Thoughtful Piece on Ramsay and Teaching Techniques

http://chronicle.com/article/Hells-Classroom/44811/

I count myself as being against 'snowflake culture'!

Ah, but reality shows represent anything but reality.

I'm all for tough teaching and tough love but there must be limits in real life. People who enter reality shows know precisely what they are in for. People in schools do not. Imagine, for example the following teacher commentaries made in public:

"Your paper on Napoleon was childish and demonstrates that you are incapable of intelligent thought"
"You call this a science project? I call it the work of a mentally retarded chicken"
"You will do better at cutting out paper dolls than trying your feeble brain with physics"

Depending on the age, level of ability and psychological conditions of the student some will simply despise the teacher and refuse to learn from them; others may attempt suicide; some will simply drop the class; others will truly "give up". Not ideal products of the learning-teaching process.

I'm also against "snowflake culture" and think students at every level of ability should be encouraged/made to produce to their maximum ability. I am not, however, in favor of conditioning students or anyone else by means of coercion, force or public humiliation.

As to Gordon Ramsey - power, as is said, to some of the people. I'm all for his cookery. I am not in favor of his projected personality. Like all of us, of course, I have no idea of what Mr Ramsey is in "real life". All we get to see is the public image that he cares to show us.

Best
Rogov

I am certainly not advocating the "You little snot" method of teaching. I AM of the view that these new age lower schools that don't even grade the kids on their work are the worst teaching theories ever. Bringing a kid up thinking that competition is unecessary, and that he/she is a special little person, and then put them out in the world of work or university is like raising lambs together with striped pussycats and then turning them out in the tiger enclosure. Neither humane nor socially useful.

I also am against this "snowflake" culture in some schools. By giving kids a pat on the back for even the most abysmal academic performance or not keeping score during a baseball game so there are no "losers" is hardly helping the kids become well adjusted and successful adults in the real world. My friend Julie has already noticed this in her company. Some recent "first job in the real world" employees were SHOCKED when they were given constructive criticism during their performance reviews. It was as if no one in their lifetime had ever told them they were not perfect and had to improve their performance if they wished to keep their jobs.

While Ramsay may be over the top, the best teachers I ever had were the ones that were the toughest on me.

Semi-off topic, but on the subject of snowflakes- anyone ever read www.rateyourstudents.blogspot.com ?

Agreed that pampering is ridiculous and that toughness has its place, but not advocating toughness that hits a kid or a university student so hard that he/she decides that excellence may not be in the best interest of survival.

the best teachers I ever had were the ones that were the toughest on me.

So true, so true....

I think there's a reasonable middle ground between Gordon Ramsay and the "snowflake" phenomenon. You can be a firm teacher without being abusive.

It would be interesting to know how Ramsay used to function in his kitchens before he became well known and started to develop the persona we see on the tv screen. Possibly always had a rough tongue but how much of the belittling and downright abuse is playing to the camera?

It's showbiz, folks.

I taught for 22 years. I would not abide prima donnas. Most of my students had very erroneous notions of what it was like to work in a professional kitchen. I dispelled them of those. I told them I didn't want to hear what their mama cooked - unless they planned to go to work for their mama on graduation. I didn't want to hear anyone say "Bam". I told them if they were lazy they could forget being a line cook, let alone a chef. I told them it is one of the hardest jobs on earth.

I was trying to train people in the realities of the professional kitchen as well as teach them how to cook. We cooked - and consumed - complete meals every day. When I operated restaurants I would take the best students into those kitchens and train them further.

During the day I taught my professional students (and inmates at The Shelby County Correctional Center) and at night, doctors, lawyers etc. - serious home cooks. Two very different kinds of teaching.

Many of my students probably thought me "tough". But, I had many come back over the years and thank me. Many of them are now executive chefs.

If you treated anyone with the contempt Ramsay does they would not stay - in school or the kitchen. They're getting their 15 minutes.

Joseph says it well.

I am often asked by young people just entering the kitchen for advice for success. I give them three rules:

1. Learn very quickly to say "Yes, Chef"?
2. Always bring two pairs of shoes to work so when the first pair gets wet you can change
3. Never forget that the customer is not always right. He/she is, however, always the customer.

Best
Rogov

Joseph says it well.

3. Never forget that the customer is not always right. He/she is, however, always the customer.

Slightly paraphrased, that one works for marriage counselling too....

[Jenise]

It would be interesting to know how Ramsay used to function in his kitchens before he became well known and started to develop the persona we see on the tv screen. Possibly always had a rough tongue but how much of the belittling and downright abuse is playing to the camera?

It was the reputation that got him on TV. I spent a lot of time in Europe in the mid-90's, and even I heard of him, and this about him, then.