Some schools have already opened for the new term and many more will do so tomorrow. As normal the weather has improved no end and no doubt once the new term gets into full swing it will be sunny and warm!

Mum’s  and Dad’s will be frantically sorting out the new kit for school and checking that their offspring have everything sorted. For some children there will be some apprehension, for others a chance to catch up with their mates and meet their new teacher or teachers. For some unfortunately the return to school will not be a happy time and they will dread the journey to school.

I wonder if most education systems in the world are geared to just a specific few learners and the rest more or less learn. Maths seems to be a particular problem for many and they struggle throughout the school life. Spelling can be a problem for many boys and often chemistry and physics are not subjects girls appear to like.

Why is this? I must admit that maths was not my best subject. However, when I left school I Came across The Trachtenberg system of Mathematics and it was incredible how much easier maths became. As long as you can add then you can use this system. The following link goes to a site where you can get free software based on the system http://www.shermankeene.com/tracten.html try it you may amaze yourself and your children too.

I liked school and the whole process of learning, not that I found it easy in some subjects. Yet I am today struck by the fact that what subjects I liked was very much down to the teacher who taught it. French was boring, so was the teacher. History was OK depending on who taught it.

Is much of what we learn partly down to the learning style of the teacher? Do they teach as they were taught of do they add their own personality to the mix. I thought art was great because the teacher was enthusiastic, more so than some of my fellow pupils.

Do our education systems inspire our children or just treat them as empty vessals to be filled with content with no obvious relationships between history and geography, music and maths. What do you think?