CENSOR FOOD

The Danish education has lots of oral exams, and not just in language subjects. Maths, for example, which I have never done orally in the U.K.

The general rule is that pupils are examined by their normal teacher, who prepares the questions, and an external censor, either from a nearby school or appointed by the ministry. Fairness and a lack of partisanship are maintained by having a rule, whereby if there is disagreement about a grade, then it is the censor's that counts.

I have two maths classes and an English class, and so am a censor elsewhere for the same amount. I quite enjoy the process, since you get to meet other teachers and exchange ideas and gossip. However, even more than that, I enjoy the lunches. School cooks compete to provide the best possible lunches for their censors, so that they will spread the word about how good they are. So yesterday I had Mexican tortilla wraps, followed by rhubarb crumble and cream; and today I had baked salmon with asparagus followed by ice cream and redcurrant sauce!

Walter Blotscher