I suspect I speak for the majority of folk when I say the Nayland High (Nelson) School teacher surreptitiously filmed repeatedly telling his no-hoper students how “fucking useless” they were, should be declared Man of the Year, even should he lack the pre-requisite qualification of being either a maori, or more commonly, a pretend one. Not for a second do I doubt his explosion was totally justified, indeed in the circumstances arguably he was the voice of moderation. A more rational response would have been to pull out a machine gun and spray the room, which could be described as doing God’s work.
Today’s students are unbelievably ignorant for one reason, namely their obsession with cell-phones. World-wide they’re increasingly being banned in schools, the latest being in New South Wales.
Recently, I was approached for advice by a friend’s daughter, due to start university next year. In the course of conversation I learnt she’d never in her life held, let alone read a book. Apparently at High School everything was on computers. Needless to say her general knowledge level was abysmal.
Consider this extract from a letter just received from one of our top academic figures who for obvious reasons I won’t name.
“Outpourings of entitlement are the defining feature of our times. That along with all the post-modernist nonsense that has resulted in schools and universities teaching a generation of young people that how they feel is more important than the facts, and what they want is more important than the costs”.