current music - misplaced childhood by marillion
current mood - mind boggled
25 years ago i recall being in scotland in the company of my family watching events unfold in the Falkland Islands. I was 14 years of age then and a little more politically naive. i thought it was great that the Argentinians were getting a damned good thrashing at the hands of our boys.
anyway, that's not the point.
25 years is a long time but in truth it only feels like yesterday. and when i try to equate it with experiences outside of my time frame it gets even more freaky. it's the same time gap between the end of WWII and 1960. and yet those events seem like a lifetime apart.
it's all part of getting old, i suppose. but as bono sang and i agree...
"i'm not afraid to live, i'm not afraid to die."
i hope those veterans (as well as the soldiers on active duty at the moment) feel the same.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sunday, June 03, 2007
#103 on web 2.0 by accident
current music - in the waiting line by zero 7
current mood - expectant
i always thought i was too old for all this technical stuff but with the exception of text messages, i seem to be getting into the web 2.0 scene albeit by accident.
i suppose the first step was last.fm. thanks to steve i happily listen to all sorts of stuff i never dreamed of listening to.
now there's this blog for one. it's true i've not been too hot on it lately but thanks to steve and liz primarily i am now happy to inflict my mediocrity upon the world. what's more i've set up a private blog for my family to post thoughts and news on.
then there was flickr. well i got this rather fab camera off a mate and started snapping and all of a sudden i needed to inflict all the images on the world.
and then there was facebook. now that's down to danny. no sooner had i agreed to be on his page than i'd accidently agreed to set up my own and invite all and sundry to it.
and d'you know what? it's good. i'm reckoning this stuff could actually be a great way of maintaining friendships. so watch out for this high priest of suburban mediocrity. i'm out there.
current mood - expectant
i always thought i was too old for all this technical stuff but with the exception of text messages, i seem to be getting into the web 2.0 scene albeit by accident.
i suppose the first step was last.fm. thanks to steve i happily listen to all sorts of stuff i never dreamed of listening to.
now there's this blog for one. it's true i've not been too hot on it lately but thanks to steve and liz primarily i am now happy to inflict my mediocrity upon the world. what's more i've set up a private blog for my family to post thoughts and news on.
then there was flickr. well i got this rather fab camera off a mate and started snapping and all of a sudden i needed to inflict all the images on the world.
and then there was facebook. now that's down to danny. no sooner had i agreed to be on his page than i'd accidently agreed to set up my own and invite all and sundry to it.
and d'you know what? it's good. i'm reckoning this stuff could actually be a great way of maintaining friendships. so watch out for this high priest of suburban mediocrity. i'm out there.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
#102 on another thin place
current music - muzak in singapore airport
current mood - tired and awake at the same time
with a few minutes spare while they check the airplane's oil and air pressure and fill up the tank, i assume, i thought i'd let you know of my whereabouts over the last couple of days...
b and i travelled up to a place in the high country of victoria, as its known, to howqua; specifically to the cabin owned by jack and judy (although only jack was there for our visit.) time and indeed emotion permits me only to say that it's a good place for one to immerse oneself into the artistry that god paints vividly at every turn. i took a gazillion photos, the best of which i'll post on flickr shortly.
if, my dear hob blogglings, you've never been to howqua, put it on your list of places to visit before you die - or you'll regret it.
similarly - it would only be fair if any of you could oblige me with places that i ought to visit before i die (it would be rude not to, wouldn't it.)
by the way, don't suggest singapore airport - (a) i've been there and (b) it's about as boring as airports can be.
see some of you soon and others sooner. i'll be home by lunchtime.
current mood - tired and awake at the same time
with a few minutes spare while they check the airplane's oil and air pressure and fill up the tank, i assume, i thought i'd let you know of my whereabouts over the last couple of days...
b and i travelled up to a place in the high country of victoria, as its known, to howqua; specifically to the cabin owned by jack and judy (although only jack was there for our visit.) time and indeed emotion permits me only to say that it's a good place for one to immerse oneself into the artistry that god paints vividly at every turn. i took a gazillion photos, the best of which i'll post on flickr shortly.
if, my dear hob blogglings, you've never been to howqua, put it on your list of places to visit before you die - or you'll regret it.
similarly - it would only be fair if any of you could oblige me with places that i ought to visit before i die (it would be rude not to, wouldn't it.)
by the way, don't suggest singapore airport - (a) i've been there and (b) it's about as boring as airports can be.
see some of you soon and others sooner. i'll be home by lunchtime.
Monday, April 16, 2007
#101 on sandcastles
Friday, April 13, 2007
#100 on a visit to Victoria Market
This is one of my snaps from a visit to the hustle and bustle of Victoria Market in Melbourne.
Head over to Flickr to see some more. This I believe is a link to my page
http://flickr.com/photos/7754196@N05/
Darren
Thursday, April 12, 2007
#99 on where i am
publishing photos on this here blog beyond the ones and twos is a bit of a pain, my dear hob blogglings, so i've taken the liberty to create an account at flickr. thus, if you want to have a virtual evening of me showing endless photos of my trip to melbourne then please make your way over to flickr.com and look me up as darrengoddard (no space)
and for those of you who cannot bring themselves to do so here's a taste...
and for those of you who cannot bring themselves to do so here's a taste...
Friday, April 06, 2007
#98 on where I've been
Well primarily for Liz but for anyone who needs to know I've not really been anywhere of late but the tip toe through the mediocrity of suburbian life has not been without its little upsets lately.
Oh nothing major, that's the point I suppose, nothing major ever really happens to this mediocre suburban, but enough for me to need a break from blogging and concentrate on other more stressful streams of life.
Sadly, I can't share all my news for some of it is confidential, the details anyway, but let's just say, dear hob blogglings, that one of the major issues in my life has a sort of resoultion to it. Part one of the resolution came on the last day of the Spring Term and the other will come to pass at the end of the Summer Term. Beyond that I can say no more or I'll stand accused again (although without the right of reply) of character assassination. Oh fuck it, I think I'll get plastered and tell all, God knows they've been indiscrete.
Also my current work situation has taken much of what meagre space my head affords for coping with life. The pressure is on, I'm working hard and still I find myself disappointing those around me I least want to hurt but that situation too, has a sense of completion and closure to it. Again, details cannot be shared but I'm feeling hopeful and optimistic about the future.
And why start blogging again now...
So life seems to be a little less stressful than of late. May long it continue.
More from Oz Tour 07 to come.
Oh nothing major, that's the point I suppose, nothing major ever really happens to this mediocre suburban, but enough for me to need a break from blogging and concentrate on other more stressful streams of life.
Sadly, I can't share all my news for some of it is confidential, the details anyway, but let's just say, dear hob blogglings, that one of the major issues in my life has a sort of resoultion to it. Part one of the resolution came on the last day of the Spring Term and the other will come to pass at the end of the Summer Term. Beyond that I can say no more or I'll stand accused again (although without the right of reply) of character assassination. Oh fuck it, I think I'll get plastered and tell all, God knows they've been indiscrete.
Also my current work situation has taken much of what meagre space my head affords for coping with life. The pressure is on, I'm working hard and still I find myself disappointing those around me I least want to hurt but that situation too, has a sense of completion and closure to it. Again, details cannot be shared but I'm feeling hopeful and optimistic about the future.
And why start blogging again now...
So life seems to be a little less stressful than of late. May long it continue.
More from Oz Tour 07 to come.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
#97 on long distance travel
Just read last night's twaddle again. I was actually falling asleep whilst typing. To be honest I'm surprised it made as much sense as it did!
anyway here's a few more of my thoughts about travelling from London to Melbourne.
I clearly remeber the strange feeling of detachment as I left Harrow bound for Heathrow airport. Do you remember 'The Truman Show'. I felt the same - like it wasn't really real. I felt like everyone was just putting a show on for me and that I was being manouvreed and manipulated away from the house to the airport. Do you remember that scene in 'The Matrix' when Neo goes back into the Matrix for the first time following his rescue? How he marvels at restaurants were he had once eaten coming to terms that it wasn't actually real? That's how it felt.
Probably just a bit nervous. But that's how it felt.
I also remember being very polite towards the stewardesses on the flight, eating all the food put in front of me - even though I don't like melon - and leaving my seat all neat and tidy - I even folded the blanket. And then departing the plane and seeing the mess that everyone else left behind. I sort of felt a sense of moral pride and then just felt a bit foolish.
I remember looking out of the window somewhere above the Indian Ocean seeing the most georgeous of sunsets.
I remember sitting next to another assistant headteacher for 13 hours. What are the chances of that? But we agreed to stop talking about work after about 10 minutes. You'll never know how difficult that was!
But beyond that I really can't remember much else about the flight. Long haul is unbelievably boring. You are too bored to watch the telly (although I must say I did enjoy Casino Royale), too full to eat (although you do anyway), to stiff to move and too British to ask the person next to you to let you out to pee while they are watching Casino Royale.
But I'm here now. Still feeling a little stiff (or maybe that's just my age.) Had a practical day today, buying a few bits and bobs and getting an old bike to work so that I can get around the place.
Tomorrow I'll post a few photos taken with the super camera lent to me by my good pal G with a view to me buying it upon my return.
So 'til then I'll bid you good night in whatever time zone you find yourself.
Good night.
anyway here's a few more of my thoughts about travelling from London to Melbourne.
I clearly remeber the strange feeling of detachment as I left Harrow bound for Heathrow airport. Do you remember 'The Truman Show'. I felt the same - like it wasn't really real. I felt like everyone was just putting a show on for me and that I was being manouvreed and manipulated away from the house to the airport. Do you remember that scene in 'The Matrix' when Neo goes back into the Matrix for the first time following his rescue? How he marvels at restaurants were he had once eaten coming to terms that it wasn't actually real? That's how it felt.
Probably just a bit nervous. But that's how it felt.
I also remember being very polite towards the stewardesses on the flight, eating all the food put in front of me - even though I don't like melon - and leaving my seat all neat and tidy - I even folded the blanket. And then departing the plane and seeing the mess that everyone else left behind. I sort of felt a sense of moral pride and then just felt a bit foolish.
I remember looking out of the window somewhere above the Indian Ocean seeing the most georgeous of sunsets.
I remember sitting next to another assistant headteacher for 13 hours. What are the chances of that? But we agreed to stop talking about work after about 10 minutes. You'll never know how difficult that was!
But beyond that I really can't remember much else about the flight. Long haul is unbelievably boring. You are too bored to watch the telly (although I must say I did enjoy Casino Royale), too full to eat (although you do anyway), to stiff to move and too British to ask the person next to you to let you out to pee while they are watching Casino Royale.
But I'm here now. Still feeling a little stiff (or maybe that's just my age.) Had a practical day today, buying a few bits and bobs and getting an old bike to work so that I can get around the place.
Tomorrow I'll post a few photos taken with the super camera lent to me by my good pal G with a view to me buying it upon my return.
So 'til then I'll bid you good night in whatever time zone you find yourself.
Good night.
Monday, April 02, 2007
#96 on jet lag
current mood - very very tired but wide awake as well
current music - none but listening earlier to 'we can work it out' by The Beatles
It's a strange thing when your body is telling you one thing and your mind is telling another. It happens in lots of ways not just the effects of long haul travel. For example your body tells you not to bite that finger nail but instead your brain overrides the command and bites it off not so much up to the quick but more like up to elbow.
So it with the inability to string coherent sentences together and instead just crack bad jokes that I begin this new section of my blog all about my trip to Australia to visit big brother B and his partner F.
I'll recount the joys of do it yourself contortionism also known as economy class travel later and just take a moment to paint alittle pictutre of my first few minutes on Australian soil for I think serves as a reminder of my ultimate reason for being here at all...
Darren untwists and uncurls his body from his airliner seat and troops off to customs and immigration at 5:30 before looking for his case (a large black suitcase - that'll stick out from the crowd!) In reality the official bit is a breeze and, for the first time ever, his case is waiting for him on the carousel thus causing him not to develop the usual panic that actually his case is in Rome while he is in Melbourne.
So as he passes down the corridor and around the corner with the cool breeze of freedom blowing in his face whom should Darren meet at the barrier than his big brother, his primary reason for coming to Australia. A moment of tearful embrace is shared and then another. The pair walk slowly to find F waiting with the car lest it get a ticket at 5:45 a.m. (and I thought Harrow parking wardens were tough) A short drive later Darren finds himself at home in good old Flemington in a neighbourhood that looks 'The Sullivans' is just about to start recording - all picturesque, needy and charming. Darren spends much of the rest of the day doing practical chores plus taking B & F's dog, Helen, for a walk to the local shops to thinks about photos he might take of the locality and it's inhabitants in future days.
He chats with B for much of the rest of the day making plans before F gets home and chat and wine continues before Darren excuses himself to write blog (whilst nodding off to sleep) and then hit sack.
More tomorrow dear hob bloglins when I'm more awake than now.
current music - none but listening earlier to 'we can work it out' by The Beatles
It's a strange thing when your body is telling you one thing and your mind is telling another. It happens in lots of ways not just the effects of long haul travel. For example your body tells you not to bite that finger nail but instead your brain overrides the command and bites it off not so much up to the quick but more like up to elbow.
So it with the inability to string coherent sentences together and instead just crack bad jokes that I begin this new section of my blog all about my trip to Australia to visit big brother B and his partner F.
I'll recount the joys of do it yourself contortionism also known as economy class travel later and just take a moment to paint alittle pictutre of my first few minutes on Australian soil for I think serves as a reminder of my ultimate reason for being here at all...
Darren untwists and uncurls his body from his airliner seat and troops off to customs and immigration at 5:30 before looking for his case (a large black suitcase - that'll stick out from the crowd!) In reality the official bit is a breeze and, for the first time ever, his case is waiting for him on the carousel thus causing him not to develop the usual panic that actually his case is in Rome while he is in Melbourne.
So as he passes down the corridor and around the corner with the cool breeze of freedom blowing in his face whom should Darren meet at the barrier than his big brother, his primary reason for coming to Australia. A moment of tearful embrace is shared and then another. The pair walk slowly to find F waiting with the car lest it get a ticket at 5:45 a.m. (and I thought Harrow parking wardens were tough) A short drive later Darren finds himself at home in good old Flemington in a neighbourhood that looks 'The Sullivans' is just about to start recording - all picturesque, needy and charming. Darren spends much of the rest of the day doing practical chores plus taking B & F's dog, Helen, for a walk to the local shops to thinks about photos he might take of the locality and it's inhabitants in future days.
He chats with B for much of the rest of the day making plans before F gets home and chat and wine continues before Darren excuses himself to write blog (whilst nodding off to sleep) and then hit sack.
More tomorrow dear hob bloglins when I'm more awake than now.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
#95 on hyping a song to number 1
Current mood – a strange feeling of preparedness for work that I have not felt for some time
Current music – ‘Cloudbursting’ by Kate Bush
So let’s all get on down to itunes and download those little puppies to hype him all the way to number 1. I'm sure it's what he's always dreamed of.
Not ‘arf.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
#94 on the sound and the fury
Current mood – tired and full in the head
Current music – ‘Edible Flowers’ by The Finn Brothers
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
So says Macbeth. This month’s book – ‘The Sound and the Fury’ – by William Faulkner was a very challenging read. In fact it required a bit of googling for some extra help to really understand quite what was going on. But if you have had the pleasure(?) of tackling the text you’ll know that the effort was worth it for we are given a view into the minds of people we perhaps we could never know otherwise and witness the implosion of a family at close hand.
Powerful.
So to lighten the mood a little I have suggested ‘A Patchwork Planet’ by Anne Tyler for our next meeting. Has she ever written a stinker? I’ve yet to be disappointed by any of her work. Characters come alive and through the observation of small matters you always get a glimpse of the bigger picture.
Nice.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
#93 on wishing you a Merry Christmas
current mood - excited
current music - Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan
Well I know it's been some time since my last post (in fact it was back in November when the 'last post' was being blown or bugled or whatever it is that bugulars do that I last posted.)
Anyway, I just wanted to wish all of you in your varied though always beautiful guises a very merry Christmas and a peaceful new year.
And why am I posting now when I should be tuicked up in bed waiting dreaming of Santa Claus and snow? Well I received this card from an old and wise guy at church and I think it sums up the Christmas spirit for me perfectly.
Merry Christmas!
current music - Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan
Well I know it's been some time since my last post (in fact it was back in November when the 'last post' was being blown or bugled or whatever it is that bugulars do that I last posted.)
Anyway, I just wanted to wish all of you in your varied though always beautiful guises a very merry Christmas and a peaceful new year.
And why am I posting now when I should be tuicked up in bed waiting dreaming of Santa Claus and snow? Well I received this card from an old and wise guy at church and I think it sums up the Christmas spirit for me perfectly.
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
#92 on how many bottles do you take to the shower
current music - 'Exodus' by Bob Marley & The Wailers
current mood - chuffed (internet been back for 8 hours!)
Just thought I'd let you see it here first - my new groovy hair do - or lack of it.
#91 on where the hell I've been
current music - 'Exodus' by Bob Marley & The Wailers
current mood - relief (for I have finally got an internet connection at home)
Now the more observant of you, my dear bloglings, will have noticed that I have note blogged since the last day of August; on that day I reported losing my internet connection and it is only today, the 12 November FFS, that I have finally be reconnected.
So expect many a post in the days ahead where the pointless banality of suburban life will be exposed for all it is and celebrated for all it is.
I've missed blogging and watching your blogs. I'll be in touch soon.
current mood - relief (for I have finally got an internet connection at home)
Now the more observant of you, my dear bloglings, will have noticed that I have note blogged since the last day of August; on that day I reported losing my internet connection and it is only today, the 12 November FFS, that I have finally be reconnected.
So expect many a post in the days ahead where the pointless banality of suburban life will be exposed for all it is and celebrated for all it is.
I've missed blogging and watching your blogs. I'll be in touch soon.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
#90 on wanting to blog
Current mood - nervous excitement
Current music - none
Am currently sitting in the staffroom of my new school typing this entry as I have no internet connection at home. It would appear as though my ISP have entered into a dispute with BT leaving the bills unpaid and me (and my mum and aunt who went with the same company on my recommendation) without internet access.
Never mind.
So I'm just about recovered from Greenbelt - my tummy is still a little churny but I've caught up with my sleep and have the fond memories to keep me company when I'm daydreaming. Among the most fond are hearing A sing with the sublime Steve as part of a beautiful triple bill with Julie McKee and Juliet Turner. A master stroke of planning and organisation in my opinion.
It was also fantastic to introduce Jude Simpson who, quite frankly, was on possibly the best form I have ever seen. Her poetry was delivered with exquisite timing and the in between banter played to the crowd magically. A treat to have been there.
I didn't catch much of the music programme but Weapons of Sound stand out as my most enjoyable musical experience. Being able to get right to the front of mainstage with two small children in complete safety was magic. I'm going to try and book a workshop for school.
I'm also going to try and get the mobile farm to come to school as well. That'll be a hoot.
So I sit here in anticipation waiting for my new job to kick in first with staff on Monday and then with kiddiwinks on Tuesday. I can't help but feeling homesick for my old job and I know there are friends who'll be going back there who'll miss me - heaven knows I'm going to miss them too but I have to say that there were some things about the way that school was being managed that made it impossible for me to stay and advance my career. I'm sad but not bitter. Put bluntly I'm putting more energy into the new challenges ahead of me than on the frustrations of the past.
So don't expect too many posts for the time being. i'll do what I can and let you know of prgress. By the way if Euro1net do fold, who would make a good replacement?
Current music - none
Am currently sitting in the staffroom of my new school typing this entry as I have no internet connection at home. It would appear as though my ISP have entered into a dispute with BT leaving the bills unpaid and me (and my mum and aunt who went with the same company on my recommendation) without internet access.
Never mind.
So I'm just about recovered from Greenbelt - my tummy is still a little churny but I've caught up with my sleep and have the fond memories to keep me company when I'm daydreaming. Among the most fond are hearing A sing with the sublime Steve as part of a beautiful triple bill with Julie McKee and Juliet Turner. A master stroke of planning and organisation in my opinion.
It was also fantastic to introduce Jude Simpson who, quite frankly, was on possibly the best form I have ever seen. Her poetry was delivered with exquisite timing and the in between banter played to the crowd magically. A treat to have been there.
I didn't catch much of the music programme but Weapons of Sound stand out as my most enjoyable musical experience. Being able to get right to the front of mainstage with two small children in complete safety was magic. I'm going to try and book a workshop for school.
I'm also going to try and get the mobile farm to come to school as well. That'll be a hoot.
So I sit here in anticipation waiting for my new job to kick in first with staff on Monday and then with kiddiwinks on Tuesday. I can't help but feeling homesick for my old job and I know there are friends who'll be going back there who'll miss me - heaven knows I'm going to miss them too but I have to say that there were some things about the way that school was being managed that made it impossible for me to stay and advance my career. I'm sad but not bitter. Put bluntly I'm putting more energy into the new challenges ahead of me than on the frustrations of the past.
So don't expect too many posts for the time being. i'll do what I can and let you know of prgress. By the way if Euro1net do fold, who would make a good replacement?
Friday, August 18, 2006
#89 on a fiendish and addictive game
current music - none (been listening to Big Brother in the other room)
current mood - frustrated (read on...)
So i get to the end of a successful day. Met an old friend and all our kids played together well. Wrote a whole bunch of Greenbelt emails that should hopefully wrap things up. (Like that's going to happen). The current toal of emails in my Greenbelt box is 879, more than last year. Phew.
So anyway, i've finished my emails. I've seen Pete win Big Brother. (I feel quite good about that and I'm looking to see how the mass media try to put a handle on him.) And now i sit down do play my current time waster - Hapland! Now let's be clear - this game is a bastard and what makes it worse is I know there are walkthrough guides available that will show me how to rescue those little stick men.
So why not click the link and give it a go. I guarantee that once started you will not be able to leave it alone.
current mood - frustrated (read on...)
So i get to the end of a successful day. Met an old friend and all our kids played together well. Wrote a whole bunch of Greenbelt emails that should hopefully wrap things up. (Like that's going to happen). The current toal of emails in my Greenbelt box is 879, more than last year. Phew.
So anyway, i've finished my emails. I've seen Pete win Big Brother. (I feel quite good about that and I'm looking to see how the mass media try to put a handle on him.) And now i sit down do play my current time waster - Hapland! Now let's be clear - this game is a bastard and what makes it worse is I know there are walkthrough guides available that will show me how to rescue those little stick men.
So why not click the link and give it a go. I guarantee that once started you will not be able to leave it alone.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
#88 on A level results and electricians
current music - 'Tubular Bells' by Mike Oldfield
current mood - frustrated (I am really getting into Linux but by golly it's a bugger to configure)
So we are greeted with the news today that most of the kids who stayed on for A levels have passed them and yet again the same old same old debate kicks off again - are they getting easier or are the kids getting smarter etc.
Rant number one is at non-lives who ring into radio chat shows and say 'well i did my A levels in 1962 and they were bloody hard then and only 3 people in the country who passed and we lived in a cardboard box and we had to lick it clean every morining and then work 25 hours a day down pit...' and so on and so on. Yeah A levels have changed and rightfully so in my view. Quite frankly anyone who, in my day, could cram two years work into their head and come up with the answers for a three hour exam was either lucky or slightly freakish.
Having said that I think the pendulum has swung a bit too far. Didn't the examining boards suspect that by allowing the pupils to do coursework at home, some over anxious parents might help (FFS). And I'm not talking about getting mum to colour in the bars on the graphs. In this age of communication when one pupil has worked it out (or got their uncle with a degree in physics to work it out) all the pupils are going to know about it.
My favoured option mirrors some (and looking back on it, not enough) of the courses I read at university. There we had 18 week semesters broken into study, revision and then exam phases. One essay mid way through the course to check we were on the ball and one exam at the end - three hours, three questions bosh. Harsh but fair. It made you revise but you knew you only had fifteen weeks to revise, not two years. And if you buggered up the exam your essay score would usually bump the average and if you buggered up the essay as well, well you probably deserved the fail. Harsh but fair. You are there to learn after all. Now if they applied that to A levels, maybe examiners would get a more satisfactory picture. A terms work and then an exam. Bosh. First year results to give a grade average and away you go on the second year. Bugger it up you have to repeat the year.
Actually my really favoured option is to do what we have been doing in Key Stage One for ages now. Just hand in the teacher assessment and forget about stupid bleedin' exams. Ask any teacher worth their salt and they will be able to tell you within a gnat's crotchet what level any pupil is on and what that pupil needs to do next to move on to the next level. That's what we do. That's why we are shit hot at our job. That's why we get paid so much?!
Broadly speaking I think the kids are getting smarter. For several reasons. Firstly we do get brighter as a nation as time goes by (academically that is, not morally). How long ago was it that most of the country was illiterate? When I went to school we did electric circuits with bulbs, batteries and wires in High Shcool. Now we teach it in Year 2. We are teaching more stuff in better ways to younger kids becausethey are ready to learn it. No wonder they can pass the top tier exams.
Secondly, the A level curriculum has changed very little over the past few years. Now this is a key point. When governments stop interfering in schools, teachers get on with what they are good at getting on with - teaching. Even if the system is a bit crap, they can still make it work. I tell you, when the goal posts have wheels on to make it easier to move them, when the only consistent thing is the amount of change, when the secretary of state states, 'change is here to stay', our jobs become very difficult, almost to the point of imposibility. That's what pisses teachers off. More than the money.
And thirdly, kids have wised up to the fact that if they want to get on in the world they need a degree. And the route to University is through A levels.
Well I say bollocks to that.
I failed all my A levels. I was immature and very unhappy. There was no pastoral support at school. Home was a mess and I wanted to be there less than I wanted to be at school. The teaching was pretty crap as I recall and looking back on it it was the biggest mistake of my life to date, especially as I already had a job in th bag which I backed out of to stay on at the advice of the careers teacher. I'm not trying to pass the buck - I deserved what I got and my only regret looking back was that no one, including me, had the balls to say this isn't working sooner, and let me sit through those awful exams knowing already what the outcome was.
To continue the autobiography, I went to wrok and eight years later, with a BTEC A level equivalent from night school under my belt, I went to university to study for my BEd in which I got a first, thus proving (to myself) that I wasn't thick because I couldn't get an A level.
Now University was great for me and so has been my career as a teacher since. Why? Because I had eight years from the University of Life to help me do my job. So many of the kids I studied with had never left school. And don't start talking to me about gap years. FFS. Back packing to Burma for a couple of months does not prepare you for the real world. One year is not enough.
Now my mate D is an electrician. I honestly don't know what his educational qualifications are but I tell you what, he is never out of work. Come to think of it have you ever met a sparks or a plumber or a tiler who is short of work or cash? Yes, they need a level of academic achievement, of course they do, but the middle class, so called, intelligensia peer down their noses at those who don't have letters after their name as if their job is menial and pointless whilst clapping our hands with joy because Johnny has got three A's which means he can go to the University of Nowhere to study Balderdash and Frisbee.
It seems to me that kids who study really hard for A levels and then go on to University believing they are guaranteed their passport to the real world are putting their ladders up against the wrong wall.
The debate should not be about how hard A levels are. It should be about what is the point of A levels. Should they simply be a route to University or should they be a means of preparing brighter pupils for a successful place among the workforce.
current mood - frustrated (I am really getting into Linux but by golly it's a bugger to configure)
So we are greeted with the news today that most of the kids who stayed on for A levels have passed them and yet again the same old same old debate kicks off again - are they getting easier or are the kids getting smarter etc.
Rant number one is at non-lives who ring into radio chat shows and say 'well i did my A levels in 1962 and they were bloody hard then and only 3 people in the country who passed and we lived in a cardboard box and we had to lick it clean every morining and then work 25 hours a day down pit...' and so on and so on. Yeah A levels have changed and rightfully so in my view. Quite frankly anyone who, in my day, could cram two years work into their head and come up with the answers for a three hour exam was either lucky or slightly freakish.
Having said that I think the pendulum has swung a bit too far. Didn't the examining boards suspect that by allowing the pupils to do coursework at home, some over anxious parents might help (FFS). And I'm not talking about getting mum to colour in the bars on the graphs. In this age of communication when one pupil has worked it out (or got their uncle with a degree in physics to work it out) all the pupils are going to know about it.
My favoured option mirrors some (and looking back on it, not enough) of the courses I read at university. There we had 18 week semesters broken into study, revision and then exam phases. One essay mid way through the course to check we were on the ball and one exam at the end - three hours, three questions bosh. Harsh but fair. It made you revise but you knew you only had fifteen weeks to revise, not two years. And if you buggered up the exam your essay score would usually bump the average and if you buggered up the essay as well, well you probably deserved the fail. Harsh but fair. You are there to learn after all. Now if they applied that to A levels, maybe examiners would get a more satisfactory picture. A terms work and then an exam. Bosh. First year results to give a grade average and away you go on the second year. Bugger it up you have to repeat the year.
Actually my really favoured option is to do what we have been doing in Key Stage One for ages now. Just hand in the teacher assessment and forget about stupid bleedin' exams. Ask any teacher worth their salt and they will be able to tell you within a gnat's crotchet what level any pupil is on and what that pupil needs to do next to move on to the next level. That's what we do. That's why we are shit hot at our job. That's why we get paid so much?!
Broadly speaking I think the kids are getting smarter. For several reasons. Firstly we do get brighter as a nation as time goes by (academically that is, not morally). How long ago was it that most of the country was illiterate? When I went to school we did electric circuits with bulbs, batteries and wires in High Shcool. Now we teach it in Year 2. We are teaching more stuff in better ways to younger kids becausethey are ready to learn it. No wonder they can pass the top tier exams.
Secondly, the A level curriculum has changed very little over the past few years. Now this is a key point. When governments stop interfering in schools, teachers get on with what they are good at getting on with - teaching. Even if the system is a bit crap, they can still make it work. I tell you, when the goal posts have wheels on to make it easier to move them, when the only consistent thing is the amount of change, when the secretary of state states, 'change is here to stay', our jobs become very difficult, almost to the point of imposibility. That's what pisses teachers off. More than the money.
And thirdly, kids have wised up to the fact that if they want to get on in the world they need a degree. And the route to University is through A levels.
Well I say bollocks to that.
I failed all my A levels. I was immature and very unhappy. There was no pastoral support at school. Home was a mess and I wanted to be there less than I wanted to be at school. The teaching was pretty crap as I recall and looking back on it it was the biggest mistake of my life to date, especially as I already had a job in th bag which I backed out of to stay on at the advice of the careers teacher. I'm not trying to pass the buck - I deserved what I got and my only regret looking back was that no one, including me, had the balls to say this isn't working sooner, and let me sit through those awful exams knowing already what the outcome was.
To continue the autobiography, I went to wrok and eight years later, with a BTEC A level equivalent from night school under my belt, I went to university to study for my BEd in which I got a first, thus proving (to myself) that I wasn't thick because I couldn't get an A level.
Now University was great for me and so has been my career as a teacher since. Why? Because I had eight years from the University of Life to help me do my job. So many of the kids I studied with had never left school. And don't start talking to me about gap years. FFS. Back packing to Burma for a couple of months does not prepare you for the real world. One year is not enough.
Now my mate D is an electrician. I honestly don't know what his educational qualifications are but I tell you what, he is never out of work. Come to think of it have you ever met a sparks or a plumber or a tiler who is short of work or cash? Yes, they need a level of academic achievement, of course they do, but the middle class, so called, intelligensia peer down their noses at those who don't have letters after their name as if their job is menial and pointless whilst clapping our hands with joy because Johnny has got three A's which means he can go to the University of Nowhere to study Balderdash and Frisbee.
It seems to me that kids who study really hard for A levels and then go on to University believing they are guaranteed their passport to the real world are putting their ladders up against the wrong wall.
The debate should not be about how hard A levels are. It should be about what is the point of A levels. Should they simply be a route to University or should they be a means of preparing brighter pupils for a successful place among the workforce.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
#87 on checklists, wu wei and getting things done
current music - none (no reason just haven't configured amaroK properly yet)
current mood - resolute (determined to get to the bottom of my to do list before Greenbelt)
I sat in the bath today and tried to think through how I can stroll through this rainstorm called life avoiding the raindrops and yet manage to get all the things done that I need to get done without a nervous breakdown. My prcess of thought went roughly along the lines of ditching the unnecessary, doing the necessary a little and often, revere each minute and make space to relax.
Today was successful. Tomorrow is another day.
So now in my mind I have a checklist of all the things I ought to do each day. If I lived in the 100 Aker Wood, Rabbit would have got Christopher Robin to draw up a chart, Owl would have made crammed too many items in it and eeyore would tell me it's pointless and not to even bother. I'm going to emulate my good Pooh and just let all of the things take care of themselves.
Like blogging a bit more often.
current mood - resolute (determined to get to the bottom of my to do list before Greenbelt)
I sat in the bath today and tried to think through how I can stroll through this rainstorm called life avoiding the raindrops and yet manage to get all the things done that I need to get done without a nervous breakdown. My prcess of thought went roughly along the lines of ditching the unnecessary, doing the necessary a little and often, revere each minute and make space to relax.
Today was successful. Tomorrow is another day.
So now in my mind I have a checklist of all the things I ought to do each day. If I lived in the 100 Aker Wood, Rabbit would have got Christopher Robin to draw up a chart, Owl would have made crammed too many items in it and eeyore would tell me it's pointless and not to even bother. I'm going to emulate my good Pooh and just let all of the things take care of themselves.
Like blogging a bit more often.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
#86 on getting ready for greenbelt
Current mood - excited
Current music - 'Praise You' by Fat Boy Slim
Many of prepare for Greenbelt in different ways. Of that I am sure. Back in the Castle Ashby days I remember one mate decided to join us at the last minute and turned up in his cortina estate with a box of apples and no tent. He slept in the back of his car and swapped apples for bread etc. We have a fantastic photo of him standing in front of car one morning bedecked in his stripy dressing gown. He's a Salvation Army Officer now. Oh well.
As for me I am in the beautiful place between getting all my emails sent and replied to (well mostly) and actually pitching up at that beautiful thin place where you can stand on the ground and touch heaven.
So, having borrowed my sister's tent and pitched it in the garden to check that it is all there, me and the boys decided to eat our tea and then go to bed in the back garden.
It's a father to son thing.
So I am currently typing by torchlight (no backlit keyboard for me you smug macbook users) listening to ipod - one year they played 'praise you' incessantly between acts on the mainstage and it's sort of stuck with me now as my greenbelt song.
And now I am officially excited.
Current music - 'Praise You' by Fat Boy Slim
Many of prepare for Greenbelt in different ways. Of that I am sure. Back in the Castle Ashby days I remember one mate decided to join us at the last minute and turned up in his cortina estate with a box of apples and no tent. He slept in the back of his car and swapped apples for bread etc. We have a fantastic photo of him standing in front of car one morning bedecked in his stripy dressing gown. He's a Salvation Army Officer now. Oh well.
As for me I am in the beautiful place between getting all my emails sent and replied to (well mostly) and actually pitching up at that beautiful thin place where you can stand on the ground and touch heaven.
So, having borrowed my sister's tent and pitched it in the garden to check that it is all there, me and the boys decided to eat our tea and then go to bed in the back garden.
It's a father to son thing.
So I am currently typing by torchlight (no backlit keyboard for me you smug macbook users) listening to ipod - one year they played 'praise you' incessantly between acts on the mainstage and it's sort of stuck with me now as my greenbelt song.
And now I am officially excited.
Friday, August 04, 2006
#85 on perseverance
Current mood - tired but satisfied
Current music - none (everyone's gone off to bed leaving me all alone)
So I'm at my mum and aunt's house right now typing this entry on their rather posh, it must be said, laptop that they invested in a few months ago. They also splashed out on a rather posh printer cum scanner and a digital camera. Their aim - to scan the zillions of old family photos that currently fill their spare room plus to photograph pretty much all they do as they share their well earned retirement in Suffolk and beyond.
The last time I was here I showed my aunt how to use the scanner and the lesson this time was transferring images from the digital camera. It took some time but my aunt showed great perseverance to get her head around not only the concept of transferring images but also how to store them too. I kept it simple and I think she understands fairly well. I'll type some instructions and we'll see how she gets in in the future.
It could have been so easy to type a patronising entry about how crap she is at all this technology stuff but I tell you what if I'm as open minded and patient as she is when I'm her age I will be very proud indeed.
So this entry is dedicated to your dear aunt. Now don't bugger it up.
Current music - none (everyone's gone off to bed leaving me all alone)
So I'm at my mum and aunt's house right now typing this entry on their rather posh, it must be said, laptop that they invested in a few months ago. They also splashed out on a rather posh printer cum scanner and a digital camera. Their aim - to scan the zillions of old family photos that currently fill their spare room plus to photograph pretty much all they do as they share their well earned retirement in Suffolk and beyond.
The last time I was here I showed my aunt how to use the scanner and the lesson this time was transferring images from the digital camera. It took some time but my aunt showed great perseverance to get her head around not only the concept of transferring images but also how to store them too. I kept it simple and I think she understands fairly well. I'll type some instructions and we'll see how she gets in in the future.
It could have been so easy to type a patronising entry about how crap she is at all this technology stuff but I tell you what if I'm as open minded and patient as she is when I'm her age I will be very proud indeed.
So this entry is dedicated to your dear aunt. Now don't bugger it up.
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