Overrated things in life

[peternorth]

Circle of life.

here we go....always talking about the circle of life

 

[chargers 09]

Different scenario, how many professional athletes do you know? I'm talking about the general punter.

What about people getting them because they feel nice?

 

[Shell]

This was for when I was in school.

General assemblies.

Hey it beats going to regular classes tho.

I actually find it quite interesting hearing travel stories from people here that have been to different places or even similar places to compare experiences, even Shell believe it or not.
.

Lol, thanks Plugger

 

[Damon_3388]

Our tour group got a Turkish massage in Instanbul, it was bloody painful while they did it but you felt so relaxed and loose afterwards.

It was quite a weird experience, you go into these little changerooms where you have to get undressed and get given a loincloth to wear, the girls didn't even get a loincloth they had to get a massage fully naked but they were in a separate area to the guys unfortunately. Then you all sit around on this big marble circle surrounded by steam baths and these big Turkish guys wave you over to the edge of the circle and pound the hell out of you with a massage, feel like they're going to break your arms, legs and back with all the bending moves they do and guys were actually screaming in pain at stages, it was like something out of Midnight Express. Then you go and sit in the steam baths and slap hot towels on yourself to recover.

Best massage I've had in terms of how I felt afterwards but not sure it was worth the pain you have to go through.

At least they didn't use the Turkish grip

 

[Plugger35]

At least they didn't use the Turkish grip

Not sure what the Turkish grip is, is that like a happy ending?

These guys were maniacs working my parts, I'd be reluctant to let them loose on my private parts.

They didn't speak a word of English either so yelling stuff like "Help" and "Stop" didn't register with them.

 

[BALKAN]

Different scenario, how many professional athletes do you know? .

i'm a pro dardy boi. does that count??!??!??!?!?!?! (respond immediately if possible)

 

[aflcliche]

smartphones

 

[Silent Alarm]

This was for when I was in school.

General assemblies.

Basically an opportunity for the principal, assistant principals and their apologists to enforce their views upon us while handing out needless honours to goody-goody's.

If I sucked up to teachers, I'd've got countless forms of recognition.

Oh yeah! The worst. We had this principle who'd take the theme (sports, someone getting selected for something, prefects, whatever) and twist it so he could talk about whatever he wanted – usually bizarre, banal s**t like sandbars at the Taiwanese economy. One assembly, when the wide eyed and excitable 17-year olds a few years above were ready to leave, he sends a truly inspiring and beautiful message to them and us all: "this is the last time you will all be together. Statistically, five of you will be dead in two years. Probably, statistically, because of car accidents." Not even under a thinly veiled 'stay safe.' Just insane. And very, very dumb

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Oh yeah! The worst. We had this principle who'd take the theme (sports, someone getting selected for something, prefects, whatever) and twist it so he could talk about whatever he wanted – usually bizarre, banal s**t like sandbars at the Taiwanese economy. One assembly, when the wide eyed and excitable 17-year olds a few years above were ready to leave, he sends a truly inspiring and beautiful message to them and us all: "this is the last time you will all be together. Statistically, five of you will be dead in two years. Probably, statistically, because of car accidents." Not even under a thinly veiled 'stay safe.' Just insane. And very, very dumb

Principals are incredibly disingenuous.

They claim they want to individualise (catering to each student's individual needs and wants) and do what's best for the school but, who are we kidding, they're all about wanky things and high student numbers.

When I was in Year 12, we weren't in form's.
We were in vertical home groups.
Yep.
House colours + a smattering of all 6 year levels = 1 vertical home group form.

Portables as 1 block (X-Block) = s**t.

Also, our school slogan went from something aspirational for lack of a better word to something very dumb.

Which slogan would win you over if you were to sent your kids to secondary school?

High Standards.
High Expectations.
Success.

or.

A place of discovery, value and to seize opportunity.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Principals are incredibly disingenuous.

They claim they want to individualise (catering to each student's individual needs and wants) and do what's best for the school but, who are we kidding, they're all about wanky things and high student numbers.

When I was in Year 12, we weren't in form's.
We were in vertical home groups.
Yep.
House colours + a smattering of all 6 year levels = 1 vertical home group form.

Portables as 1 block (X-Block) = s**t.

Also, our school slogan went from something aspirational for lack of a better word to something very dumb.

Which slogan would win you over if you were to sent your kids to secondary school?

High Standards.
High Expectations.
Success.

or.

A place of discovery, value and to seize opportunity.

I don't really have much time for the school system or teachers at all. Principals are just like teachers, ministers, high rollers... they're just people, dealing with Politics and politics of all sorts, and they have things to check off: to keep their proposed changes going, to immaturely cut down things because they don't like someone, to exercise their ego in front of 18 14-year olds who have to listen because no one else will...

This principal, he was a doctor (cue "oi sir, I've got a lump, reckon you can suss it out?" jokes from kids), and he was apparently a doctor in Philosophy. In year 11, the class would split in two, and every fortnight you'd end up seeing this principal to discuss the readings. Essentially it was just an open forum, and being philosophy, it would skew into different topics and broader realms. This man, apparently an intelligent man with a good job at a very good school, who was obviously a scholar in his area... but the man was the most stunted I have ever met. In philosophy of all topics, he would staunchly defend his Catholicism (I realise theism and philosophy can coexist, obviously) but negate abortion and gay marriage and mock kids who said they should exist, simply because he was a catholic. It was utterly, utterly insane. He never remembered names, he was s**t-boring, and in my four years and five or six philosophy teachers and tutors, I have never met a more unenlightening human. It was remarkable how someone that dumb and childish could fib his way through life to land a profile like his.

Generally, an overrated profession in terms of 'respect.' People rabbit on about how poorly they're paid, but show me a job where you get two and a half months of holiday a year for $70,000. The weirdest units from school are always the one who decide to do teaching, too. s**t of a job

 

[RedmanWasHere]

I don't really have much time for the school system or teachers at all. Principles are just like teachers, ministers, high rollers... they're just people, dealing with Politics and politics of all sorts, and they have things to check off: to keep their proposed changes going, to immaturely cut down things because they don't like someone, to exercise their ego in front of 18 14-year olds who have to listen because no one else will...

This principle, he was a doctor (cue "oi sir, I've got a lump, reckon you can suss it out?" jokes from kids), and he was apparently a doctor in Philosophy. In year 11, the class would split in two, and every fortnight you'd end up seeing this principle to discuss the readings. Essentially it was just an open forum, and being philosophy, it would skew into different topics and broader realms. This man, apparently an intelligent man with a good job at a very good school, who was obviously a scholar in his area... but the man was the most stunted I have ever met. In philosophy of all topics, he would staunchly defend his Catholicism (I realise theism and philosophy can coexist, obviously) but negate abortion and gay marriage and mock kids who said they should exist, simply because he was a catholic. It was utterly, utterly insane. He never remembered names, he was s**t-boring, and in my four years and five or six philosophy teachers and tutors, I have never met a more unenlightening human. It was remarkable how someone that dumb and childish could fib his way through life to land a profile like his.

Generally, an overrated profession in terms of 'respect.' People rabbit on about how poorly they're paid, but show me a job where you get two and a half months of holiday a year for $70,000. The weirdest units from school are always the one who decide to do teaching, too. s**t of a job

Solid post here. .

Your Principal, in summary believed his own bullshit.

The biggest ego's are the apologists.

 

[THRILLHO]

Hey pseudointellectual, it's principal.

 

[Andronicus]

Principals are incredibly disingenuous.

I don't really have much time for the school system or teachers at all. Principals are just like teachers, ministers, high rollers... they're just people, dealing with Politics and politics of all sorts, and they have things to check off: to keep their proposed changes going, to immaturely cut down things because they don't like someone, to exercise their ego in front of 18 14-year olds who have to listen because no one else will...

Taken from a massive sample group I'm sure.

Sure some are probably bad at their job, but show me a profession where this isn't the case? I have known some absolute shockers, but far more have been great and nothing like your descriptions.

Also, where did you do your research on pay and the holidays they get? True, school holidays end up being 12 weeks a year, but in my large sample group I have never known any of the school admin to have that long each year. Most don't take even half that.

 

[Damon_3388]

In my experience at primary and secondary school, head principals were the greatest blokes, but they were also somewhat of a figurehead too. The assistant principals were always the real hard-asses and ones you had to fear and answer to.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

Ugh, I remember my school assemblies.

The principal, who, for most of my school years, was nowhere to be seen, would dig up some tale of woe and relate some story from his travels, and then waffle on about 'expectations, success, drive, thirst for knowledge' and all that crap.

The assistant principal wasn't too bad, but we used to laugh at him behind his back. Just took his job way too seriously. Wandered around the school yard muttering about food wrappers and apple cores, and would always wander over with this smug expression on his face to accuse us of something or other.

 

[PaddyO]

I don't really have much time for the school system or teachers at all. Principals are just like teachers, ministers, high rollers... they're just people, dealing with Politics and politics of all sorts, and they have things to check off: to keep their proposed changes going, to immaturely cut down things because they don't like someone, to exercise their ego in front of 18 14-year olds who have to listen because no one else will...

This principal, he was a doctor (cue "oi sir, I've got a lump, reckon you can suss it out?" jokes from kids), and he was apparently a doctor in Philosophy. In year 11, the class would split in two, and every fortnight you'd end up seeing this principal to discuss the readings. Essentially it was just an open forum, and being philosophy, it would skew into different topics and broader realms. This man, apparently an intelligent man with a good job at a very good school, who was obviously a scholar in his area... but the man was the most stunted I have ever met. In philosophy of all topics, he would staunchly defend his Catholicism (I realise theism and philosophy can coexist, obviously) but negate abortion and gay marriage and mock kids who said they should exist, simply because he was a catholic. It was utterly, utterly insane. He never remembered names, he was s**t-boring, and in my four years and five or six philosophy teachers and tutors, I have never met a more unenlightening human. It was remarkable how someone that dumb and childish could fib his way through life to land a profile like his.

Generally, an overrated profession in terms of 'respect.' People rabbit on about how poorly they're paid, but show me a job where you get two and a half months of holiday a year for $70,000. The weirdest units from school are always the one who decide to do teaching, too. s**t of a job

One bad principal - must mean all teachers are bad and part of the "system", man.

Not all teachers, or many, are there to "exercise their ego". They're there to, you know, teach...

Things have changed since Pink Floyd wrote "Another brick in the wall", but it's hard to see that when you want to be stuck in the mindset of "the system is s**t man, let's sfellow at it aloofly".

 

[pekay-norwest]

Another thing that seems overrated for me is massages, granted I've never had one but also never needed one. They seem like a waste of money, I workout 5 times a week and work as a tradie and my muscles are fine. It seems like people who go get them for a sore muscle is because it's the first time they have used that muscle in awhile and it's only sore because it has finally been used once.

Another wank gimmick.

How old are you?

 

[peternorth]

being a teacher is an interesting concept to me. ignoring all the holiday and stress talk for a moment....it would be fairly good to be say a PE teacher (especially if PE colleagues are attractive females) and then on school holidays you have access to all the sports facilities at your own desire.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

being a teacher is an interesting concept to me. ignoring all the holiday and stress talk for a moment....it would be fairly good to be say a PE teacher (especially if PE colleagues are attractive females) and then on school holidays you have access to all the sports facilities at your own desire.

Wouldn't there be different benefits for each teacher?

Woodwork, for instance.
You could go into the workshop and create your own little bookcase.

Science teachers could go into labs and create or refine an experiment to see if it's safe enough to teach students the right way of doing it.

 

[Shell]

being a teacher is an interesting concept to me. ignoring all the holiday and stress talk for a moment....it would be fairly good to be say a PE teacher (especially if PE colleagues are attractive females) and then on school holidays you have access to all the sports facilities at your own desire.

Nah, you dont ever go back to the school in school holidays.

Also... my school has banned the use of our (s**t) gym after/before hours due to... yep OH&S. Is a joke- but doesnt really effect me cause I go to a 24 hour gym and dont want to use the school one anyway.

Tennis courts are awesome tho. Use those.

 

[Damon_3388]

Nah, you dont ever go back to the school in school holidays.

Also... my school has banned the use of our (s**t) gym after/before hours due to... yep OH&S. Is a joke- but doesnt really effect me cause I go to a 24 hour gym and dont want to use the school one anyway.

Tennis courts are awesome tho. Use those.

Which schools would actually have a decent gym anyway?

I went to a private college, and this was pretty much the extent of our gym equipment when I was there about a decade ago:

Had a big machine that was pretty much identical to that, and it only really got used for a short module on weight training during Year 10, and very occassionally by footy players under supervision.

 

[Shell]

Lol, yeah pretty much looks the same.

 

[TheFreshBanana]

Ours was small, but actually pretty good.

 

[THRILLHO]

I don't really have much time for the school system or teachers at all. Principals are just like teachers, ministers, high rollers... they're just people, dealing with Politics and politics of all sorts, and they have things to check off: to keep their proposed changes going, to immaturely cut down things because they don't like someone, to exercise their ego in front of 18 14-year olds who have to listen because no one else will...

This principal, he was a doctor (cue "oi sir, I've got a lump, reckon you can suss it out?" jokes from kids), and he was apparently a doctor in Philosophy. In year 11, the class would split in two, and every fortnight you'd end up seeing this principal to discuss the readings. Essentially it was just an open forum, and being philosophy, it would skew into different topics and broader realms. This man, apparently an intelligent man with a good job at a very good school, who was obviously a scholar in his area... but the man was the most stunted I have ever met. In philosophy of all topics, he would staunchly defend his Catholicism (I realise theism and philosophy can coexist, obviously) but negate abortion and gay marriage and mock kids who said they should exist, simply because he was a catholic. It was utterly, utterly insane. He never remembered names, he was s**t-boring, and in my four years and five or six philosophy teachers and tutors, I have never met a more unenlightening human. It was remarkable how someone that dumb and childish could fib his way through life to land a profile like his.

Generally, an overrated profession in terms of 'respect.' People rabbit on about how poorly they're paid, but show me a job where you get two and a half months of holiday a year for $70,000. The weirdest units from school are always the one who decide to do teaching, too. s**t of a job

For what it's worth, I don't disagree with some of what you have written. It's just buried under a hubristic I've-just-finished-my-first-arts-semester-at-uni opinion written as stated fact.

The issue isn't as clear cut as you've presented it (isn't everything?) Like all industries education is filled with the good, the bad, and the middling. However, unlike all industries, everyone has been through school, everyone has experienced their share of good and bad educators, and everyone has an opinion on them.

The educational system needs far more accountability. Everyone can agree on that, but how to implement that accurately and fairly is anyone's guess. I teach two year 12 classes (plus lower year levels); I might be worth 5+/- marks for a student's study score. One of my mates is a full-time team-teacher for the dregs of the school, nay, society. He's not teaching them the curriculum. He's teaching them basic life skills such as turning up regularly, everyday and on time; that stealing from the local IGA in your school uniform isn't the best idea; and if you're high on ice to stay home that day. And, if he can manage it, some basic literacy and numeracy skills so they can function at a dead-end, unskilled labour job for the rest of their lives and not end up on the poisoned teat that is Centrelink.

Who's worth more? Really, my job ain't that important. My students might miss out on their preferred course, but there's always another way in; my mate is keeping these kids out of gaol.

There's s**t teachers at every school. Apathetic teachers and teachers that bully, intimidate, harrass students because they have no idea how to effectively manage a classroom have no place in an effective learning environment. But they're the minority imo. Most teachers work fairly hard and are dedicated. There's plenty of teachers who will be headed into school these holidays to help students finish coursework and prep for VCE because those same students haven't done anything all year. I ain't though. But I will be marking prac SACs all holidays. The holidays are great, no teacher denies that, and the pay isn't bad. But for $70 000 (I'm on sixty) there's an awful amount of bleeding between work life and home life. But I also know that it's swings-and-roundabouts. When the year 12s are finished I'll have a heap of down time that should be put into planning for 2015 but also might be put into heading to the shops for a coffee. And that's one aspect of the job that teachers never factor in when complaining. I've never worked in any other job with the amount of flexibility I currently enjoy. Work from home? Work at the desk? Head out for coffee? Play indoor soccer after school? Bake a cake in the kitchens? Yeah, whatever, really.

I'm with you on the holidays. There needs to be mandated professional development undertaken during time-off. A couple of days each holiday. I had no idea how to give effective VCE feedback. It's all self-taught. I'd love to get a grasp on that s**t.

And yeah, assemblies are weird. I'm not a huge fan of them, but all the educational pedagogy shows that students respond to positive reinforcement and students are motivated by positive reinforcement. One of the easiest ways to do that is to call out kids at assemblies for awards. The rest of it is pretty eye-rollingly lame as a school leader drones on and the rest of the teachers stalk around telling kids off for being, understandably, bored.

 

[Damon_3388]

John Kennedy Snr.'s "Don't think, do!" speech.

For the amount of times it gets spoken about and reprised, you'd think it inspired some great victory after the words were spoken at half time of the 1975 VFL Grand Final, when it actually did the opposite, and the game degenerated into a heavy loss for Hawthorn. North Melbourne came out and slammed on 7.2 to 2.6 against Kennedy's Hawks in the final term, to win by 55 points.