I have been having a very interesting debate with some friends on Night Publishing about education. It all started when someone informed us that a state in the US had decided to teach young children keyboard skills instead of learning to write with pencil and paper.
Well, this undoubtedly is going to lead to the end of civilization as we know it! What horror! What catastrophe! Where will it all end?
I, on the other hand, think it is a wonderful idea. A number of children will probably already be familiar with a keyboard anyway. Bearing in mind they don't start school in America until the age of 6. There are many toys that already have keyboards, let alone computers at home.
I will always remember being told by my daughter's primary teacher that when she was told to hurry up with her work her answer was 'but I've got a slow pencil.' All adults find this highly amusing but what the poor child meant was she was struggling to get the pencil to do what she wanted it to do. Had she had a keyboard she could have punched in the letters she needed much more easily.
The ability to write does not equate to the ability to learn. Young children learn from what they see, and they see printed words in books and on flashcards and whatever else the teacher provides. They do not have to read hand written words, or if they do they are usually really neatly printed. No five year old would be able to make out my handwriting! So why force them to use a pencil or pen when they have not developed the dexterity to manage this?
Just because someone learns to type first does not mean that they will not later go on to write with a pen. Just because in the past everyone learnt to write first doesn't mean this should not change. I learnt to write, then learnt to type. Why can it not be done the other way round?
When I moved from junior to senior school it was in the days of inkwells and stick pens with disposable nibs. Every child ended the day with ink stained fingers. Later we progressed to having our own fountain pens. Biros were an abomination as far as the teachers were concerned. Thank heaven those days have gone. If you want to use a fountain pen, fine, but don't impose one on everyone. My handwriting certainly does not improve with a fountain pen, I've just tried one.
The important thing in education is to engage with the children and to get them wanting to learn, and most children do want to learn. Struggling to write can sometimes hamper a child's enthusiasm. There is nothing worse than not being able to express oneself. Spellings can be learnt by typing lists of words as easily as writing them (ideally this learning machine should not have a spell checker but it can let the child know if it has made a mistake). This can be made to be much more fun than old fashioned methods. And at some point in each child's school life a moment will occur when he or she WANTS to write and will learn the skill in their own way.
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
Hitting the Bottle
A new medical report was published yesterday. If ever there was a report that will be ignored it is surely this one. What did it say? People over 65 should cut down on the amount of alcohol they drink. Tell that to the regulars in my local and you will get short shrift, believe me.
Now the thought of lonely, depressed, pensioners drinking themselves into a stupor every night is not a pleasant one and something should undoubtedly be done about anyone who drowns their sorrows in such a way. It is sad to think they have no other recourse from their woes and as a society more should be done to make sure people do not slip into this loneliness.
However, like everything, not all pensioners are the same, just as not all teenagers or those in-between are the same.
Different people have different tolerances for alcohol depending on what they are used to. We are social drinkers in my household. You would struggle to find any alcohol in the house but at the weekend we go to the pub to meet other people and talk about sport and what is going on in the world. Four pints of beer is normal for my husband and although he would never drive after drinking that amount, he is by no means drunk. Yet I have been out with someone who doesn't drink regularly and after two pints is definitely tipsy.
I wouldn't encourage anyone to drink till they drop, but what passes for a social drink is way above the limit stated in this report.
If you suddenly tell people to stop drinking it might well do as much harm as the doctors say drinking does. If people go out to drink it will cut down on their social interaction. It's hardly worth putting your coat on for one small glass of wine. If someone has a couple of glasses of wine with their meal or a tot of something before they go to bed, let them. Apart from anything else, we are constantly told that pensioners are so poor they can't afford heating, so how can they afford to drink - or can't they afford heating because they are spending all their money on drink? I doubt it.
By the time people have reached the age of 65 please give them the credit to decide how they should live their lives. They have spent long enough working, let them enjoy a drink or whatever makes them happy.
Now the thought of lonely, depressed, pensioners drinking themselves into a stupor every night is not a pleasant one and something should undoubtedly be done about anyone who drowns their sorrows in such a way. It is sad to think they have no other recourse from their woes and as a society more should be done to make sure people do not slip into this loneliness.
However, like everything, not all pensioners are the same, just as not all teenagers or those in-between are the same.
Different people have different tolerances for alcohol depending on what they are used to. We are social drinkers in my household. You would struggle to find any alcohol in the house but at the weekend we go to the pub to meet other people and talk about sport and what is going on in the world. Four pints of beer is normal for my husband and although he would never drive after drinking that amount, he is by no means drunk. Yet I have been out with someone who doesn't drink regularly and after two pints is definitely tipsy.
I wouldn't encourage anyone to drink till they drop, but what passes for a social drink is way above the limit stated in this report.
If you suddenly tell people to stop drinking it might well do as much harm as the doctors say drinking does. If people go out to drink it will cut down on their social interaction. It's hardly worth putting your coat on for one small glass of wine. If someone has a couple of glasses of wine with their meal or a tot of something before they go to bed, let them. Apart from anything else, we are constantly told that pensioners are so poor they can't afford heating, so how can they afford to drink - or can't they afford heating because they are spending all their money on drink? I doubt it.
By the time people have reached the age of 65 please give them the credit to decide how they should live their lives. They have spent long enough working, let them enjoy a drink or whatever makes them happy.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Wicked Weather (that's wicked as in evil not good!)
Back at the end of April I was jokingly asking all my friends 'Did you enjoy the summer?'
April was glorious. Warm days, no April showers, hint of good things to come.
Then May arrived. It may well have been the driest spring since records began, but May was definitely a lot cooler than April. I consoled myself with the saying 'Ne'er cast a clout till May is out'. I always take this to mean the end of the month of May, not when may blossom arrives.
So we reached the beginning of June, everything parched through lack of rain, farmers complaining that the ground is too hard, too dry and the crops are not growing well enough. Admittedly I'm down to two layers of clothing, sometimes only one, and I haven't had to put my thick coat on when I walk the dog, but the summer still seems a long way away.
Last Sunday was the day of a local carnival - and it rained ALL day. It didn't rain on Saturday, it didn't rain on Monday, but it hammered it down on Sunday.
We are now into the camping season for Guides and Scouts, two organisations I have had close links with over the years. I remember saying once - I'd like to run a Guide company but I'm not going camping - 20 camps later I handed over to someone else. This weekend my old Guiding Division and my village cub pack are both holding their annual camps. The weather forecast - persistent rain tomorrow (when they will be setting up the camps) showers all day Saturday. The same thing happens every year.
I fervently hope the forecasts are proved wrong. I know we need rain but why can't it rain at night when most people are asleep?
On a slightly different subject - there is a campaign going on to introduce double summer time, so that people can enjoy the summer evenings. As I type this, it is the 16th June and 21:53 (according to my computer) and it is still light outside and it has been raining all evening. It is decidedly chilly and there is no way I would even think about sitting in my garden let alone outside a pub or a cafe.
And my husband wonders why I don't like the British climate!
April was glorious. Warm days, no April showers, hint of good things to come.
Then May arrived. It may well have been the driest spring since records began, but May was definitely a lot cooler than April. I consoled myself with the saying 'Ne'er cast a clout till May is out'. I always take this to mean the end of the month of May, not when may blossom arrives.
So we reached the beginning of June, everything parched through lack of rain, farmers complaining that the ground is too hard, too dry and the crops are not growing well enough. Admittedly I'm down to two layers of clothing, sometimes only one, and I haven't had to put my thick coat on when I walk the dog, but the summer still seems a long way away.
Last Sunday was the day of a local carnival - and it rained ALL day. It didn't rain on Saturday, it didn't rain on Monday, but it hammered it down on Sunday.
We are now into the camping season for Guides and Scouts, two organisations I have had close links with over the years. I remember saying once - I'd like to run a Guide company but I'm not going camping - 20 camps later I handed over to someone else. This weekend my old Guiding Division and my village cub pack are both holding their annual camps. The weather forecast - persistent rain tomorrow (when they will be setting up the camps) showers all day Saturday. The same thing happens every year.
I fervently hope the forecasts are proved wrong. I know we need rain but why can't it rain at night when most people are asleep?
On a slightly different subject - there is a campaign going on to introduce double summer time, so that people can enjoy the summer evenings. As I type this, it is the 16th June and 21:53 (according to my computer) and it is still light outside and it has been raining all evening. It is decidedly chilly and there is no way I would even think about sitting in my garden let alone outside a pub or a cafe.
And my husband wonders why I don't like the British climate!
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Wasting Waste or Money
Over the last few years more and more local authorities, or councils, whatever you want to call them, have moved to fortnightly rubbish collections. This move initially prompts outrage from residents who demand weekly collections because that is what has always been.
What they don't seem to notice is that fortnightly collections usually come with wheelie bins which are at least twice the size of the old fashioned dustbin and much cleaner and tidier than a pile of rubbish bags left out for the binmen to collect.
The other advantage is that as well as fortnightly rubbish collections there are usually alternating fortnightly collections of recyclable rubbish and garden waste.
Some die-hards think it is a great imposition to have to sort one's own waste before disposing of it. Some plead for weekly collections to be reinstated, it is everyone's right to have bins emptied every week! We shouldn't have to pander to waste reducing targets! We should be allowed to throw away as much as we want!
Unfortunately there is limited space in which to put all our rubbish. There are only so many landfill sites available and those that do exist are getting full. And no-one wants an incinerator on their doorstep.
And why be so willing to throw so much away? Maybe those who complain about their bins overflowing should look in them and see what they could do to cut down on waste.
Food packaging has always been a problem but now much of it can be recycled. Boxes of all sorts can be flattened and put in the recycling bin/bag, whatever you are provided with. Most of the plastic containers that food comes in can now be recycled along with cans and bottles. But it's even better if you try to buy produce that does not come in a box to start with. Certain containers can even be washed and re-used.
Speaking of bottles, how many households, especially those with children, have too many bottles? Fizzy pop instead of squash, two litres of squash will go much further than two litres of coke - and be much cheaper. British tap water is perfectly safe to drink, we don't need shelves of bottled water. It can always be filtered if you are not sure about it's quality. And tap water doesn't produce bottles that need to be thrown away.
I've just put my wheelie bin out ready for tomorrow's collection and it is barely half full. It wouldn't bother me if it was only emptied once a month. Smelly kitchen waste, veg and fruit peelings and stuff, go in the compost bin. Food waste is kept to a minimum as I don't buy or cook too much. Okay, there are only two of us in this household, and the dog who produces 7 tins a week because she won't eat dried food, but having a larger family does not necessarily mean more waste.
So to all those who want to go back to the old days of weekly collections I say fine, but can we be charged for each bin collected then I will only put mine out once a month for rubbish and once a month for recycling. That's 24 bins a year instead of 52 (or 104 if recycling is also done every week). Bet if we were charged per collection people would soon cut down on their waste.
What they don't seem to notice is that fortnightly collections usually come with wheelie bins which are at least twice the size of the old fashioned dustbin and much cleaner and tidier than a pile of rubbish bags left out for the binmen to collect.
The other advantage is that as well as fortnightly rubbish collections there are usually alternating fortnightly collections of recyclable rubbish and garden waste.
Some die-hards think it is a great imposition to have to sort one's own waste before disposing of it. Some plead for weekly collections to be reinstated, it is everyone's right to have bins emptied every week! We shouldn't have to pander to waste reducing targets! We should be allowed to throw away as much as we want!
Unfortunately there is limited space in which to put all our rubbish. There are only so many landfill sites available and those that do exist are getting full. And no-one wants an incinerator on their doorstep.
And why be so willing to throw so much away? Maybe those who complain about their bins overflowing should look in them and see what they could do to cut down on waste.
Food packaging has always been a problem but now much of it can be recycled. Boxes of all sorts can be flattened and put in the recycling bin/bag, whatever you are provided with. Most of the plastic containers that food comes in can now be recycled along with cans and bottles. But it's even better if you try to buy produce that does not come in a box to start with. Certain containers can even be washed and re-used.
Speaking of bottles, how many households, especially those with children, have too many bottles? Fizzy pop instead of squash, two litres of squash will go much further than two litres of coke - and be much cheaper. British tap water is perfectly safe to drink, we don't need shelves of bottled water. It can always be filtered if you are not sure about it's quality. And tap water doesn't produce bottles that need to be thrown away.
I've just put my wheelie bin out ready for tomorrow's collection and it is barely half full. It wouldn't bother me if it was only emptied once a month. Smelly kitchen waste, veg and fruit peelings and stuff, go in the compost bin. Food waste is kept to a minimum as I don't buy or cook too much. Okay, there are only two of us in this household, and the dog who produces 7 tins a week because she won't eat dried food, but having a larger family does not necessarily mean more waste.
So to all those who want to go back to the old days of weekly collections I say fine, but can we be charged for each bin collected then I will only put mine out once a month for rubbish and once a month for recycling. That's 24 bins a year instead of 52 (or 104 if recycling is also done every week). Bet if we were charged per collection people would soon cut down on their waste.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Time
Thanks Sudama. You are my personal tech guy from now on. You solve ALL my IT problems. I used to ask my daughter, she knows the answers but never gets back to me!
Friday, 3 June 2011
What time is it?
What time zone is in control of this website? My last post was recorded at 06:22. Believe me it is more like 14:23. I am never anywhere at 06:22 apart from under the covers hiding from the light!
Website update
Ok. the post I've put up called Men at War is also on my website www.kristen-stone-the-writer.com which I have also revamped 'cos I wanted to add a bit of colour to it. Wish I could have mixed and matched the old heading to the coloured pages, but hey, it's a freebie site so I can't really complain, can I.
Can't believe I have yet another follower!
Can't believe I have yet another follower!
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