NCEA gets a makeover [Newstalk ZB link]

Post Primary Teachers Association president Robin Duff says ... the addition of the "not achieved" grade is a backward step as it moves away from the principal where achievement is the most important thing, rather than the lack of achievement.

Uh, so we're supposed to ignore "lack of achievement"...oh, oh, oh what's that very non-PC term...FAILURE? How do we learn from mistakes if we pretend they never happened? How do we move away from the concept of perfection to the reality of doing-the-best-we-can-with-what-we've-got because that is what freaking LIFE is all about?

Also, to whoever wrote this article - it's PRINCIPLE, not principal - obviously, someone lacked achievement in English.

Microsoft software ordered off Macs in NZ schools [Stuff link]

But Mr Le Sueur said the NeoOffice website warned users to expect problems and bugs, "That's not the sort of software we should be expecting kids in New Zealand to be using."

I thought Mac users were young and flexible. :P Also, what software doesn't have bugs? Aren't we supposed to be adaptive, ongoing learners here? Why not go to Linux and OpenOffice?