Sunday 28 July 2013

That old Austen debate! ;-)





I have never enjoyed reading Jane Austen!

It must run in the family!! ;-)

She obviously has a place in English Literature but her books have never

gripped me and in all honesty, I think she is rather over- rated.

Shock horror!!

Having said that, she wrote about the society which she observed at the time

and that plays an important part in our history.


However, it seems to me that certain people have this 'thing' about

Austen, when it comes to our country's 'greats'; she always has

to be there in the mix and is never allowed to move aside and give

 others the chance!


I believe that to be a rather narrow way of thinking.


Apologies to any Austen lovers, but,

personally, I think that there have been many equally good writers,

if not better writers!

But each to their own.



So, I wouldn't have chosen Jane Austen to appear on our

bank notes.


Furthermore, had I been asked to find a quote to go with

her picture, I certainly would have done my research!


The bank of England haven't!!


It has taken a quote completely out of context, without even

giving it thought!


Anyone who has read 'Pride and Prejudice',

knows the irony of such a quote!

It was Caroline Bingley who uttered this

in the novel and she didn't mean a word of it!!!

She just fancied Darcy

and pretended to share his love of books....just to...well...you know!!



( Hmmm...I suppose, wouldn't anyone

if he was a dishy as Colin Firth?!!)


So now, we'll regularly have Jane Austen in our purses and wallets!!


What do you think?

Right or wrong?


Answers on a £10 note, please and forward to me!



;-)














Thursday 25 July 2013

Rubbish journalism!!


Spot the mistakes!

****


'Who is the royal baby named after?'


****

I read this in 'The Independent' newspaper !

It never ceases to amaze me that many journalists have

no idea of the basic rules of English Grammar!

What's wrong with them all?  Grrrrr!



And if you are wondering, here's the correct way to write the above sentence:


After whom is the royal baby named?

Moan over!


;-)







Sunday 21 July 2013

Bonkers!


Nick Clegg's latest, looney idea is to rank children, aged 11, 

in order to boost primary school standards!

Oh yeah...that'll do it Nick!! (Like heck it will!)


Here is a man who has: 

 NO qualified teacher status; NO experience of teaching in a primary school

and NO FLAMIN' IDEA!!!


What is with governments? 

So obsessed with tests and tables, someone ought to have sued the lot of them

by now!

Because, they have , after all, deprived our children

( and our country's future) by not allowing a fit and proper education.

All of that time being spent teaching for tests...what a dreadful waste!!

Criminal, if you ask me!

Children are already graded and ranked enough...and anyway, dear Nick,

you have obviously not considered that if your plan was to go

ahead, there would always be someone who is bottom in the rankings..ALWAYS!

That means a lot of children throughout the country being BOTTOM!!

Total and utter madness.

It's about time that the government engaged its brain and

started to address the real cause of low standards

in many schools.



Click here to read all about it, if you haven't already done so:


                                                                            Stupid!

Monday 15 July 2013

Poetry ;-)




Do you love poetry or do you moan at the thought of it?

I really enjoy teaching poetry. 

I've loved getting to grips with

the GCSE Anthologies and, what is more, to sit and write poetry

with a young child, can be an absolute delight!!


Well...I have found the loveliest book, which combines

poetry with a celebration of the countryside!



;-)



Tuesday 9 July 2013

Hearing children read! (Amongst other things!)


Well, it's a big day today as the government announces the new National Curriculum.

Here is the framework document in all its glory...




I need a week off to read and inwardly digest!


Obviously, I will be paying special attention to the teaching of English at all key stages.


However, I have massive issues with one topic in particular...and that is

the hearing of reading at KS1 and KS2.


Personally, I believe that hearing children read should be TOP priority.

As a classroom teacher, I would always hear my children read, daily.

I don't believe in all this, 'But there isn't time to do that!'

That's rubbish and there IS time if you make it top priority.

I always did.... and believe me it pays dividends!


As a private tutor, I hear my pupils read whenever they come for lessons.

So many of them tell me that they never read to anyone or if they do

it is very infrequently!

I am simply appalled by this.

I also read to children... and with children.


Anyway...


More about this next time...I have 220+ pages to read!

;-)













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Monday 1 July 2013

The Happy Trio Reading Scheme ! ;-)





Stand aside 'Janet and John' !


Here's a page from the Happy Trio Reading Scheme.

And these were the books which I used

 in my very first teaching job!


Published by Wheaton (of Exeter), in the late 1950s / early 1960s,

 these books introduced Dick, Jane, Sally, 

Spot, Puff etc etc.

The family was...well you know...idyllic!!

You were transported into a perfect world of...

 bliss!


I didn't have a problem with using these books in my classroom;

 in fact I quite liked them and they probably suited

 the children who lived in the area where I taught.

They must have done...

 because we turned out many excellent readers

and thus it was a real dilemna when the headmaster

came to me and said :

'We have to move with the times!'


Dick, Jane, Sally etc were banished to 'goodness knows where'...

but only after we had all trooped to the Reading Centre

at the appropriately named, Reading!

 Here, we spent a day looking at a number of reading schemes 

and listening to the experts of the day...

Cliff Moon and Diana Bentley.



How I wish I'd kept some of these Happy Trio books...

they are quite sought after, nowadays!














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