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Archive for September, 2009

Bats are nice
Bats are fat

I like Bats, I like Bats.

I dont know why nobody seems to like bats.
I think bats are nice.

Popularity: 8% [?]

We had a list of items which we wanted Asha to have completed by the end of September, she has been doing a sand art picture for some months now, and it now is hanging proudly in our porch.. laminated, to stop the sand from falling off.

She has been painting a disney fairy, which i got her in August, this is completed as well now. Also she has cut up the argos Catalogue.. and we have a lovely large letter B stuck to our wall, all with small pictures of items starting in B attached to it.. Amazing how many versions of the word “Barbie” are on it!

We have been re-visiting the written word, and times tables, and Asha is flowing with enthusiasm for both at the moment. Its wonderful to see!

We have started our Halloween onslaught now as well, and Asha has written another poem, which i feel deserves its own post.. so will add that shortly.

Popularity: 7% [?]

One of her currently favourite books “Trouble for Letang and Julie”

Its a Longman new reader book, “when nibbles gets lost in Ms Millers classroom, will anyone be able to find the hamster”

In the book you can discuss disability – Julie has some physical disabilitie. Different lifestyles – Letang nan used to own goats. Bullying, and name calling. emotions, and all the animals which we call pets.. and how different people have different pets. Julies nan used to keep cows, so Julie had a pet calf when she was younger..

Anyway, following on from our story, Asha started playing pet games… again, and my bed is now covered in soft toys, but i managed to catch her at it… just a pity she noticed, and started “acting” for the laptop.

MOV000010.avi

I will embed this later, when i can remeber how to do it again… :d

Popularity: 9% [?]

This competition is a showcase for the best in contemporary painting and sculpture, open to all artists – established and emerging talent – aged 18 and over, living or working in the UK. Approximately 60 works, selected from a national open submission, will be exhibited at the Mall Galleries, London in September 2009.

Two major prizes are available: The Threadneedle Prize

This year the prize has gone to Sheila Wallis. For her self portrait.

Popularity: 8% [?]

and this was the result… No sound…

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Popularity: 6% [?]

“Schools are an utter waste of young life.

By the way, if either Simon Schama or David Starkey are reading this, they should cover their eyes now. “I am not a historian. I am a children’s author,” Deary says. “I’ve got no qualifications in history. And that’s a massive advantage in reaching my audience. Because historians like Simon Schama and David Starkey just stand on television and lecture you. And when they write books, they’ve got the same lecturing voice. But mine is more: ‘You’ll never guess what I’ve found out! It’s shocking!’”

More than this, though, Deary is profoundly opposed to schools. That is, to the institution of school itself – to the extent that he will never accept an invitation to give a talk in one.

“I get 200 requests a year and the answer is no,” he says. “I detest schools with a passion. I’d rather cut off my left arm and eat it with Marmite than go into a school. And I don’t even like Marmite.

“Schools are an utter waste of young life. Learning things that will never be any use to you. The only reason they are there is to keep kids off the street. They were a Victorian invention. The Industrial Revolution took kids from their families and made the parents work in factories long hours. Then they said, ‘we can’t have these little kids working here.’ So what do we do? Lock them all up in the same room all day and we’ll call it school. I spent hours learning trigonometry, physics, none of which prepared me for life. Relationships, talking to people, managing money, planning your career, how to help someone who has cut their leg open. I have had to learn these things by default.

Terry Deary, the creator of the Horrible Histories

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6120942/Horrible-Histories.html

Oh soooo true!

Popularity: 5% [?]

keeping mummy company in bed activities :d

us.

and another one..

Arent kids lovely at 5

and even more!

Only so many books,, eventually barbie had to happen i guess!

And now

KISS mummy!

Popularity: 5% [?]

The girl who silenced the world.

http://www.sustainablestyle.org/sass/heirbrains/03suzuki.html

Transcript

Editor’s note: The following is the transcript of the speech that Severn Suzuki gave to the Plenary Session at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio Centro, Brazil. Severn was twelve years old. SASS feels there is no better example of a young person standing up and speaking on behalf of something in which they truly believe, for the betterment of themselves and the world around them.
Hello, I’m Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. – The Environmental Children’s Organisation.

We are a group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds from Canada trying to make a difference:
Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me. We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways. Coming here today, I have no hidden agenda. I am fighting for my future.

Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points on the stock market. I am here to speak for all generations to come.

I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard.

I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. We cannot afford to be not heard.

I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air because I don’t know what chemicals are in it.

I used to go fishing in Vancouver with my dad until just a few years ago we found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear about animals and plants going exinct every day — vanishing forever.

In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterfilies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.

Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age?

All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want and all the solutions. I’m only a child and I don’t have all the solutions, but I want you to realise, neither do you!

* You don’t know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer.
* You don’t know how to bring salmon back up a dead stream.
* You don’t know how to bring back an animal now extinct.
* And you can’t bring back forests that once grew where there is now desert.

If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it!

Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organisers, reporters or poiticians – but really you are mothers and fathers, brothers and sister, aunts and uncles – and all of you are somebody’s child.
I’m only a child yet I know we are all part of a family, five billion strong, in fact, 30 million species strong and we all share the same air, water and soil — borders and governments will never change that.

I’m only a child yet I know we are all in this together and should act as one single world towards one single goal.

In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid to tell the world how I feel.

In my country, we make so much waste, we buy and throw away, buy and throw away, and yet northern countries will not share with the needy. Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to lose some of our wealth, afraid to share.

In Canada, we live the privileged life, with plenty of food, water and shelter — we have watches, bicycles, computers and television sets.

Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time with some children living on the streets. And this is what one child told us: “I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicine, shelter and love and affection.”

If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everyting still so greedy?

I can’t stop thinking that these children are my age, that it makes a tremendous difference where you are born, that I could be one of those children living in the Favellas of Rio; I could be a child starving in Somalia; a victim of war in the Middle East or a beggar in India.

I’m only a child yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this earth would be!

At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us to behave in the world. You teach us:

* not to fight with others,
* to work things out,
* to respect others,
* to clean up our mess,
* not to hurt other creatures
* to share – not be greedy.

Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?

Do not forget why you’re attending these conferences, who you’re doing this for — we are your own children. You are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying “everyting’s going to be alright” , “we’re doing the best we can” and “it’s not the end of the world”.

But I don’t think you can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your list of priorities? My father always says “You are what you do, not what you say.”

Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown ups say you love us. I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words. Thank you for listening

Popularity: 5% [?]

The BFI did a top 50 films all kids must see….and it went like this…

1. The Adventures of Robin Hood (Michael Curtiz/William Keighley, 1938, USA)
2.Au revoir les enfants (Louis Malle, 1987, France/W.Germany)
3.Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985, USA)
4.Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale/Kirk Wise, 1991, USA)
5.Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948, Italy)
6.Billy Elliot (Stephen Daldry, 2000, UK/France)
7.A Day at the Races (Sam Wood, 1937, USA)
8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982, USA)
9.Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990, USA)
10.Etre et Avoir (Nicolas Philibert, 2002, France)
11.Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton/Lee Unkrich, 2003, USA)
12. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946, USA)
13.Jason and the Argonauts (Don Chaffey, 1963, UK/USA)
14.Kes (Ken Loach, 1969, UK)
15.The Kid (Charles Chaplin, 1921, USA)
16. King Kong (Merian C.Cooper/Ernest B.Schoedsack, 1933, USA)
17.Kirikou et la sorcière (Michel Ocelot, 1998, France/Belgium/Luxembourg)
18.La Belle et la bête (Jean Cocteau, 1946, France / Luxembourg)
19.Le Voyage dans la lune (Georges Melies, 1902, France)

20.Les Quatre cents coups (Francois Truffaut, 1959, France)
21.Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953, France)
22.My Life as a Dog (Lasse Halstrom, 1985, Sweden)
23.My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988, Japan/USA)
24. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955, USA)
25.Oliver Twist (David Lean, 1948, UK)
26.The Outsiders (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983, USA)
27.Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray, 1955, India)
28.Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967, France/Italy)
29.The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987, USA)
30.Rabbit-Proof Fence (Phillip Noyce, 2002, Australia)
31.Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981, USA)
32.The Railway Children (Lionel Jeffries, 1970, UK)
33.The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956, France)
34.Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrman, 1996, USA)
35.The Secret Garden (Agnieszka Holland, 1993, UK/USA)
36.Show Me Love (Lukas Moodysson, 1998, Sweden/Denmark)
37. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen/Gene Kelly, 1952, USA)
38. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney, 1937, USA)
39. Some Like it Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959, USA)
40.The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973, Spain)
41.Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001, Japan)
42. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977, USA)
43. To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962, USA)
44.Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995, USA)
45.Walkabout (Nicholas Roeg, 1971, UK)
46.Whale Rider (Niki Caro, 2002, New Zealand)
47.Where is the Friend’s House? (Abbas Kiarostami, 1987, Iran)
48.Whistle Down the Wind (Bryan Forbes, 1961, UK)
49.The White Balloon (Jafar Panahi, 1995, Iran)
50. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939, USA)

What are your top 10 films for children (under 14)

1. Watership down.
2. Kes
3. The Secret Garden
4. Never Ending Story
5. The Railway Children
6. Narnia
7. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
8. The Hobbit
9. Midsummer Nights Dream
10. Raiders of the lost Ark.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Popularity: 4% [?]

I was flicking through a copy of Rise Up Singing, last night, and came across this song.

I think it is such a wonderful song, that i felt inspired to add it to the collection on here.. Enjoy the words.

Everything Possible

We have cleared off the table, the leftovers saved,
Washed the dishes and put them away
I have told you a story and tucked you in tight
At the end of your knockabout day
As the moon sets its sails to carry you to sleep
Over the midnight sea
I will sing you a song no one sang to me
May it keep you good company.

CHORUS:
You can be anybody you want to be,
You can love whomever you will
You can travel any country where your heart leads
And know I will love you still
You can live by yourself, you can gather friends around,
You can choose one special one
And the only measure of your words and your deeds
Will be the love you leave behind when you’re done.

There are girls who grow up strong and bold
There are boys quiet and kind
Some race on ahead, some follow behind
Some go in their own way and time
Some women love women, some men love men
Some raise children, some never do
You can dream all the day never reaching the end
Of everything possible for you.

Don’t be rattled by names, by taunts, by games
But seek out spirits true
If you give your friends the best part of yourself
They will give the same back to you.

CHORUS

Popularity: 4% [?]

Been in bed for best part of four weeks. Asha’s education is continuing, but daddy is currently holding the reigns..

Hoping my energy will return in time.. Asha is happy, and is still meeting with friends, and getting to her group. Just without mummy.

Life goes on..

Popularity: 4% [?]

The only thing which can change the world is LOVE and TOLLERANCE.. We cannot expect people who have no self respect to respect others, but we can all aim to be be tollerant and loving towards all people.

Popularity: 4% [?]

targetted for lack of education, lack of provision, lack of safety nets for possible abuse the goverment is using unqualified assistants to educate children, in schools.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7462691.stm

I am copy and posting the whole thread here, because i think it needs it!

The use of teaching assistants in schools should be subject to much tighter controls, a union has said.

Unison says assistants are being used for cheap teaching across the UK.

Christine McAnea, of Unison, said the practice was “endemic” as it cost less to use support staff to cover teacher absence than to buy supply teachers.

England schools Minister Jim Knight said teaching assistants eased the burden on teachers, but should not lead classes “for more than a short period”.

It costs about £150 a day to employ a supply teacher, but about £50 to pay support staff.

They’re being used as cut-price teachers
Rosemary Plummer
Unison

Rosemary Plummer, a Unison representative, said in the last few months more than 40 teaching assistants from a small area of London had told her they felt they were being asked to do more than they were qualified for.

“They’re delivering maths, they’re delivering literacy and marking work – that’s a teacher’s job… they’re being used as cut-price teachers,” she said.

On covering teacher absences, she added: “It’s very easy to use teaching assistants on lower rates of pay – it would cost an awful lot to bring in a supply teacher.”

Ms McAnea, Unison’s head of education, said schools were often “putting people in front of children who may not have the right qualifications or experience to do this”.

The practice had to be much more tightly regulated, she said.

‘Not interchangeable’

In the last decade the number of teachers in England has risen by around 10% – from 399,000 in 1998 to 440,000 now.

The number of teaching assistants, however, has risen by almost 200% over the same period, from 61,000 to 177,000.

Unions are working closely with schools and the government to update the job descriptions of support staff in an effort to prevent the exploitation of assistants.

The government and teaching unions agree that teaching assistants are crucial to the smooth running of schools.

Their role was initially outlined as being to help and support the classroom teacher, and they were expected to be adept at working one-on-one with pupils or small groups.

But the guidelines on the exact role of teaching assistants are vague, and much of the role they do is at the discretion of their headteacher.

However, the government is clear that support staff should not be teaching classrooms of children unsupervised.

Mr Knight said teaching assistants are doing an incredibly good job, but should not be seen as “interchangeable with qualified teachers”.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers union, said: “We have grave concerns about the number of teaching assistants being asked to do more than they are paid to do or feel comfortable doing.

“It is unfair on them and unfair to pupils. Heads are breaking the terms of the national agreement between unions, employers and the government if they are using teaching assistants to teach a class of pupils when a teacher is absent.

“Teaching assistants play an important role supporting teachers, but they should not be taken advantage of by schools.”

Your comments:

I’m working as a teaching assistant through a teaching agency. I’m frequently asked to act as a ‘class room assistant’ (jargon for an unqualified teacher). I have to act on my own in a classroom of children, which means essentially assuming the role of a teacher. Crucially I’m paid just £10 more, still less than half the rate of a supply teacher.
Richard, UK

I’m a teaching assistant in a secondary school and completely understand this situation. Above my role as a TA, I’m often asked to mark work and cover lessons. It’s a difficult situation – on the one hand we’re not trained nor paid enough to take lessons, but we know the classes, the students and the work they’re doing.
Mazzas, Oxford

I’m a teaching assistant and work in a secondary school with year nine pupils. Because I have looked after my class of 12 children for the last two years, I often get left to do what I want with them when the teacher has things to sort out or is off sick. When they were doing their Sats I was with them during every exam and lesson afterwards, without any teacher. I never say anything about this because I’m happy that the kids are with someone they know rather than a supply teacher.
Lesley, Cheshire

I work in a school and would say that in some weeks a teaching assistant is covering classes all day for four out of five days.
Jennifer, Essex

I am a teaching assistant working with students with behavioural difficulties. My colleagues and I are working with some of the most difficult students in the school but are the lowest paid teaching staff. I feel it’s about time teaching assistants were given the respect and recognition they deserve for the work they do with the most difficult students.
Anon, Derbyshire

As a retired head teacher I was very supportive of the changing role of the teaching assistant in the classroom. Good TAs know the pupils and are aware of the curriculum. They will be there to support the class teacher and are in the best position to take over should the need arise on a short term basis. This contrasts with the often poor standard of supply teachers who are put into unfamiliar situations at a moments notice and in turn do little for the pupils. TAs often have specialist skills and may actually be better able or even qualified to teach the class.
Charles Wells, Rotherham

I am a teaching assistant working in a mainstream school. I work with children who have social, emotional and behavioural problems. I plan lessons and deliver them, in one lesson I can teach as many as five subjects. I deal with many challenges during the day and often have to find a place for children who teachers are unable to cope with. I do all of this for a third of the money that many teachers get. It is frustrating and ultimately leads to me feeling undervalued and unappreciated.
JG, Exeter

I am a teaching assistant and cover supervisor. I am paid a £1 extra to take classes, unsupervised. I help plan lessons and create resources for less able students. Whilst I enjoy doing this, I do feel, that sometimes support staff are cheap labour in our school.
Caroline, York

At last the situation has been recognised! When I started teaching in 1970, it was the sole job of the teacher to deliver the curriculum. Assistants were used to help ONLY with the non teaching tasks. I am a mother of five and was horrified when my children were taught to read by assistants who had no qualifications to do so.
Joyce Morgan, Liverpool

My son who is in his GCSE year had a teaching assistant take one of his science lessons, who knew very little of the subject! His school has employed teaching assistants to take lessons in the absence of teaching staff. How can we make these major cuts in our children’s education? They are not being educated to the high standard which they should be entitled.
Michele, Worcestershire

My wife is a teacher in a primary school where teaching assistants are employed as unqualified teachers because they are cheap. In her opinion it fails to give the children the best start in their education. These unqualified teachers are not adequately trained to deal with challenging pupils, or those with additional needs.
Anon, Kent

Popularity: 4% [?]

I am not too good at the moment, so Asha is spending a lot of time, playing on her own in the lounge.

Todays theme was Ray Mears. We played a selection of his programmes in the background on the tv all day, and asha has been making her own variations on his meals in the lounge all day.

Just before tea tonight she measured out exactly 730 grms of sugar, to go with 730 grams of plums and 125 ml of water, to make some FANTASTIC Plum Jam. – with daddies help!

Pudding tonight was jam and rice pudding.. yummy!

Popularity: 4% [?]