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Pedants' corner

What Do They Teach In Schools........?

(71 Posts)
mae13 Tue 03-Dec-24 14:38:13

On Yahoo News a certain Roxy Simons, in an article about Wolf Hall, assures me that Henry VIII is famous for having 8(eight) wives.

If there's one certain and definite fact we get told in history lessons it's that Henry Tudor VIII had 6(six) wives.

Lord help us.......

knspol Wed 04-Dec-24 15:24:58

Not a teacher but wonder how much time teachers have to teach core subjects when they're asked to do so many other things that imo should/could be covered by parents. Started thinking about this this morning when heard someone on TV saying that teachers should talk to pupils about coercive behaviour in relationships ( as result of girl stabbed to death by boyfriend).

MissAdventure Wed 04-Dec-24 14:47:13

Ah, yes, the Victoria sponge.
Cooked in comprehensives, arty-farties, and everywhere in between, it seems.

Along with setting a tray, and the odd shepherd's pie.

I've yet to hear of anyone learning proper cooking, from scratch, of course, at school.

Mamie Wed 04-Dec-24 14:42:42

MissAdventure

Ah, I'm talking about "the olden days", not now.

Food tech now seemed to cover a very broad spectrum,

Hmm - scones and Victoria sponge spring to mind. I think maybe Shepherd's pie.
Not much anyway, because mine was an arty-farty independent school so History of Art was far higher priority. 😂

MissAdventure Wed 04-Dec-24 14:35:54

Ah, I'm talking about "the olden days", not now.

Food tech now seemed to cover a very broad spectrum,

Mamie Wed 04-Dec-24 14:33:35

MissAdventure

I'd be interested to hear what meals people were taught during cookery lessons.

If you scroll down the page to Cookery and nutrition you will see what the National Curriculum requires.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-design-and-technology-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-design-and-technology-programmes-of-study
For details of what is actually cooked at Key Stage 3 (11-14) you would need to ask a school.
My grandchildren seemed to cook a range of healthy meals and learn some useful key skills.

cookiemonster66 Wed 04-Dec-24 14:05:17

It is a worry, we live near quite rural farms which allow visitors, while we were there a teacher and school kids were in the goats pen, and kids asked teacher what they were and she said SHEEP!!!! that is the TEACHER!!!! ahhhh!

MissAdventure Wed 04-Dec-24 13:54:51

I'd be interested to hear what meals people were taught during cookery lessons.

suelld Wed 04-Dec-24 13:54:49

Also sure the mistake should have been picked up, but it was likely a ‘brain freeze’ when writing quickly re Henry 8th …brain seizes on 8 and becomes 8 wives! Why all the fuss. I expect the poor writer would be mortified if her error ( probably unintentional) was pointed out!
NOT necessarily poor education…surely we’ve all done something similar?

mabon1 Wed 04-Dec-24 13:51:35

Don't insult the lovely Aljaz

lizzypopbottle Wed 04-Dec-24 13:51:25

I didn't type that 'and' at the end of my rant. Kindle keyboard is weird... 🤔

MissAdventure Wed 04-Dec-24 13:50:43

That's taught as part of p.e as far as I know.

suelld Wed 04-Dec-24 13:50:12

Mamie

Witzend

Kate54

Part of the problem is a lack of sub-editors presumably. There seems to be very little checking of grammar, spelling, pronounciation - or facts, it seems - in today’s media. I’ve heard two different BBC journalists mispronounce ‘femme fatale’ just this week. It’s French, innit?!
I do wonder if these mistakes are ever picked up by their editors. Or maybe they don’t know the basics either!

I forget where, but the other day I heard a presenter referring to the RENaissance, instead of reNAISSance. He did sound like the sort of person who’d know, so I did wonder whether he’d actually never heard it pronounced before.

IIRC it was in connection with the BBC TV prog the other day about early renaissance Florence, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, the Medicis, etc. Which incidentally was v interesting.

Renaissance is a French word so the English version would be a corruption of the original where the emphasis is not on the first syllable.

Also depends on what era, WHEN you were taught in . Thr current pronunciation seems to be the RENaissance, whereas in school back in the 50s/ early 60s it was always ReNAISSance. Similarly BOUDICIA…was pronounced BOdicea… now pronounced BOOdica! Others similar

lizzypopbottle Wed 04-Dec-24 13:49:03

Rant coming!

Instead of history, they'd be better off teaching children how to live a healthy life and to teach it from early years with a practical approach. Science is all very well but learning the chemical constitution of protein, carbohydrate and fats is not useful until maybe 'A' level biology! Teach from early years what's good for you. Foods containing protein to build and repair your body, foods containing carbohydrates for energy, healthy fats for your brain and nerves, fibre for your gut throughput, vitamins and minerals e.g. Calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C and A in fruit and vegetables, B vitamins in cereals, plenty of water, exercise and sugar only as a treat. Teach them to read the labels on food packets, to look for that word sugar. Teach them to cook healthy meals.

*Then they can go home and teach their parents!*and

Rant over!

David49 Wed 04-Dec-24 13:22:33

If you opposed the monarch in those days it was very easy to loose your head, there has been plenty of genocide much more recently Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, I’m sure others could name more despots.

Mamie Wed 04-Dec-24 12:15:20

It is interesting though to work out when a word has been absorbed enough into English to change the pronunciation. I think either works for Renaissance, but there is a point at which it sounds pretentious to stick with the original. Chorizo is an interesting one!

Allira Wed 04-Dec-24 12:13:12

M0nica

I think it is unlikely he executed 57,000 people. i would like to see the evidence for that.

He was a brilliant and gifted - and very complicated man, He suffered from recurrent head traumas during sporting activities, the worst episode of which was in 1536 when he was unconscious for 2 hrs. In the years following this he suffered from amnesia, impulse control, sociopathy, depression, headaches, insomnias and possibly low testosterone. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967586815006803 which contributed to, and probably explains his tyrannical autocratic and erratic behaviour in later years.

Henry VIII, being of his time, was an Absolute Monarch.

Estimates vary but the number of people executed is thought to be upwards of 57,000

In total, around 80,000 people were executed by the Tudors and nearly 60,000 of that number were executed during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Tudor nation

Other sources concur.

Mamie Wed 04-Dec-24 12:08:05

The first one in French I would say.

escaped Wed 04-Dec-24 11:44:47

It was funny last night on Masterchef.
We had .... consOmmé, cOnsommé, consUmé and consommAY.
I had a mental block as to which was correct, French or English even!

Mamie Wed 04-Dec-24 11:01:31

The wren pronuciation is also American English.

Witzend Wed 04-Dec-24 10:48:05

Mamie

Witzend

Kate54

Part of the problem is a lack of sub-editors presumably. There seems to be very little checking of grammar, spelling, pronounciation - or facts, it seems - in today’s media. I’ve heard two different BBC journalists mispronounce ‘femme fatale’ just this week. It’s French, innit?!
I do wonder if these mistakes are ever picked up by their editors. Or maybe they don’t know the basics either!

I forget where, but the other day I heard a presenter referring to the RENaissance, instead of reNAISSance. He did sound like the sort of person who’d know, so I did wonder whether he’d actually never heard it pronounced before.

IIRC it was in connection with the BBC TV prog the other day about early renaissance Florence, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, the Medicis, etc. Which incidentally was v interesting.

Renaissance is a French word so the English version would be a corruption of the original where the emphasis is not on the first syllable.

Yes, I’m well aware that the word is of French origin, but we are not in France and it’s been pronounced in the U.K. with the (light) stress on the 2nd syllable for as long as I can remember, and I dare say for a long time previously.

Until the other day I’d never heard it pronounced with the first stressed syllable rhyming with ‘wren’!

Smileless2012 Wed 04-Dec-24 10:46:50

Well apparently estimates vary between 57,000 and 72,000 tchshock

Mamie Wed 04-Dec-24 10:40:36

Witzend

Kate54

Part of the problem is a lack of sub-editors presumably. There seems to be very little checking of grammar, spelling, pronounciation - or facts, it seems - in today’s media. I’ve heard two different BBC journalists mispronounce ‘femme fatale’ just this week. It’s French, innit?!
I do wonder if these mistakes are ever picked up by their editors. Or maybe they don’t know the basics either!

I forget where, but the other day I heard a presenter referring to the RENaissance, instead of reNAISSance. He did sound like the sort of person who’d know, so I did wonder whether he’d actually never heard it pronounced before.

IIRC it was in connection with the BBC TV prog the other day about early renaissance Florence, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, the Medicis, etc. Which incidentally was v interesting.

Renaissance is a French word so the English version would be a corruption of the original where the emphasis is not on the first syllable.

Witzend Wed 04-Dec-24 09:22:38

Kate54

Part of the problem is a lack of sub-editors presumably. There seems to be very little checking of grammar, spelling, pronounciation - or facts, it seems - in today’s media. I’ve heard two different BBC journalists mispronounce ‘femme fatale’ just this week. It’s French, innit?!
I do wonder if these mistakes are ever picked up by their editors. Or maybe they don’t know the basics either!

I forget where, but the other day I heard a presenter referring to the RENaissance, instead of reNAISSance. He did sound like the sort of person who’d know, so I did wonder whether he’d actually never heard it pronounced before.

IIRC it was in connection with the BBC TV prog the other day about early renaissance Florence, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, the Medicis, etc. Which incidentally was v interesting.

MissAdventure Wed 04-Dec-24 09:12:57

That's interesting, because a lot if modern day killers have a head trauma, somewhere in their past.

M0nica Wed 04-Dec-24 09:09:46

I think it is unlikely he executed 57,000 people. i would like to see the evidence for that.

He was a brilliant and gifted - and very complicated man, He suffered from recurrent head traumas during sporting activities, the worst episode of which was in 1536 when he was unconscious for 2 hrs. In the years following this he suffered from amnesia, impulse control, sociopathy, depression, headaches, insomnias and possibly low testosterone. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967586815006803 which contributed to, and probably explains his tyrannical autocratic and erratic behaviour in later years.