big matt

i spent the bank holiday weekend in amsterdam.

its a really interesting place, with bars serving similar stuff to
what we're used to at home (although i'm not to sure if that's down to
dutch cuisine or another case of 'brits-abroad' syndrome).

what was impressive was the fact absolutely EVERYONE speaks english.
now this isn't just the drug dealers or hookers, this is young and
old, bus drivers and car park attendants, the freshen-up guys and the
bloke you're stood next to...the lot.

the ability of the entire population to switch between dutch and
english is nothing but staggering. so much so, i learnt not one dutch
word all weekend - it just wasn't necessary.

i'm told the reason for this is that they learn their second lanuage
(english) from the same age as their first (dutch), making them just
as competent in both languages. phenomenal.

i'd like to ask one simple question: why don't we do that in britain?

with yesterday's a level results came the usual bs about how much
easier they're getting laa laa laa.

well, i don't believe they are getting easier; i think more people are
passing because the teachers are getting better at teaching them how
to pass.

when i was at school, rather than learning the subject, we learnt how
to pass the exam. working down the list of criteria needed to make the
grade, ticking the boxes as we went, meant we knew exactly what
needed to be done to pass.

secondly, what they teach doesn't change, so they can't be getting
easier because the syllabuses are the same year in year out.

finally, it must really piss you off if you're hearing how easy the
exams are, but haven't made the grade for your university place.

Labels: news