenings etc.
Very true, unfortunate but true.
It is not clear whether the Ministry has extrapolated from poor results in the Middle school years that it is the Middle School teachers at fault. Did they actually test teaching methods? If scores are poor in all middle schools then perhaps the problem is the SYSTEM!
I feel that once parents realise that their children have become more independent, they let the reins loosen, they dont attend PTA meetings, or parent conferences. Do not lay all the blame on teachers, most of the blame should be on the parents. When they arrive in middle school, alot of our children have already had 12+ years of bad parenting. And you expect teachers to correct the bad attitudes, disrespect, and lack of enthusiasm for learning. I suggest any of you who dont have a clue, to shadow a teacher, and see exactly what they have to deal with.
100% agreed with you. Teachers are being forced to teach things that should be taught by the parents. When you hear for parents fabricating their child’s homework to show that it’s been “done”, there is clearly a problem. I do not pay taxes so children can go to school, and learn how to sit still or follow instructions. They should learn that home.
That being said, if there are teachers that are dropping the bat, they need to be held accountable.
And to the minister, if you publicly show that you don’t support your teachers and educators, you cannot expect the public to respect them. If they are wrong then ok, but it is not good leadership to publicly point fingers at them. The public sees nothing but, “I may be the leader of this group, but it’s all their fault there is a problem. Don’t look at me.” If you didn’t want the responsibility, you shouldn’t have taken on that ministry. As for your “emotional, off-the-cuff” comments, perhaps a class in how to speak at press releases will help control those impulses.
dont agree with the way it was said,could have been more diplomatic but boy did he strike a nerve, guess the truth hurts. Fact is fact
All i can say WTF, another episode of Bermudians telling each other we are not smart enough to do a damn thing, no wonder our guest workers treat us the way they do, because they know we are a bunch of fools.
??? Did you not see the exam results???? Our public school kids are failing!! They are way behind the rest of the world already, so unfortunately they wont be good enough to demand top jobs! Painful to hear, but all the pep rallies, marches and letters to the editors wont change that. Our kids are already in a world where a high school diploma and university degree is not enough. If you want to separate yourself you need to get multiple degrees, masters degree or similar. C grade high school students wont cut it! Reality is a painful but ignoring it wont making thing better.
We need to stop sugar coating, babying and worry about being politically correct. I believe years ago the ministry revealed that many teachers were not even certified!? WTF!!! If teachers are A WEAK LINK, then we need to do something about it. If they are not, well their union (the B.U.T.) need to make a statement and state their opinion of where the problem lies. My guess would be, that there are weak links in the teacher qualifications and motivation, the curriculum, the ministry itself, and THE PARENTS.
I learn with my child every night and help with their homework. If I don’t how to assist my child, their are thousands or websites, and apps to help me , help them.
I would suggest that many of you that have kids in public schools take advantage of the MSA, Saltus, BHS, Somersfield, Bermuda High, & Warwick Academy open houses soon and SEE the difference. I’m talking about the differences in teacher attitudes, support, standards, children, etc… Most of these school boards and alumni demand the best from their teachers and are progressive thinkers. These schools demand that parents and family become involved. The PAYING parents demand the best from the teachers as well. If both step up and demand the best from each other, then it is safe to say they demand nothing less from their kids.
Some children are sponges for info and you can drop them into any school(public or private), give them books and they will excel and become doctors, lawyers, engineers, and anything they want to be. Most other pupils need guidance and support. The parents at private schools demand their monies worth and wont settle for less. The teachers demand involvement from parents and their support as well. Is the same true in the public school system – NO. I must say , I was generally pleased with the public school primary level, but the middle school xperience was not a pleasant one.
Has the ministry ever wondered why many children go to public school at the primary level and then never transfer to middle school! Instead their parents choose to pay for private school for that point forward!
Minister Brangman always seems to speak before he thinks…it’s not the quality of teaching!! We do have some very supportive and educated teachers who come out of pocket to provide for their students. the teachers do not have sufficient supplies, most parents are not there doing their part at home, if they are home!! The turn out to PTA meetings to get updates from the school and the teachers is poor and the MOE doen’t seem to have a clue to what difficulties these teachers are facing in school with the rude kids teachers have to teach. it takes ALL of us (The Ministry, Teachers,Parents,Students). We have to work together and when students see comments like this coming from the Ministry blaming the teachers, what exactly are you telling the kids? that you are failing because the teachers? I do think so…it’s so much more. Get a clue MOE
“The weakness in our system has been found to be quality of teaching, specifically within the middle school system.”
I do not think the Minister mis spoke, he just did not realize that the teachers are listening!!
It would be interesting for the Minister to give a more meaningful summary of the test results. If there is evidence of poor teaching that should be shared on a systems basis.
If teaching is poor, where is the accountability for the Principal or the Ministry staff??
I agree. I agree with your other post above as well. Inept and uninterested teachers should be fired and replaced. But try firing a teacher. You pretty much can’t.
The Minister cannot even tell you how many principals, teachers and officers were evaluated so he should NOt have picked on teachers.
So because he doesn’t have a list in front of him detailing the names and addresses of every evaluation he can’t express an opinion? That’s bollocks.
There are great teachers and there are incompetent ones. We all know it. The fact that incompetent ones can’t be dealt with is a major impediment to improving education.
We have known there are problems in the Middle school tier of the education system for a while now. People that are intimately aware speak of a major problem being that there is no accountability and that the students are allowed to pass through with no real measured achievements. I think it is unfair however to lay the blame at the feet of the teachers. Teachers come and teachers go, but the kids of 2013 have much more widespread home and environmental issues. In addition, the public school system can never be wholely compared to private as the private schools can kick out any student for whatever reason – the publics schools don’t have that luxury. Regardless, i think we all realize the standards need to improve in the public schools for the highest achievers. I do wonder also though if the public schools should audit the private schools and see what methods they employ for certain areas where the highest achievements are. I know that in private schools there is far less homework at the primary level, yet the public schools sometimes give the students 2+ hours per night. This adds to parental frustration and the families are not able to spend family time in the evenings. It often turns into screaming matches and interruptions of dinnertime etc. It is clear that this does not add to the success rate of the students, so what is the reason for so much homework at that level. Perhaps homework in P1-P3 should be restricted to reading and the occasional interactive project that helps bond a family rather than divide.
One good thing about the results was that there are Middle School students that were successful in their IGCSE subjects. Hopefully they continue their successes through Senior School.
I’ll never forget a conversation I had with an expat teacher. She was in tears. She was told to ‘psss’ 60% of her english class or lose her job.
The marks did not matter. They were to be upped so that the percentage passed.
The school was Berkley & NO this was NOT under the PLP Government. It was under the UBP Government. Such is the way of the Education Administration.
About 20 years later, has anything changed?
Bring teachers from the UK,so our children can get a good education.
Let’s be truthful with ourselves,the UK has good teachers.Too many Bermudians get their teaching degrees from Mickey Mouse universities in the USA.The Public Education System has been failing our children since we have put our own in the position of teaching.Some are great but there are a lot that do not cut it.Get rid of the latter,and the Public System will be better equipped.Our children deserve that!
Minister Brangman,good on you for telling us the truth,as bitter a pill it may be to swallow!
He’s no better, hire a retired ofsted inspector to deal with this.
“One third of all middle school lessons observed were inadequate. In these lessons, insignificant learning was occurring or likely to occur. The quality of teaching and learning was better in primary schools, where a higher proportion of lessons were good and four were outstanding – two of these in P1 classes.”
- excerpt from Hopkins Report
Functional Skill classes need to be looked at into depth – same ting taught every day – let’s get these children into programs that will teach them the real functions of life – basic cooking, basic carpentry, basic everything. For instance, CBA has a terrific hair program perhaps these students can go there a couple of days aweek, mechanics and the subjects – dance, music, drama – Come on MOE stop pushing these young men/women aside – it’s time for a serious shake up of these classes and teachers and support staff. These young people deserve just a big a chance at ground work as the supposed normal students.
should be same things taught every day –
Include them in the regular PE classes as well
I don’t think it is the quality of the teachers as as much as it is the quality of the students. Dating back fifteen-thirteen ago when I was in middle school, the only students that learned are the ones who wanted to learn, which I was one of the few of them. Most of our time was chasing girls, playing sports, trying to get numbers, and being curious about the other sex. I believe the problem is with the 3 tier system itself, does not fully grasp the adolescent mind.
These kids have no one within the school to look up to, and if I can remember properly the only high schoolers I heard about were the ones fighting at the bus terminal or in neighbourhoods. So the psychological presence of a responsible popular student doesn’t strike the adolescent’s mind until he/she reaches the senior school level; in which you saw honour roll students and positive people high on the totem pole, and those clowns that were known for fighting, were there for our amusement(drama is a part of life).
The teachers suck just tell the truth..when we were coming the saying was ” there is no such thing as a bad student, just a bad teacher!!”
Judging from this post you were/are a bad student and therefore contradict yourself! Need to learn some respect when speaking about a profession that makes such a tremendous contribution to society. Easy to just post garbage.
I believe that the Minister is onto something…have you seen the number of Middle School students that have to attend summer school each year just so that that can get into Berkeley and Cedarbridge. I have seen them walking to and from summer school for the last several years and the numbers are quite disturbing.
WHAT qualifies Nalton Brangman to talk about EDUCATION?
he had very little!
WOW!! had hope Mr Brangman did not apologise, sometimes the truth hurts,but speaking the truth is not a crime..Why is it the private schools do so good? yet year after year the quialty of our public teachers go down??also it must also fall on the quialty of the parents we have today..
The private schools also get many hours more of classroom time. Take a look at who gets out & is walking down Woodlands Road at 3:30 everyday & who gets out 20 minutes later.
That is 2 hours more per WEEK. Oh yeah, the private school teachers are better too. They have to be. Non performance means the loss of a job. Parents are held accountable. They had better show for parent teacher conferences.
Your comment is interesting, but is it based on direct experience or hearsay? To state that private school teachers are better speaks to a lack of knowledge. There are some private school teachers who leave a lot to be desired and I AM speaking from personal, direct, involved experienced as a private school teacher and a parent of a private school student. Such blanket statements need retracting if they can not be supported with facts and evidence. Private schools have the luxury of selectivity, not afforded to public schools. Private school parents place pressure on the administrators and teachers to the point that grades are ‘fudged’ to keep the paying parent happy, a disservice to all concerned. Sometimes Nonperformance in private schools is swept under the proverbial carpet. Private school parents are not held accountable by the schools like you seem to think. Some private school parents hold these schools captive because they are paying and want to show their son or daughter as “better performing” than their co-worker’s child – at any cost. Try asking some of the private school teachers for an honest account of life in private school and you might be surprised at the responses.
Private schools produce better results because they select their students. Public schools don’t have that luxury.
Public schools do so badly because they cannot select the best teachers. They cannot hire non-Bermudians, and they cannot fire incompetent teachers. So they have some fantastic teachers, who ate excellent, but they also have some lazy incompetent deadbeats. It’s a problem.
He needs to either speak his mind and stand by his comments or learn to have a filter and stop spewing everything that comes to mind.
The middle school system is atrocious in Bermuda and that’s just a fact. The teachers are terrible. We need to stop sweeping everything under the rug and start addressing serious issues.
Perhaps instead of labeling students as mediocre and slow or teachers as weak links – albeit, some may be, if not properly motivated and EDUCATED to actually TEACH what they themselves went to school for.
Perhaps the 4 different types of learning styles should be explored, identified and acknowledged from primary school level by teachers, students & parents collectively, and brought forward into middle and senior school…those ‘slow’ kids may be visual, analytical, auditory or hands-on learners…while the teacher may not be teaching according to the student’s particular learning style, assuming that all learn or absorb information the same way. I’m sure there must be information that can lead teachers/schools to bringing out the best of all learning styles of students and therefore bringing out better or best results.
Exactly, but if teachers aren’t motivated to inspire and hand down their knowledge, they chose the wrong profession. As was stated above, nobody should be left behind.
Completely agree with you.
If we were to emulate those countries – Finland,South Korea,Israel, etc – achieving consistently the highest academic standards throughout their young people’s schooling, here are a couple significant pointers:
They are not too bothered to teach them much about anything before the age of eight. The first three years of school are really still playtime.
Most importantly, once school begins in earnest, teachers are drawn from top university graduates. In these countries, teaching is considered and treated as a serious job on a par with other higher education professions – doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc. Teachers salaries are set accordingly. In other words, you get what you pay for.
The Minister had a point but unless he is able to pay salaries that will attract the brightest persons, our public education system will remain at best average.
Finland,South Korea,Israel ?
you are off your head!
Look it up. They lead the world in education.
I agree some of the teachers need to be fired!
You can tell the ones that are interested in receiving a pay cheque only…these are the ones driving around in the European cars, with fake nails and colored hair and who hang out in the clubs, socializing with the youngsters!
These ones are more focused on themselves than providing a solid education for their students.
Just the same way in which you can tell who the “interested” parents are…..should they be “fired” as well…..
I swear SOME people speak before they think……..
So, in your opinion teachers are not entitled to a private life? What would students be doing in the bars? Where are the parents?
Simple fact of that matters is that aside from family circumstances and income levels teaching is the #1 impact on student performance.
Thus, it would follow that if the system is broken it is the result of:
1) Family circumstances (the Ministry of Education can’t do much about that right away or directly)
2) THE TEACHING
Brangman was right on the money. Improve the teachers, improve the system.
They won’t stand by their believes because they first have to grow a pair and not back down. You can’t tell the truth and then back out of it because you affended some people. And if that’s the case then he needs to apologize to all the angry parents. Damn Muppet.
The problem lies at the TOP. Fix the MOE then you can talk about the teachers. It is too top heavy, too many people NOT in the classroom doing the work. Like ALL jobs they have good and bad staffers. Schools are one part of the child’s life. The child’s first classroom is its home. I’ve seen it from all angles, both private and public, PTA, teacher and parent. Stop talking and work WITH your child and his/her school. We must move forward and stop placing blame. With all the adults pointing finger sat each other no one is looking at the children.
Sorry typo, should read …pointing fingers at each other,
@JustMYOpinion…I agree, some of the parents are just as bad as the teachers…so please don’t shoot me down!! LOL
But I don’t have children, so I really don’t care, but if I did, I would NOT want those types of teachers teaching my kids..not a good example at all.. They are sending out the wrong message!
If leaders are to be strongly effective they are going to have to have a back bone and call it what it is and Stand. Every time someone says something that offends an apology is demanded. You will never be respected when an outcry for an apology is asked for every time the Masses don’t agree. It’s even worse when what you are saying is True.
I have never put the full burden for the education of children on the backs of teachers alone.
If children live in a home where there is no books; or they never see thier parents even readng a newspaper; how can it expected that such children will be motivated to learn no matter how good is the teacher?
I can only refer to my own experience. I have three children; two were educated to the college and university level; a third is abroad in college now. They never lived with me; but they will tell you they got plenty of books; the older two now have children of thier own and you guess it thier popa makes sure they got plenty of books and they saw how much value I put on books.My older daughter once complain about the number of books I gave her. But guess what when she went to the Bermuda college she could read a 800 page book no problem; while others struggle to do the same thing. No we as parents have a responsibity to aid and help in our children education. There are incompetent teachers who in fact should have never entered the field. But I know some who are at the top of thier game. If the OBA education minister had given this type of perpestive than he would not have found himself in the position of having to apoligize for falsely putting all teachers in the same bag and more importantly leaving out the role of the parent in thier children’s education.
You are absolutelty right. A few agreed with my comment above but what I said is only one aspect of many to this issue. I was lucky enough to have great parents growing up but when I got out of school they were working to put me throug it. Every day after school my grandparents were there to pick me up, take me to their house, make sure my homework was done, and to further my knowledge. Then, I hated it and couldn’t wait for my parents to knock off. Today I can recite the times tables 0-12 faster than a machine gun spits bullets because my grandfather drove it into my head on a daily basis. I was the only child in my class to get 100% on my times tables test, I was proud, yet never fully appreciated what my grandfather did for me. My generation and those after mine so easily dismiss the teachings of our elders, we would rather repeat mistakes than learn from others. My grandfather was a man of unwavering courage and integrity, something I’m waiting to see inour leaders today, and now more than ever i wish he was still here for me to learn from. The internet today isfull of mistruths, books never lie.
I just find it said to hear someone talk about teachers who really put there all into there students. As once working in the public school system I have seen teachers buy food, clothes and shoes for their students. If you are not a teacher than you have no idea what a teacher has to go through. Teachers are always buying extra materials for there students from their pockets. As being someone who was the first group to go through middle school I can say that I believe that when the UBP decided to change around the whole school system that is when things began to fail, and the teachers had to go above and beyond to make sure that the students in this new system got a great education. As a minister you should still respect those who are under your leadership and if the teachers are weak than the leadership is even weaker.
If you can not stand by what you believe is a fact then you are just a waste of the people time,Mr. Brangman if your not going to stand for what is right then step aside
Brangman’s comments were absolutely correct and he need not apologize for speaking the truth. What he needs is a few lessons in diplomatic speaking.
Too many Education Ministers have allowed themselves to be bullied by the BUT and incompetent teachers!
What’s wrong with public education is political intereference, a useless board unconnected with education, a useless beauracratic ministry and far too many teachers and principals who are uninspiring. Unions cannot run education. Why is that so hard to believe. They protect union dues not children. Consolidate schools, head them up with educated parents and narrow the Ministry to only 3 persons. No board needed. Publicize results and allow parents to chose where they send their children to school. Remember we built state of the art high schools and that did not affect outcomes! It is ALWAYS about the quality of the teaching that matters. Just like it is the quality of the doctor that we rely on for good medical care.
@Triangle Drifter..you obviously don’t get it…typical….taking everything personal..look if the shoe fits, then wear it. No one said anything about not having a life…but showing up at school with pink hair, the latest handbag and fake nails does not send the right message to an impressionable young mind and to top it off if you are a lousy teacher whose only motivation is a pay check!
Oh well, I am disappointed that Nalton apologized. But his comment should be a sign that some of the ‘weakest link’ teachers will be now held accountable and will either improve or be fired!
The private schools have better results because they have parents who are interested in their child’s education . They are paying out a lot of money and some working 2 jobs to pay the fees so they expect results . On the whole teachers in private schools are better but not all. Some of the teachers fired from Saltus are now employed in other private schools !
While this is part of it, the other fact that comes into it is that private schools can select their students. Public schools can’t.
So the kids with learning delays or behavioral issues tend to end up in the public system.
And it doesn’t just affect the results – it also impacts the cost per child. Kids with developmental delays need specialized teaching and one-on-one remedial teaching, in order to keep up. These services are expensive, and require highly skilled professionals. But they are an essential part of the basic idea of providing education to everyone.