The Excellence of Marriage It has been said often times before ‘That being married may have its pains But being single has no pleasures’ For after all Marriage is full of its Own treasures: Such as friendship founded on mutual trust No matter the weather, unable to rust; Such as selfless unconditional love That w
Ok. Here is the problem: I like to smoke a pipe. The Uk Government has now banned smoking in all public enclosed places. The import taxes on tobacco are high. The range of pipe tobacco i can buy in UK, whilst Ok, is meagre in comparison with the USA. Even to the extent that some pipe tobacco actually manufactured here in the UK is not available here...b
So this week the New Conservatives have distanced themselves from grammar schools. It is their version of abandoning Clause Four! But wait….they fully endorse the Blairite “Academies” and indeed have announced that they want to increase the spread of them if elected to the Reichstag (Ed ;sorry, House of Parliament) at the next Putsch (General Election). Now,
Sir, do you think religion should be taught in schools? I was at that moment quite happily embarked upon noting the causes of the first world war and so said to the child to hold his thought for later when it would be very good to discuss...but not now. It got me thinking though. Not so much about education and religion ( a perennial debate I will come bact to at some
Ok, like I know that the National Curriculum is full to bursting already....but I have to wonder about that subject which, incidentally was voted for on a recent BBC Radio 4 poll, should be at the heart of all studies that any human being undertakes: philosophy. My fourteen year olds did not even know what it was. Not one(pardon the pun) idea. Yes they knew the wo
So, here I am at last, sitting in a classroom after having been run ragged by the rampaging barbarian hordes which society politely calls 'students'! But this Blog is not to do with the present as such. No, in fact it is retrospective......... You see I have not always been an 'educator'. O no! I have been a cook/chef/caterer since I left college i
So, the weekend arrives and all domestic bliss evaporates as I face the prospect of starting work again on friday night (Sat and Sundays also....Im an SAS man!) at that carousel of a hotel, The Lodge. Believe me, once it has entered your working life it is hard to budge! I should know,I keep going back! Anyway, what keeps me sane whence I have started a shif
Every July in London the Prom season arrives! A Victorian festival that has lasted the test of time because although it is a classical music festival (and that term is now stretching to include alternative traditions of music etc) it positively encourages the great unwashed masses to attend: cheap tickets (as little as £4 to see best musicains in the world) and no
Yet again I listen to an interview about the current arguments, proposals concerning the British Constitution. What role the Judiciary in the new era? A supreme Court etc? What role the House of Lords? Should it be elected or nominated? Nominated?! What a joke! It should be elected! This is a democracy! But the answer always comes back...if it is elected that will give it le
Well now, The 15year olds are being taught in their history class( for the exam GCSE, UK) about the Battle of Britain. They will be concerned to understand the underlying causes, the events, and the consequences of the conflict. Their investigation is centered around the Key Question, Who won the Battle of Britain ? Surely an open and shut case? A case that, before the lesson I did an unscientific 'straw poll' to see what t
Well, the Scots and Welsh(though to a lesser degree) can raise their own taxes. Raising taxes, spending tax payers monies as you see fit and are become responsible/ accountable for, is a healthy sign of democratic life! Yes, it is still Westminster that Governs the UK as a whole and where the power resides. But, and this was the point that I am anxious about, the English have no such rights as a nation to do so. Scrap Westminster and have a loose federal idea? Yes by all means!
I grew up with the Union Jack being the flag I loved and cherished. As I have matured I have found that ,and come to accept without critical thought , the interchangeability of the words British/ English. They mean the same thing right? Wrong, I would argue! Britain is a political construct born out of conflict and alliance between first and foremostly, Scotland and Engalnd. Yet the Scots are allowed to be Scots first and foremost.
In our citizenship class (we are being taught to teach citizenship....only in Britain is such a concept possible!). Well yesterday we were asked to evaluate our own responses to Bloody Sunday. In the class were people of all shades of background and community. The film we watched, the issues raised ('Loss' and 'revenge') were very hard. I must admit that I think that it would be to hard for me to teach this material to 16-17 year olds, at least, not without outside help. It was u
So, Here we are in Northern Ireland! Our local governmental review on education at post primary level ( 11-18 yrs) is now complete and a new system to replace the current system is going to be introduced and fully operational by 2008. What is the current system? Well it is centered on the transfer test at P8 ( 10-11year olds) who sit a test (euphemistically called the' 11+') and the results of this determine the post primary school that a child can /will be allowed to at
Yea and verily I have been awoken! The spirits of Gloriana have chosen me to start a blog! I must say that things have changed since I were a lad! Tis true that I love music, all sorts, but in particular the variety that your age calls 'classical'. Does everything have to be labelled to make sense, to help discern whether something might possibly fit your taste or view? Vive la difference! Im not that keen on 'popular' music (whatever that really means!) but my child
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