Teacup Café XLII

[Midge]

I always liked school being empty. I don't know why.

[Mari]

I like it when I start to know all faces. By the end of a year I know most students well enough to have a talk with them that goes beyond what they're wearing and that is nice. I think connecting with the kids is the most difficult thing there is, so it's nice when you start to feel progress at the end of your first year

[Earniel]

And every year you have to start from scratch with another two dozen of unknown students. I often wondered how some teachers managed to even remember students years after.

[Mari]

Two dozen? I wish! Next year I'll have approximately 500 students, of which 150 new ones. :P
There are 32 to 34 students in 1 class here. Financial restraints and all that.

[Earniel]

Oh yeah, I forgot teachers need to know more students than just one class. That's student-centric thinking for you.

I wasn't sure the Dutch system also had classes of around thirty students, hence I went with a lower number to be on the safe side.

[Mari]

By law 34 is the maximum, ideally it's between 15 and 23. Realistically it's between 28 and 32 in practice. Most classrooms are built for only 28 students and their desks. Planing which kid to sit where is sometimes quite a puzzle.
Only classes which require special care like special ed classes realistically have up to 17 students. And for them that is too much too. *sigh*
And of course the government goes on and on about how education needs to improve itself, whilst cutting even more funds and pouring money into stupid projects which have been proven not to work in the US, the UK and France already, but 'The Netherlands has a different school system, so we cannot rely on data from other countries'. Et voilá, there go 300 million euros down the drain.

[Earniel]

Yikes, seems like your politicians are as smart with education as ours. Just had a round of 'education reforms' here ourselves where one of the brilliant ideas was: "I know, let's put the standard education, special education and technical education all together in every school! That way those of special and technical never have to feel like the bottom of the barrel! Success!"

Yeah, because magically all students are equal and will never ever be looked down upon if only they're in the same school together! (Did these guys ever go to any school?!) Never mind all the standard schools suddenly having to build say the many technical workshop rooms like woordworking and metalworking to accomodate technical students. Schools that will have already build standard class rooms on their entire available surface to manage to seat their own students... I've been to a school that almost every year added more container classes so they wouldn't need to turn kids down.

Mind, our educational systems are different across the borders and I hesitate to implement things automatically because they work in the US or the UK. But surely you can -I dunno- extrapolate at least some things from foreign studies rather than constantly order your own expensive ones?

[Ingwe]

*Narration*

After having spent countless thousands of years on his undying island, the mundane began to bore the old Highest of the High Kings. By now, boredom had become offensive to him, and thus every single day was a violation of what he had by now become. So, Ingwe decided that it was time to enjoy a little stroll.

What would be an epic journey, even to any other elf, seemed to go by quite quickly for him. Then, one night as he camped amongst the comforting and mundane trees in the utmost south of this great undying land that he knew all too well, he slipped entirely from consciousness and awoke in what seemed to be the same place. It was indeed not the same place at all. He was not only miles away from where he had once been, but was outside of the distance and time that had been so familiar to him. Had he slipped into another reality, or another realm altogether?

As Ingwe brushed the dried leaves from him and prepared to return from his journey to the mundane life of a king, he came upon a being who would alert him to the reality that he had not yet absorbed: that he was not in Kansas anymore. He walked with this strange person, who seemed not like an elf but more like a human: very unexpected. Then again, he did not expect to awaken in a completely different reality. What was Ingwe to expect? His mind told him that the only rational thing to expect was ... the unexpected. And this mentality would indeed serve him right as his guide led him to a great city; at least, on this world it was a great city.

"To where do we roam?" Ingwe asked the guide.

"The Imperial City," replied the guide, "as you are no doubt a High Elf nobleman, you are being brought in for questioning."

"Great," said Ingwe. "I fall asleep in the woods, awake on a totally different world, and now I'm already under arrest! Not as if you'd believe my story!"

"And you would be correct," replied the guide, who was really nothing more than a soldier serving in the Imperial Legion, in the service of Emperor Victus Mede, son of the late Titus Mede II. "We've heard lots of stories from your kind."

"Our kind?" asked Ingwe. "You mean Elves?"

"What else would I mean?" asked the guard in reply. "You are either a politician serving the Aldmeri Dominion, or an agent working for the Thalmor. Whatever the case may be, we will get to the bottom of this, and avenge those lost when your kind sacked Anvil."

"Anvil? Aldmeri Dominion? Thalmor?! These are all completely foreign concepts. From what I can gather, you are at war with people who, in appearance, are similar to me. But you are mistaken, as I am at war with no one."

"Of course you're not," replied the guard. "Your deceit will only hasten your end, elf!"

Ingwe wished to be reasonable, he really did. But this guard wasn't having any of it, and Ingwe wasn't going to have anymore of it either. "I do not wish to harm you or anyone else, friend. But you are putting me in a very awkward position. I am not of this Aldmeri Dominion or this Thalmor, and this Anvil, I've never heard of it. We come to it at last, human. You will either believe what I am saying and allow me to tell my side of the story, or you and your people make an attempt to interrogate and kill me. The latter will not work in your favor. You have a choice: between life and lifelessness. Whatever troubles your past has awakened in you, you must let that go if you are to survive. And I will, as always, be merciful."

"Spoken like a true agent of the Thalmor!" exclaimed the guard as he armed his warhammer. "Down with the....!"

The guard did not get a chance to finish his sentence, nor follow through with his blow. But Ingwe had not run this guard through, as his sword had been confiscated. He had merely incapacitated him with a punch. He told the man that he would kill him; however, when the moment came, he refused to finish him. In essence, he lied. In sparing the man's life, had Ingwe possibly opened this man to his claims that he had traversed a chasm between worlds, or would he in the end be forced to slay him? The guard would not be awakening for some time: perhaps several hours.

Free, Ingwe pitched a tent and allowed the Imperial Legion soldier to get his sleep. He thought on what he had left behind. Though his life was not quite as mundane as it had been, with all of these new surroundings, he was already beginning to long for Valinor. But it was not likely that he would ever see that place again. Ingwe had grown so powerful in his magic that he was able to gain access to one of many world-holes, yet he was not nearly powerful or knowledgeable enough to reopen the same one through which he had just traveled.

After months of convincing the Imperial Legion that he was what he said he was, Ingwe came to accept that this was now his world; that the old world had passed on and that Tamriel was now his new home: his new mundane island which itself, out of some irony, was a part of a realm known as Mundus. He would come to realize that sparing the Legion soldier's life was the right thing to do, as Ingwe was now simply another part of the Imperial City like everyone else there. He would come to meet the Dragonborn, and partake of the dragon language, and realize that he was now not much different than any other elf on this world. Ingwe: from kingship to prisoner, from prisoner to common merchant. What a change in life. Through the realization that he would likely never see his family back in the Undying Lands, along with his experiences in this new land, Ingwe came to appreciate the 'mundane' and even came to love his new job: selling fish that he caught in Lake Rumare (the lake surrounding the Imperial City).

Years after the Second Great War between the Imperials and the Aldmeri Dominion, Ingwe came across a familiar face: the guard whose life he spared on the day that he left his world behind. The guard smiled and said, "welcome back, Ingwe, my friend." And Ingwe smiled back, saying to him and to all those standing guard at the western gate of City Isle, "and it's great to be back!"

And so it was said that after 3 years of having been missing from the Entmoot, Ingwe returned with all kinds of yummy, yummy food and a secret recipe for coffee that turned even the most depressed customers into Tom Bombadil enthusiasts. And cheese was to be enjoyed by all! And of course, the subsequent constipation some would experience after partaking in far too much cheese. But still, the side effects of the coffee and chocolate made up for that, and a merry time was to be had by all!

And at last, to conclude our story, Ingwe addressed his long-lost friends. "Now you know my story. Well, that is if you've been paying attention! Now, please, let us hear your story. How do you do?"

[Mari]

Oh, they did that here too in two steps: first they abolished technical schools, because hey, who needs those? If all kids just study hard enough I'm sure they'll get to the same level! So then they had to organise theoretical schools at different levels (we now have six) which sorta worked out for the higher levels, but really didn't for the lower levels since some kids just need to learn through using their hands instead of their head.

And now special ed has to merge with ordinary schools because everyone deserves the same chances. Well, that last part is true, but what it comes down to, is that every class I teach has at least one kid with ADHD or ADD, 1 or 2 kids with some form of autism, up to 7 dyslexic kids and spread through the classes there are some kids with serious anger management and/or anxiety issues. I even have two classes of together about 50 kids of which a grand total of 3 kids have nothing officially wrong with them. (Please note that with the term 'wrong with them' I don't mean to imply kids with any sort of psychological, learning or whatever disability are 'broken', I just mean they don't have a label of sorts)

[Earniel]

Hey Ingwe, how are the twins these days?

Originally Posted by Mari

Oh, they did that here too in two steps: first they abolished technical schools, because hey, who needs those? If all kids just study hard enough I'm sure they'll get to the same level! So then they had to organise theoretical schools at different levels (we now have six) which sorta worked out for the higher levels, but really didn't for the lower levels since some kids just need to learn through using their hands instead of their head.

Good grief, you're even further down the path of madness than we are! Now, I can understand quite a few children from special education can make it in the standard level with a bit of help and consideration from classmates as well as staff. But surely that can't work for all of them, even with the high level of overdiagnosing kids with 'issues' these days. Some need quite a bit more personal care than a teacher can give in a class of thirty.

I don't know if the Netherlands have the same problem but over here (mostly primary) schools can have about half of a class of students who don't even speak any of the Belgian languages. That alone puts enough pressure on teachers since they first have to teach the kids a new language before they can even start to teach them anything else.

[Ingwe]

Yay, I got sunburn for the second time in a month! Horray! One does not simply walk into Mordor? One like me does not simply walk into the sun, without an EVA suit.

Originally Posted by Eärniel

Hey Ingwe, how are the twins these days?

They're great, and there's one more than that now. Great times...aside from the lack of rest.

Originally Posted by Noble Elf Lord

Oh and Ingwe, nice story... I'm so into Skyrim now. Hunting with my Bosmer werewolf is so... different and interesting from my usual Skyrim-is-my-treasure-sack- system. I always give strict RPG-rules for my chars

It's been a month or so since I played Skyrim. Got kinda nostalgic as of late, and started playing some TES4: Oblivion again, along with the Shivering Isles, Knights of the Nine, the other addons (DLCs), and some mods like Midas Magic, Servant of the Dawn, Mannimarco Resurrection, and The Lost Spires. I haven't gone through a full playthrough of that for, well, must have been about three years.

I'd like to see some sort of conclusion to the Aldmeri Dominion arc in some upcoming story, but I'd imagine Bethesda will probably come up with some other idea involving another province, and they'll just mention how the conclusion of the conflict with the Thalmor worked out through some book we can pick up in-game in TES6.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Ingwe

Yay, I got sunburn for the second time in a month! Horray! One does not simply walk into Mordor? One like me does not simply walk into the sun, without an EVA suit.

Only the second time? Lucky you! I like the sun, yet it -alas- does not love my skin. It's therefore always a bit of a hassle to explain to familymembers I'm perfectly happy to stay in the shade most of the time, especially on the beach, and that it's not (just) for being contrary but for self-protection.

They're great, and there's one more than that now. Great times...aside from the lack of rest.

Ooh, congratulations! The lack of rest will eventually resolve itself, I'm told, it will only take a year or 18, though.

[Mari]

Thankfully that's not really the case here! o_O How did that happen?
But yeah, some special ed kids could manage in normal schools with extra help, but there's not enough money to accurately guide them. Also, sticking them in classes with 31 other kids is just wrong.
By the by, they are advocating to bring back the technical schools here

[Earniel]

Botched migration policies mostly. Lots of families with young kids that don't speak Dutch or French at home any more. And sadly more than a few who think the school should raise kids rather than, you know, the parents themselves. There are big regional differences, mind.

Back to technical schools eh? Heh, how typical.

[Mari]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

And sadly more than a few who think the school should raise kids rather than, you know, the parents themselves.

That is a very common problem here as well. And that alongside the princes and princesses-syndrome. *sigh*

[Rían]

Gosh, Mari, I can't imagine how you deal with all that!!! *Moothug*

[Mari]

Oh, it's doable enough and it keeps it interesting. I have had some boring jobs in my life and I'm glad I'm not stuck doing that every day. It IS hard to give every student the attention they deserve though. It's something I'm still learning to do.

[Valandil]

Is there any kind of homeschooling movement in Europe? Or is it allowed at all?

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Mari

That is a very common problem here as well. And that alongside the princes and princesses-syndrome. *sigh*

Yeah, as a teacher you're in the front row of those cases, isn't?

Originally Posted by Mari

It IS hard to give every student the attention they deserve though. It's something I'm still learning to do.

It's to your credit that you continue to pay attention to this. It IS hard and I've seen quite a few teachers give up on that when I was in school.

Originally Posted by Valandil

Is there any kind of homeschooling movement in Europe? Or is it allowed at all?

It is allowed here but to my knowledge not very popular. We have many schools of many denominations and the overall level is quite high. It isn't easy to get a child on that level on your own especially if it wants to pursue higher studies after that. And then there's the social component of school as well.

[Mari]

It's allowed in very rare cases, but the rules are very strict. We have a lot of different sort of schools here, both in level and way of teaching such as Waldorf and Jenaplan, but also in background. Protestant schools, Christian schools, Catholic, Muslim, non-religious and many more. IF you can't find your pick here, you're not looking hard enough.
Basically are schools are pretty good, but they could be better if the government wouldn't play around with education as muchas they do. And every time you reluctantly put their ideas in action, they change their minds and you have to change your education again.