[etni] Haaretz article on noise in classrooms

What a good laugh I had this morning when I read about the Ministry's new 
directives to reduce noise in classrooms.  If you haven't seen the article, 
here is a summary of the Ministry's directives together with my comments about 
each one:

1.  "Avoid dragging chairs on floors and attach rubber gliders to their legs".  
  Well now, that's a wonderful idea 
     because when a pupil throws a chair across the room at another pupil, the 
impact will be softened due to the 
     rubber gliders!
2.  "Limit the use of recorded music during classes".  There go the songs, 
listening comprehensions etc., etc. and
      now we'll be able to listen to the stimulating music transmitted by the 
students' cellphone ring tones.
3.  "Reduce the volume of the school's public address system".   I have never 
worked in a school that had a public 
     address system, have you?  I suppose now, we'll have to install a public 
address system so that we can reduce 
     the volume!
4.  "Properly maintain air conditioners,  do not install near chalkboard".  
O.K., I know some of you have air
     conditioners in your classrooms but in my school, which is a good JHS/HS 
in the centre of Jerusalem, 
     we don't even have fans let alone air conditioners!  Furthermore, when was 
the last time YOU had a chalkboard in
     your class! I suppose we'll have to reinstall them as well!!!!
5.  "Seal windows in order to keep out external noise".  O.K. now, it's time to 
stop laughing and pick yourself up off 
     the floor.  So, we should seal the windows in our already stifling 
classrooms! I think my husband's idea is the 
     best (he's not a teacher, obviously) he thinks we should "seal" the 
pupils' mouths, then "seal" their hands to the
     desk and their feet to the floor!!!  Excellent idea, don't you think?  
That would keep the classroom quiet and we
     wouldn't need directives 1-5!!
Mavis
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