tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32979576523811750622024-03-13T22:09:01.292-07:00Allow it Miss!Teaching citizenship in a "challenging urban comprehensive". And loving it, more or less...Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-48216192551460110482010-10-04T08:52:00.000-07:002010-10-04T08:53:27.159-07:00Gladder than ever that I don't teach ScienceI was asked today what was in the centre of the earth. (This is a year 11, asking, by the way. Well, that's not that bad, you may say. I may not have known what was in the centre of the earth at 16. And at least this kid has the sense to ask. Just wait.) <br />
<br />
"Um, I think it's rock, and molten lava, but I'm not sure, I'd have to check."<br />
"rock? lava? mmm" He considers this possibility. "I don't think so, Miss"<br />
"No?"<br />
"Nah. I reckon it's full of angels and demons, you know, getting ready for the end of the earth. When the angels are going to <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shank">shank</a> up dem demons. And dinosaurs, I reckon dinosaurs too. And <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunta_Kinte">Kunta Kinte</a>."<br />
<br />
The rest of the class was more quiet than I've ever known them. We sat there for a moment, utterly baffled. This kid was totally serious.<br />
<br />
And then his mate pipes up: "Naaaaah, what you thinking blud! What's they all going to breath down there?"Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-27296101928561024092010-09-24T08:44:00.000-07:002010-09-24T08:48:35.648-07:00Vindicating DawkinsI'm being forced to teach RE this year (this is what happens when your results are awesome - all your key stage three classes get taken away, and you end up only teaching exam classes. A victim of my own success, me!)<br />
<br />
Anyhow, so today's lesson finds me trying to teach a bunch of Nigerian Christians (among others) about reasons for believing, or disbelieving, in God. This includes evolution and the big bang. You would not expect this to be a problem, in 2010. <br />
<br />
Lawrence: what, so you're telling me the world was started by an explosion?<br />
Miss: well, that's what scientists currently believe, yes<br />
Lawrence, in the most incredulous tones ever: what, so like, little things, like atoms, can start the whole world? So you mean the whole world is made of atoms? You're trying to tell me that this chair is made of atoms? And trees, in the forest, they're made of atoms? And I'm made of atoms? Whatever Miss! I know you's an athiest, but you should at least try to make it believable!" <br />
<br />
The Nigerian Christians all laugh hysterically, like I've suggested they're all made of playdough, or rice crispies, or unwashed socks.<br />
<br />
I genuinely cannot believe this happened. I've been doing this five years. Not a lot shocks me. This had me properly speechless.<br />
<br />
Of course what I should have said was "YES! That is EXACTLY what I'm saying, you fucking maniac!"Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-80920721999814235322010-09-14T10:20:00.000-07:002010-09-14T10:21:19.303-07:00The Holocaust - It ain't like it's intrestin...I have a couple of stories I tell at various points when teaching human rights. They're magical. I'm not entirely sure why they work so well. And I'm not entirely sure that I should share them (what if they loose the magic?!) but this morning they led to a vaguely amusing anecdote, so I'm letting them out of the vault.<br />
<br />
Today's magic story was used on my new bottom set year 10 class. There's a picture of a very sad, very tired looking little girl on the board, and they've been discussing what might be going on. (Well, I say that - most have been having their phones confiscated, or being stood over and glared at until they'd written the date and title, or discussing who poked who on facebook last night.) <br />
<br />
So I start. Talking loudly enough to be heard over those who are still murmering to each other. <br />
<br />
"This is a little girl on a death march. She's Jewish, and the Nazis made her walk thousands of miles, from Germany, all accross Europe, to Poland." (At this point I show them on the map of Europe on the wall - kids in my school have a shocking level of knowledge about where Britain is on a world map, let alone central European countries). "Look - you can see that she's exhausted. That's because she's walked so far. And look, there's snow on the sides of the road, up to here. It's winter, so the snow is higher than her at points. She's been walking for days, carrying everything she owns, everything she might need for the journey. If her little brother is getting too cold and tired, and falls down, or her elderly grandmother can't keep going, she won't be allowed to stop, and mourn them, she'll have to keep on going."<br />
<br />
By this point, the story has never failed to get every kid in the room to a point where they're staring up at me, open mouthed, in total silence. Even the most hardened wannabe gangster wants to hear how this ends. <br />
<br />
"And finally, imagine, she gets to a camp. And she doesn't know what's happening, but she's told she's going to be able to have a shower. She can finally get warm and clean. She's told to tie her shoes together and hang them on a peg, to put her clothes on the same peg and remember which one it was. To put her jewelry in her pockets so it's safe. And then she's told to go into the shower rooms. But instead of water, coming out of the shower heads, it's poisonous gas."<br />
<br />
During a magical story is pretty much the only time I can pause for effect. At any other time, a pause is an invitation to madness.<br />
<br />
"Hitler and the Nazis murdered six million people like this. Not just Jewish people, but also gay people, disabled people, travellers - all sorts of people who were different, and so he denied that they were humans at all."<br />
<br />
This morning, at this stage, this red haired kid sitting at the front (not by choice!) shook himself out of the magic story stupor a couple of seconds before the rest, and looked around.<br />
<br />
"Skeen you lot, what you doin, sitting wiv your fucking mouvs open like fishes, like you's fuckin interested. It aint interestin, I aint interested. Skeen blud."<br />
<br />
I actually laughed out loud at this, which is something you shouldn't ever do if you want to build positive relationships with mental children. "For God's sake Charlie, it's ok to be interested, you were pretty open mouthed yourself. But that just shows you're human."<br />
<br />
"It's ok" says the second hardest wannabe gangster in the room, in complete seriousness. "We won't tell no-one."Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-66171408385480157362010-09-01T14:06:00.000-07:002010-09-01T14:11:00.353-07:00A sign of Things to come...I love my job, but sometimes I do wonder just who I wronged in a past life. <br />
<br />
I was in a meeting today where we were looking at data and backstories of the most troublesome kids in our new tutor groups. After doing everyone else's group, the Head of Learning says: "Oh, actually Miss, could you just nip down to learning support at some point tomorrow and talk to them about your class? It would take far too long to discuss your class just now. There's only two that haven't got statements."<br />
<br />
A whole new class of crazies. Wonderful.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-69082088843092803502010-06-16T12:58:00.000-07:002010-06-16T14:01:10.814-07:00How the other half liveSometimes, when I think of my friend who teaches Latin in an independent school, I wonder what on earth I'm doing trying to get politics into tiny criminals. Just think how much more valued I'd feel at a nice selective school full of middle class kids whose parents realised school was relatively important (I think to myself, on a bad day). But then my Latin teaching friend posts things like this as her facebook status, and I realise it's all much of a muchness!<br />
<br />
Miss Magistra was jolly amused by the idea, propogated by one feckless Year 9, that the three types of Roman bath were the tepidarium (yup, fine) the fundamentarium (where one washes one's fundament?) and, best of all, the cruditarium (which is presumably full of hummus).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php" name="fb_share" type="box_count">Share</a> PS - Look! A facebook-esque like button!! how very exciting the interwebs are. How does this work? Is it annoying?<script src="http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/connect.php/js/FB.Share" type="text/javascript">
</script>Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-44299522222910077032010-05-31T05:02:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:25:09.888-07:00All outstanding schools to be offered the chance to become AcademiesI've been thinking about <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/news/news/academies">this </a>for a while, and have come to the conclusion that either I am being an idiot, or Michael Gove is. If anyone can point out why its the former, I'll be happy to listen, because I'm not one hundred percent sure I'm not missing something. <br />
<br />
Firstly, if you believe academy status to be a good way to "fix" a "failing education system", why only offer it to the succesful schools? I suppose you could answer this by saying "oh, it's just easier to start here, soon everyone will be an academy!" But it just seems strange to me that you start your giant educational reforms in the schools which are already working well. <br />
<br />
But secondly, and more crucially, is the question of how academies are actually different from maintained state schools, and whether this change will have the desired effect of raising attainment and helping kids flourish.<br />
<br />
<br />
It seems to me that the current best Academies are working for reasons that are unconnected to their academy status. You're setting up a new school, in a fantastic new building, in a socially deprived area. You hire lots of bright, motivated young things excited about this challenge of setting up a new school. At this stage, you're already more than half way there, and it's nothing to do with the fact that it's an academy.<br />
<br />
<br />
Then you think about how you make your academy "different". Easy, right? You have "freedom from local authority control", so goodbye to all those dratted... educational psychologists?<br />
<br />
I'm not clear about what "control" local authorities actually exercise over maintained state schools. I'm no expert on this, and willing to be corrected, but it doesn't seem to be much at all. The things that constrain us as teachers and managers are national, not local. National league tables, Ofsted, HMI inspections, and national legislation on things like literacy and safeguarding. There are of course arguments to be had about whether these things are beneficial to kids (and my response to the list above is, respectively: No, Not in it's current form, No, Yes, Yes) but freeing schools from local authority control will not change those things. Academies have as much duty as any other school to pass Ofsted (<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/sep/13/sheffield-park-academies-ofsted-failure">and sometimes they don't</a>) and to follow the law on things like Every Child Matters. <br />
<br />
"Ok", you say, "well at least I'm freed up from that horrendous national curriculum. Out with silly, pointless PSHE and in with Latin!" This is bollocks for a range of reasons. Firstly, contrary to what you may have read in the Torygraph, the national curriculum is designed to be relatively adaptable. Schools can decide how they cover the topics (through discrete subjects, learning areas, assemblies, tutor time, etc) and some topics (like PSHE) are unstatutory (that is, you don't have to teach them if you don't want to).My school is undergoing a massive curriculum review, and none of the significant changes that we want to make are being constrained by the national curriculum. Secondly, the national curriculum ensures kids get a well rounded education, no matter what kind of loony head teacher is running their school. Religious nut? You still need to teach Science, and round-earth-Geography. You can add things to the national curriculum if you think your kids would benefit from it. I know lots of state schools that teach Latin and Mandarin.<br />
<br />
But the biggest point here is that the successful academies do not change the curriculum beyond recognition. Furthermore, the West London Free school (run by a group of parents) has just spent three weeks <a href="http://www.westlondonfreeschool.co.uk/blog/devising-a-curriculum.html">thrashing out it's curriculum</a>, and seems to have created, wait for it, the national curriclum plus Classics. Congrats guys, time well spent. None of the things they want to do would be impossible in a maintained state school, we just would have got there a little quicker.<br />
<br />
Lastly, Academies have the freedom to regulate teachers' pay and conditions. This one might have an impact. We can save the debate on performance related pay for another day, but it's clear that being able to change pay structures or benefits packages might help you attract good teachers. If that is the point, why offer this ability to schools who are already succeeding? Surely all this is going to do is cause a brain drain from schools which need excellent teachers, to schools who are doing just fine.<br />
<br />
Besides, all of this ignores the fact that Gove has promised these two freedoms (to change the curriclum and teachers pay) to maintained state schools. It's therefore becoming harder and harder to get a cigarette paper between the two systems, and here we come back to my original question: am I missing something? What's the point?Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-50763883431049062652010-05-28T11:22:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:21:50.456-07:00The power of RapIn my first year of teaching I had a meeting with my mentor who asked me what activities I'd done for the various kinds of learners in my classroom. I knew very well that I'd done more talking activities than anything else, and admitted as much, but had a list of other things I'd done as well, and was feeling pretty proud of myself until she said "what about the musical learners?" I reluctantly agreed to make this a target, and planned a lesson on Political Parties where kids would have to research a party and put their policies into song. I did not expect this to go down well. It went down fantastically. <br />
<br />
Since then I've whipped out the old musical lesson every now and then, and while of course some kids hate it, most love it. I thought I'd share my favourite two with you.<br />
<br />
<b>PSHE Lesson Objective: to recognise the symptoms of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. </b><br />
<br />
You go into the club<br />
But you've got pubic lice!<br />
You're itching and a-scratching,<br />
it really aint nice!<br />
The girls aint going to want you<br />
when there's bugs crawling in your junk<br />
Get ready for a life of single<br />
might as well just become a monk!<br />
<br />
<b>Citizenship Lesson Objective: to consider the impact of the use of landfills on the environment, and explain how the UN's Rio Earth Summit addressed this concern. </b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
(this one should be done to the tune (is it a tune? to the beat?) of the second verse of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBe0VCso0qs">Fresh Prince of Belair</a>) <br />
<br />
In South East London, born and raised,<br />
In (school's name) was where I spent most of my days.<br />
Learning bout the world, Miss Jones is so cool,<br />
Doing Citizenship inside of the school.<br />
I heard a couple of countries were up to no good,<br />
Starting dumping rubbish in their neighbourhood!<br />
Now there's global warming, and the world got scared<br />
And all because we weren't prepared.<br />
<br />
I whistled for the UN and when they got near<br />
They designed LA21 and we all lost our fear! Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-65467437497487653192010-05-28T09:44:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:21:50.457-07:00Death to MoralityI was observing a lesson on what makes us human, and enjoyed the following gems during a lovely philosophical discussion on the difference between humans and animals. <br />
<br />
Trainee Teacher: what do I mean by morality?<br />
year 7 child: Is it like, like the opposite of immorality? <br />
Trainee Teacher: Yes! absolutely! And what's that?<br />
year 7 child: well, it's like, immorality means you can't die, so I guess morality is when you die? <br />
<br />
and... <br />
<br />
Little Somalian Child: "Nah, nah, humans and animals both travel the world, not just humans. Like in Kenya and Tanzania, when the wildebeast travel, they go to Kenya in the summer, and then back to Tanzania in the winter, and I used to watch it every new years, on BBC1"Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-38860338041786190322010-05-16T02:34:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:25:09.889-07:00Michael Gove and the Evaporating Africansare<br />
<br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">1) <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10113940.stm">Gove spells out education priorities for 'a new era' (these include free schools and more academies</a><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">2) <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8682938.stm">An academy in Stockport has become the third school sponsored by the United Learning Trust (ULT) to be judged as "inadequate" in less than a year</a>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">Now, to many this will just be evidence of the liberal conspiracy that is the British Broadcasting Corporation. And I know that one example does not an argument make. But I do think it's worth pointing out that this is the second major news story in the past month focusing on the type of school Gove wants more of, and neither is positive. </span></span><br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text"></span></span><span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">But anyway - here's a wee treat for those of you who only come for the school-based-lolz: </span></span><br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">Question: what can UK citizens do to help former child soldiers in Uganda? </span></span><br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">Answer: we could evaporate all the africans, so that they can be safe with there families. </span></span><span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text"> </span></span><br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">(evaporate - evacuate; there - their) </span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="profile_status"><span id="status_text">(PS - who thinks Michael Gove and the Evaporating Africans is just the best title for a children's book ever? plotlines on a postcard please, we can use the profits to open Miss Jones' Citizenship School for gifted and talented Crazies) </span></span>Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-19212875711927260472010-05-13T12:41:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:21:50.457-07:00Dave Dopes up Downy Street!I set my year 7s the challenge of writing a report on the election. This was the headline on the winning article. (The prize? A congratulations postcard to their mum. I love year 7s.) <br />
<br />
The other part of this kid's work that made me smile:<br />
<br />
Page 9: N-Dubz Disaster!<br />
Page 12: Your horoscopes! (not to be trusted for legal reasons we are not actually magical)<br />
Page 36: Gordon Brown's new job: Our Agony Uncle! <br />
<br />
I think this child has a good understanding of the priorities of the British press.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-19505384236699955982010-05-05T13:10:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:25:09.889-07:00An unusually political (but appropriately timed) postKids have been asking me all this week who I'm voting for. I've been happy to tell them. If I'm lucky enough to have politically engaged students, I'm going to do my best to keep it that way. Engaging in sensible discussions with reasonable adults about our political leaders has to be one of the best ways to get them to become sensible, reasonable voters in four years time. <br />
<br />
I suppose I'm lucky. I lead a strong team of motivated staff, who are genuinely interested in political education. I've been able to run a mock election. I've been able to force my department to teach at least one good lesson on the main political parties in the last few weeks, so every kid in the school knows the basics: the leaders, the slogans, and a couple of current policies. I know my GCSE classes have had considerably more than this: they understand the histories of the main parties, and the ideologies that they've built their support on. Essentially, I know that when I tell my kids who I'm voting for, they know there are a range of options, and they have the information to decide for themselves whether or not they agree with me. <br />
<br />
And I think this much is the responsibility of any good Citizenship department, or in truth any good school. The national curriculum has three main aims for kids: that they become successful learners, confident and happy individuals, and responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society. What more could you want for your child? And a huge part of that last aim is understanding how we are governed, and having the information to make an informed choice about who does that.<br />
<br />
So when I saw a story in the TES asking "<a href="http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6042479&navcode=94">should schools hold mock elections?</a>" I was pretty surprised. Does anyone seriously think the answer is no? On closer inspection, maybe not. The only harm identified by the guy arguing against the idea is the somewhat nebulous accusation that mock elections only serve to reinforce party tribalism. Look at the way we've all got our knickers in a twist about the evils of a hung parliament. This man's alternative, of 645 independent MPs slogging it out for consensus, doesn't bare thinking about. <br />
<br />
Anyway - so when the kids ask me who I'm voting for I tell them I've been a Labour supporter since I can remember, but this time around I'm voting Lib Dem. (I've been saying this since before the TV debates, prompting exasperated cries of "Miss, Miss - how did you know about him before the rest of us!!")<br />
<br />
The kids response has been identicall all week long: "all the teachers are voting Lib Dem, why is it?"<br />
<br />
This got me thinking.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Why are all the teachers voting Lib Dem </b></u><br />
<b>(results according to highly accurate polling data carried out by Miss' year 10s): </b> <br />
<br />
Nick Clegg has apparently <a href="http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6040677&">said that</a> "<i>Teachers are turning to the Liberal Democrats because only we offer the right combination of freedom and resources to make Britain’s schools the best in the world</i>".<br />
<br />
Well of course he's going to say that. But it seems that David Laws does seem to understand why teachers are finding life increasingly crap. He talks about being rated satisfactory by Ofsted in a way that makes me think he's actually been through it (worst. thing. ever.) He backs a reduction in standardised testing, like SATs, and an increase in teacher assessment for fomative purposes. He wants a smaller curriculum, but with a basic entitlement (unlike the Tories, who seem to think any old crazy should be able to teach whatever they like, with state money and no local authority control. Awesome plan, Dave, just awesome. More on this madness later.) <br />
<br />
But David Laws properly won my heart when he spoke about how schools are becoming exam factories, targetting only the D/C borderline kids. I feel terrible when I have to tell my department to focus on the 23 kids out of a year group of 260 who are predicted a C, and it breaks my heart when I have to tell kids there isn't enough space in the enrichment session for them to come and get their coursework from a B to an A*, because all the computers are being used by D grade kids being forced to get their work up to a C. I have to admit that I don't know what policy there is in this, but I love him for it regardless. <br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Why Cameron and Gove can bite me</b></u><br />
<u><b><br />
</b></u><br />
I can see the appeal of free schools. "Ooh - I can select which kids I take? Excellent, you lot - you poor readers, you socially disadvantaged, you mentalists, you can get lost. Go to the other local school (which now has even less funding, because I've been syphoning it off for my lovelies). Now watch my results sky rocket! Woohoo for me!" <br />
<br />
But on the other hand:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://conorfryan.blogspot.com/2010/04/real-question-for-gove-where-will-axe.html">They aren't free</a>. And the funding has yet to be found (unlike David Laws' plans, which were <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article7108956.ece">commended by the IFS</a>) </li>
<li>Nearly half of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/aug/23/conservatives-school-reform-plan-cost">Swedish local education directors</a> don't think free schools have produced "more effective use of resources" and 90% identified "significant increases in costs" </li>
<li>Empowering local parents is all well and good. That is, when your local parents are nice, supportive, well educated themselves... essentially when they are the nice middle class parents that the Tories have experience of. Most of the parents of my kids can't be bothered to come to parents evening - you think they're going to open their own school if mine is failing? And anyway - Gove has admitted that although they won't be owned by private companies, they will be subcontracted out to all kinds of profiteers. </li>
<li>Swedish free schools have <a href="http://www.aip.nu/default.aspx?page=5&blog=16177">increased segregation</a>. Just what we need.</li>
<li>The <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article7108956.ece">Tories themselves can't seem to agree</a> on whether it's a good idea or not. </li>
</ul>Silver lining? If the worst happens in the wee hours on friday morning, Miss' free school for crazies will be opening in September. <br />
<br />
(Apologies for the length of this, and the lack of hilarious high jinks. Normal service will resume shortly - we'll have end of term tests soon, which always produce some real clangers.)Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-57722044064060782162010-04-23T10:27:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:33:19.075-07:00Lego Funtimes!I dislike having to teach RE. I particularly dislike having to teach the "learning from" aspects - which seems to just be "read this <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/">religious story</a> and talk about how much more important it is than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer">all</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccolo_Machiavelli">the </a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare">other </a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_milton">story </a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe">books</a> written at that time".<br />
<br />
So this was what I did instead. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S9HSFO6nK4I/AAAAAAAAADs/t-AjW33v4YQ/s1600/lego.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S9HSFO6nK4I/AAAAAAAAADs/t-AjW33v4YQ/s320/lego.jpg" /></a></div><br />
So who's been reading their story books? What classic scene have 7JNL represented here? <br />
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I think this one is something to do with palm sunday...<br />
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This is God (that's the wizardy looking chap) telling Noah (who luckily already worked in a boatyard) to build an ark.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S9HVI91I0fI/AAAAAAAAAEM/Somi5Z82w54/s1600/P4230484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S9HVI91I0fI/AAAAAAAAAEM/Somi5Z82w54/s320/P4230484.JPG" /></a></div> This is the Buddha, leaving his palace for the first time, and learning that suffering exists. It took this child 50 minutes to make those reins.<br />
Miss (after 30 minutes): "is it really necessary to have reins?"<br />
Millie: "Miss, don't be silly, you can't just jump on a horse and hope he knows where you're going!"<br />
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This is Lord Vishnu, sitting on the cobra that floated on the waters that washed upon the shores of nothingness (or alternatively, that washed upon the shores of a yellow piece of sugar paper).<br />
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I have genuinely no idea what this is supposed to be. In what religious story do two men on horseback drown the villagers? Answers on a postcard. <br />
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I think this might be my favourite. This is Adam and Eve (of course!) after Eve ate the apple (foolish woman). That thing in the background, that looks like a used condom? That's the snake, you filthy minded individual. Who taught you RE?<br />
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George, who made the scene above, came up a bit sheepishly towards the end of the lesson.<br />
<br />
"Miss, can I ask you something without you getting cross?"<br />
<br />
George is one of my favourite children. One of my summer term projects is to work out just what it is about him that I like so much. I'm not certain, but something tells me it's a little strange to be quite so fond of a ginger eleven year old.<br />
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"Miss, do you think this is appropriate? It's of when they mated. We done it behind a bush, to be proper like"<br />
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"I love it, George, Awesome. What do you think the headteacher would say? Maybe this one is just for us, not for the corridor display?"Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-38415536688919517502010-04-20T10:59:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:21:50.457-07:00A moment of pure joyI think I've mentioned before how on tuesdays my debaters start appearing outside my room before I've even finished teaching. Today was no different. Taylor came in and sat at the edge of the lesson, watching me finish the class, trying not to piss herself laughing at the year 7s ("But Miss! I can't write a whole sentence! It's too loooong!!") <br />
<br />
Then the rest trickle in.They start chatting to each other about the leader's debate.<br />
"Miss, did you watch it?"<br />
"Of course she did you idiot, she's a politics teacher"<br />
<br />
(I watched the leader's debate in a pub in Cornwall over Easter with an apathetic, apolitical registered voter. By the end, she actually cheered when the instant poll showed Nick Clegg the winner. Anyhow - point being - I'd said to her "I hope my debaters are watching this", which made her piss herself. That'll show her!) <br />
<br />
"Miss how did you know before everyone else about Nick Clegg?"<br />
"You're such a fool, I JUST SAID she's a politics teacher!"<br />
<br />
They ask me what I thought about the debate, and who I think will win the general election, and one sits down at the computer and brings up the BBC <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8609989.stm">swingometer</a> to show the rest, which causes all sorts of problems for the year 9s and the one year 10 I don't teach, neither of whom have had the exciting experience of Miss' excellent electoral system lessons. The rest (2 of whom I taught last year, 3 in my current GCSE class) start to explain FPTP, the scottish system of PR, and in five minutes or so they've started linking it in to everything else that's going on in the sleazy world of politics. <br />
<br />
"But if it aint one MP per place, per consistency, oh shut up I can't say it, per area you know, if they all come from that list, how do you get rid of them? Like if they buy a moat on expenses or lie or whatever?"<br />
"Dunno, maybe you have to have another system for that, it don't mean PR's totally rubbish does it"<br />
<br />
I just sat and watched, as my kids taught each other about concepts that are probably beyond most registered voters, and analysed whether they'd work better or worse than the status quo, given the world we live in. It was totally awesome.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-81677730098630369042010-03-31T11:16:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:33:19.075-07:00Mock Election Time!One of the wonderful things about managing Citizenship in a school is the way people look so warily at you when you go into their office with a piece of paper and your brightest, shiniest smile. I got this look about a month ago when I went into the diary manager's office to ask about running a mock election. I got it again from my line manager, who thinks I'm mad. I got it from my department when I went in last week with about six kids in tow carrying boxes, and then again last night when I was sitting on the office floor making sellotaping pens on string to my beautifully wrapped ballot boxes.<br /><br />But it's totally worth it!<br /><br />Our 6th formers have been campaigning in assemblies all of last week as Labour, Lib Dem and Tories. Today, every single kid got brought down to the hall and handed a ballot paper. I had to get them through the polling station at a rate of 30 kids every 5 minutes. (I thought this actually impossible, hence the billion ballot boxes.) They stood in a queue while I shouted at them to make a CROSS on the ballot paper. My favourite year 10 helpers told them this again as they handed out ballots. They read the ballot, which also contained instructions about crossing ballots, and a little diagram. 214 out of 1800 still managed to cock this up.<br /><br />12 cocked it up by writing BNP on the ballot. This is hugely depressing.<br /><br />One cocked it up by writing Nazi Party on the ballot. A very scared looking year 9 appeared at my office at lunch time.<br /><br />"Miss...."<br />"Yes?"<br />"Um, Miss... About the election..."<br />"What about it?"<br /><br />there's an exceptionally long pause.<br /><br />"Come on, I'm trying to write reports here in the twelve minutes I've salvaged from this election. What is it!!"<br /><br />As so often happens, it all comes out in a rush. I don't think this child paused for breath once.<br /><br />"Miss, someone stole my ballot and wrote something on it, and I don't want to get into trouble, I promise it wasn't me, I'll tell you who it was, it was Zach, he wrote Nazi Party on it, and I know the Nazis were awful, and I don't want to vote for them, and I know they weren't even in this election because you wouldn't have it, but Anti Semitism's a crime aint it, and I don't want to be guilty of that, even though I didn't do it, am I going to be in trouble?"<br /><br />"You won't be in trouble, I know you, and I know you're not a Nazi don't I?"<br />"Yes, but I was scared I'd be in trouble, and Mr Hockey would make a big deal out of it, because he hates discrimination, well I know you do too Miss, well everyone does I mean, because it's really bad isn't it? And I"<br /><br />I interrupt.<br /><br />"George. I think it's good that you realise how serious discrimination is, and it's good that you want to disassociate yourself from it. That shows you've got a good moral character, doesn't it? But you can stop worrying about being in trouble. Think about it for just one minute. Did you write your name on the ballot?"<br /><br />"No, you said we could only make a cross, or we'd spoil it, and that it was anonymous. Do you promise I won't get in trouble? I'm really not a Nazi Miss, I promise I'm not, I hate Hitler"<br /><br />"Yes. That's right. I'm glad you were listening. But George, even if I wanted to get someone into trouble over this, how would I know who it was?"<br /><br />"Oh... I see... Right..."<br /><br />I never did finish the reports.<br /><br />I am still procrastinating from that task now.<br /><br />I'm clearly going to find myself doing it tomorrow, after the end of the last day before Easter, when I should be in the pub.<br /><br /><br />Oh - and for those election geeks who know that every poll matters - this South London hotspot would have a Labour Government under FPTP, and a hung parliament, led weakly by the Lib Dems, unless there was some unholy Lab/Con coalition, if we used a PR system.<br /><br />After the election I counted the votes with the aforementioned favourite year 10 girls, who had just last week covered FPTP and PR in our GCSE lesson (long term planning schmanning! Last minute ideas work out just fine!). After counting the votes, writing it all down, and working out who had won they were all still baffled. We did it again, and they got it.<br /><br />Miss Jones 1, Stupid Electoral Systems 0.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-88212594147079900962010-03-30T11:02:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:21:50.458-07:00Not quite googleing myself, but almost...So this <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8595530.stm">news story</a> led me to do a facebook search for myself... (it's the last week of term, the reports need procrastinating from... oh shh you, give me a break)<br /><br />I've blacked out my surname, but promise these are all actually my name!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7I_JmbbjHI/AAAAAAAAADM/bvmc6s0_i8w/s1600/miss+model.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 74px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7I_JmbbjHI/AAAAAAAAADM/bvmc6s0_i8w/s200/miss+model.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454491532866063474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Miss X the model </span>has 273 fans. Sadly this isn't me. I suspect persuading Charlie Grace to show up after school to improve his coursework would be significantly easier if I looked even slightly like this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7I_2qUomBI/AAAAAAAAADU/LL3ULtvOUAI/s1600/weh8miss.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 74px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7I_2qUomBI/AAAAAAAAADU/LL3ULtvOUAI/s200/weh8miss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454492307005413394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">We h8 miss X </span>has 0 fans, mwahaha. I kind of hope this is me, and the child who set it up felt such shame/social pressure that he could no longer remain a fan of his own page.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7JAboemKOI/AAAAAAAAADc/qGI8p_w7-jQ/s1600/miss+agency.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 76px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7JAboemKOI/AAAAAAAAADc/qGI8p_w7-jQ/s200/miss+agency.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454492942165485794" border="0" /></a>Oh dear. I promise this isn't me either. My dodgy sounding far-from-professional agency would, I am sure, have more than 0 fans.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7JBCSkejgI/AAAAAAAAADk/w76vWPzz7EA/s1600/heart+miss.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 76px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7JBCSkejgI/AAAAAAAAADk/w76vWPzz7EA/s200/heart+miss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454493606299471362" border="0" /></a>And I am very sad to report this isn't me either. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">We love Miss X :) ♥</span> from my delightful South London Comp must be elsewhere. I suspect my awesome computer-safety-lessons have led them to have higher privacy controls. Good kids. Well done.<br /><br />So I find myself in the 6% of teachers who do not have their very own personal hate site. Sad times.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-17920588796992873192010-03-30T10:38:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:21:50.458-07:00An exciting application<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7I54TiqF0I/AAAAAAAAAC8/K_GlbGF7wjI/s1600/map.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 111px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sCbrLR-pk6Y/S7I54TiqF0I/AAAAAAAAAC8/K_GlbGF7wjI/s200/map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454485738180187970" border="0" /></a>Well, exciting for me...<br /><br />I found a button that shows me where my readers are! Who knew you were such a diverse bunch?<br /><br />So in the true spirit of global citizenship, please allow me to say: 你好! Muraho! and Howdy Y'all!<br /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Sarah/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Sarah/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" />Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-6193249181066817712010-03-11T09:52:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:21:50.458-07:00When even God fails you...This honestly, truly happened.<br /><br />I went to the year 8 office to talk about a particularly obscene child, and make plans for a meeting with the parents. I walked into the following conversation:<br /><br />Child: but I prayed, and there was no sign.<br />Head of Year: well, sometimes our relatives, no matter how much they love us, can't give us a sign from the afterlife.<br />Child: but then, the problem was, so I didn't know whether to eat my dinner or not.<br />Head of Year: well, maybe we just have to decide that if our mum makes us dinner, she obviously thinks its important, and if dinner is ready, it's probably time to eat dinner.<br />Child: but I prayed and prayed, because I didn't know whether to eat or not, and there was no sign. Why isn't my grandfather talking to me?<br /><br />I was desperately trying not to laugh. The head of year explained that this child had the mental age of a 6 year old, and really should still be in a primary setting. Sadly, she's stuck in year 8 with 12 and 13 year olds.<br /><br />Who said we had a one-size-fits-all education system?Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-38139022750315800502010-02-27T02:46:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:21:50.459-07:00Time to put down the Gin?A kid asked me if I smoke.<br /><br />"No, it's a horrible habit"<br /><br />"Do you drink Miss?"<br /><br />"Yes, I do."<br /><br />"Lots, Miss?"<br /><br />"Probably more than I should to be honest, it's really quite bad for you."<br /><br />"Do you like, if you've had a bad day or summink, do you like go home and have a drink"<br /><br />Only if I've had a bad day? After a spectacular Kennington Lime Win at New Years my house was overflowing with limes, and obviously the easiest way to get rid of them was to reintroduce the charming habit of pre dinner cocktails.<br /><br />I decide the best thing to do is present the child with a good model for responsible, continental alcoholism.<br /><br />"My flatmate and I will usually have a drink with our dinner, a glass of wine or something."<br /><br />"Ah" he says knowingly. "My mum says she has wine just with dinner, but dinner aint all the time from 5 to 10 is it?"<br /><br />Oh dear. I suppose that's me told.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-75898204321071100702010-02-23T11:11:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:33:19.076-07:00Some happy LGBT month commentsThis week the Citizenship department has been celebrating <a href="http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/">LGBT month</a> with all of key stage three!<br /><br />We've done prejudice and homophobic bullying with year 7 and 8, and the link between Jamaican Dance Hall culture and homophobia with year 9, using the film <a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/batty-man">Batty Man</a>.<br /><br />It's been super encouraging, and I'm even more glad than ever that I forced my somewhat nervous NQTs to fully embrace LGBT week (there's fairtrade fortnight and Holocaust Memorial Day this month as well to cram in, so sadly the gays are only getting a week. Sorry guys.)<br /><br />I've yet to have a lesson where the overwhelming majority of social pressure wasn't pro gay. I've yet to have a lesson where the kids didn't remind each other about how it feels to be bullied, or human rights, or Miss' gay brother. I've yet to have a lesson which I didn't finish by saying "I'm so glad we talked about this today, and I'm so glad most of you are saying such lovely, sensible, mature things."<br /><br />We've had:<br /><br />"shut up you fool, peoples all people innit, why you gotta discriminate?"<br /><br />and "what? It's illegal in Jamaica blud? I ain't going to be kissing no mans or nothing but dats well out of order!!"<br /><br />and the DELIGHTFUL "you ain't no Christian my vicar would recognise, you're too full of hate to be Christian, don't you never ask yourself what Jesus would do? Don't go bringing your hate on my Jesus' name man". <span class="text_exposed_hide">...<br /><br />Some weeks my job really just rocks.<br /></span>Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-75361502762063575042010-02-23T08:57:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:21:50.459-07:00Um... You need it for what....?Jason, the cutest year 7 ever, took a break from the lesson to ask me this:<br /><br />"Miss, what age were you when you lost your virginity?"<br /><br />For the first time in quite a few years, I found myself with no response.<br /><br />"What?"<br /><br />"Nah, Nah, Miss, I aint being rude, I need to know for my website"<br /><br />What is the best response to this!? I went for the ever unimaginative:<br /><br />"Jason, you don't <span style="font-style: italic;">need</span> it for your website, you <span style="font-style: italic;">want </span>it for your website. And I'm going to treat you much more nicely than many teachers would if you asked them this, and say: It's none of your business, and I don't want to feature on your dodgy website. Understand?!"Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-54287901525811795792010-02-09T10:21:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:21:50.459-07:00the Dental Damn, the Deputy Head and the Fisting...Circle time with contraception. Excellent story fodder.<br /><br />Picture the scene:<br /><br />The tables are all pushed back against the walls, and Miss and 30 year 9s are circling a pile of contraception (an empty pill box, a coil in tiny plastic display case, a cap that looks as if it comes from the stone ages, a string of condoms and a torn femidom). The class are about as enthralled as they ever get: two or three are trying to check their phones through the material of their trousers, or sneak an earphone into their ear under their hair, or polish their shoes (seriously. I had to confiscate a tin of shoe polish twice this week. I have no idea what this is about) but most are sitting mouths closed and wide eyed, looking right at me, completely engrossed. I can practically see the cogs creak into action as they try to work out what on earth a dental damn could possibly be for.<br /><br />(For those of you not in the know - a dental damn is a thin sheet of latex (or similar) that is used to protect everyone involved in cunnilingus.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://z.about.com/d/std/1/0/C/0/-/-/holdingthedam.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 439px; height: 204px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/std/1/0/C/0/-/-/holdingthedam.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So I'm sitting there, stretching this thing out, saying "come on, be creative, what could this be used for?" And of course this is the time the Deputy Head pops his head round the door to ask whether a child bunking and messing about in the corridor is anything to do with me.<br /><br />"Miss, is this young lady out of your lesson, or..."<br /><br />He stops mid sentence as one side of the dental damn slips out of my hand and pings back against the other. I've just snapped a dental damn at him. Poor man.<br /><br />"No, Sir, she's not in this class." The whole class is silent. "Maybe room 13 next door?"<br /><br />"Right... Yes... I'll try there... Carry on... Carry on"<br /><br />As the door closes the class of course erupt, and I give them a couple of minutes to let it out before calming them down and getting their minds back to the task at hand.<br /><br />"So anyway, creative hats on, what could this be for?"<br />"Do you wrap it round your penis, Miss?"<br />"Let's think - would that be an effective way to protect yourselves? Would it stop sperm and infections?"<br />"Nah, nah, must be summat else innit"<br />"Do you use it to wipe your fanny?"<br />"Your what, Shannon?"<br />"Your vagina Miss, sorry Miss"<br />"Much better. Does it look like it absorbs liquid? Would it be a good wiping device?"<br /><br />and so on... Guess work gets us to the point where we have worked out it is placed over a vagina, and is not used for penetrative sex.<br /><br />"Oh oh, Miss! Miss!!! I got it, I got it! You put it on, and use a finger innit!?"<br />"So close! Not a finger but a..."<br />"a fist!"<br /><br />Um, no... hopefully not a whole fist, particularly at your age Craig. <br /><br />When someone finally guesses correctly I'm greeted with thirty squirming pink tongues sticking out at me and choruses of "errr, gross!" A nice reminder that they are only little, despite frequent attempts to convince me, each other, and themselves otherwise. <img src="file:///C:/Users/Sarah/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Sarah/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" />Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-62277580517163489792010-02-01T12:46:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:21:50.459-07:00A treat for the ex-debaters among youMy delightful kid's attempt at laying out the team structure:<br /><br />"I'm going to tell you about the benefits of private schools, and my partner is going to tell you why inequality is well out of order."<br /><br />Love him.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-3538756790565543432010-02-01T12:30:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:21:50.460-07:00the return of Sex EdAh, the winter term. And with it - <a href="http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/healthyliving/behaviours/sexandrelationshipeducation/">SRE</a> (which, by the way, is not part of Citizenship, but rather PSHE, which in many schools including mine is dumped in with Citizenship much to my chagrin despite it being about totally different topics and using a completely different skill set. Grr)<br /><br />Today's number one question:<br /><br />"Miss, can't you just put the cherry back in?"<br /><br />Cue excellent explanation from Miss accompanied by completely inadequate sketch on the white board. "Miss, you can't draw for..." Thanks kids. So I google for some help, and find <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gray1229.png">this particular image, </a>which, as Jordan pointed out, looks like a scary, screaming lady with floppy dogs ears and a clitoris for a nose.<br /><br />The effectiveness of terror as a weapon against teen pregnancies? Answers on a postcard, please.<br /><br />Watch this space for more gems from the mouths of babes.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-16931309708717930442010-01-18T09:19:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:21:50.460-07:00Holocaust Memorial DayHolocaust Memorial Day isn't actually for another week or so, but we're commemorating it early as next week we're having a week of action for Haiti, and then there's Fair Trade Fornight. Also, speakers are booked out years in advance for Holocaust Memorial Day itself, and I'm nowhere near that organised.<br /><br />So anyway, all my ks3 classes have had lessons on the Holocaust and Darfur (my Citizenship agenda makes me link historical lessons like this to current global atrocities, and make them consider what we can do to prevent them or help). And most of my kids have had lovely, compassionate responses, and some chose to write Amnesty campaign letters as a voluntary homework.<br /><br />However, we also got this gem:<br /><br />"I feel really sorry for Anne Frank, because all she got for her birthday was a diary, but I got a PS3 which is really good and I can play all these games on it and it's really fun."<br /><br />Clearly Darren totally got it, then.Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297957652381175062.post-17067152475527465962009-12-01T09:30:00.000-08:002010-06-16T13:21:50.460-07:00Stealing a phone? That's deep. Normal theft? Not so much.<span style="font-family:arial;">My phone was stolen <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wednesday</span>. Long story short - left a kid I trusted in the office printing coursework, he was accosted by a group I certainly don't trust, and the phone disappeared. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The trustworthy kid understandably didn't want to tell me who it was, but there was a CCTV camera pointing at my office, and once I pointed out this out he gave me a couple of names. Good thing too - at the end of the day I went to get the CCTV footage and was told it was purely for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">deterrence</span>, apparently it's too expensive to run.<br /><br />The next day I made an impassioned plea to my tutor group. I told them I didn't expect the phone back, and anyway I had it insured, but I wanted the sim card. I talked about photos that were on it of friends I no longer saw, and messages that meant a lot to me. And whatever you think about fifteen year olds, noone appreciates the loss of text messages more than them!<br /><br />My plea worked. After lunch registration Lauren and Rhiannon hung around.<br /><br />"Miss, we talked to some people..."<br />"And we found out, Miss..."<br />"Oh Miss, I don't know how to tell you!"<br />"Miss you aint getting your sim back, we spoke to them and they snapped the sim, and sold it in woolwich for thirty pounds"<br />"But Miss, I was talking to my mum innit, and we think you're being really brave about it"<br />"Yeh Miss, it's a lot to loose, there's important stuff on sims, are you ok?"<br />"I mean, fair enough, I been done for robbing shops, but I would never steal someone's phone, that's their personal stuff, that's deep."<br /><br />Lauren, who meets with the YOT regularly after being caught shoplifting, could not be more angry at the thieves, or more sympathetic to me. I'm not sure whether this seeming lack of morality depresses me, or whether I should be pleased that even Lauren, who last April was thrown out of home by her alcoholic mother, and came to school in increasingly dirty clothes for a week before I got the truth out of her, can learn empathy.<br /></span>Misshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386266963359661209noreply@blogger.com0