Another 1.8 billion Euros to finish projects – today’s request from the EU, despite rejection by growing numbers of European voters. What a nerve! Why give the EU any more when they are unable to account for what we have already provided? The only thing that would encourage me to vote to stay in the …
Today The Times reports a report showing that poor handwriting is a growing problem for school students. If you know someone who needs help show them page 193 of the English text book I wrote for Heinemann. It’s the only text book I have ever seen with help that shows students how to analyse their …
Improving Parenting 1. Why not use social media to find absent fathers. Wanted: the man who slept with mummy nine months before I was born. I don’t want to trouble you with: Collecting me from school Reading me a bedtime story Teaching me to ride my bike Helping Mummy when she’s tired Decorating our sitting …
Then why did the National Association of Head-teachers call for a moratorium on Ofsted inspections? Were they professional they would have announced a moratorium knowing that teachers would walk out of any school that Ofsted inspectors went into. Some chance. As soon as one school was able to trumpet abroad a good inspection the system …
Peaches – like crying for Jimmy Savile or Cyril Smith, perpetrator, rather than victim. How did she feel when she lost her mum?
An eighteen year-old said that I had created an imaginary classroom where there were no bullies or disruptives, but only a helpful and friendly teacher. A fifteen year-old who is totally alienated from school made three important points: “It was at this point I realized that you were moving through the different kinds of verbs …
Teenagers respond to draft text to improve their English Read More »
Earlier this year, in a referendum, Swiss citizens obliged their government to tighten restrictions on immigration from the EU. For a few days the French press was up in arms. There is another way for those who would like to live and work in Switzerland. Conduct a referendum where they live and apply to join the …
Swiss immigration restricted so enlarge Switzerland Read More »
On March 29th The Times published a weekend pull-out entitled “How to improve your Grammar and punctuation.” This refers the reader to timestutorials.co.uk. One page contains the question: “Decide whether the following sentence uses the word effect correctly or not.” How can a sentence use a word, whether correctly or not? How can a slovenly written …
By the time former soldiers are summoned to the classroom to remove disruptive pupils how much damage will already have been done? What are the other pupils and their teachers doing meantime? What will former military personnel be able to do that teachers and parents can’t do? “No homework again, John Smith? Just stand in …
Military discipline in schools – shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted Read More »
On March 19th 2014 The Times reported that half the inmates do not see jail as a punishment. We hear of drugs, alcohol, sex with warders, tobacco as a currency, and opportunities to control, bully and intimidate one another. Why are criminals allowed to mix unsupervised? Rather than measuring sentences by time, why not impose …
