Class of 47!

Now don't say I'm not good to you. I'm sharing a video with you today, which was recommended to us students as part of our Teacher Training. It shows a US Maths class from 1947. Demonstrated are the wrong way, followed by the right way to get the best from a class. Basically, how not to deal with misbehaviour! The whole thing's totally staged and fairly cheesy, which makes it so worth the watching. What's really strange though, is how the problems teachers face today, haven't really changed that much in all this time.

I am a little concerned by the lack of belting that occurs in this video. When I was in secondary in the 80's I got belted, and my father has told me some terrible stories about kids getting belted around the head and stuff back in the late 50's. Obviously the belt was banned here in the UK in the late 80's, but I have no idea how it featured in education Stateside. Perhaps someone would like to supply that information?

Ther message of the video is, that pupil misbehaviour stems from teacher inadequacy, or teacher failings. If you tell the pupils how bad they are, and how they're all going to fail, the likelihood is that they will be bad, and they will fail. The teacher told them so, therefore that's how they see it panning out. The teacher has that power, I know. My kids have had teachers in Primary School who in my opinion often demonstrated poor grammar, spelling and lack of basic knowledge, and yet ask my kids about the teacher at the time, and they think their teacher knows everything there is to know, the font of all knowledge. That's the perception they have, the teacher is omnipotent, power for good or evil, success or failure, in the palm of their hands!

Classic Ghost Photos!

Never let it be said that I don't spoil you occasionally. Just for your pleasure, here are a selection of classic ghost photos. These are the ones that leave the experts stumped, owing to either the circumstances in which the photos were taken, or simply because of the integrity of the photographers. In most cases, the photographers were not aware of any presence and were merely taking photos of something tangible. Under scrutiny, both their stories and the photographs themselves were verified and proved legitimate.

Lord Combermere
This photograph of the Combermere Abbey library was taken in 1891 by Sybell Corbet. The figure of a man can faintly be seen sitting in the chair to the left. His head, collar and right arm on the armrest are clearly discernable. It is believed to be the ghost of Lord Combermere.

The Brown Lady
This portrait of "The Brown Lady" ghost is arguably the most famous and well-regarded ghost photograph ever taken. The ghost is thought to be that of Lady Dorothy Townshend, wife of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount of Raynham, residents of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England in the early 1700s.

Tulip Staircase Ghost
Rev. Ralph Hardy, a retired clergyman from White Rock, British Columbia, took this now-famous photograph in 1966. He intended merely to photograph the elegant spiral staircase (known as the "Tulip Staircase") in the Queen's House section of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England. Upon development, however, the photo revealed a shrouded figure climbing the stairs, seeming to hold the railing with both hands.

Hampton Court Henry
On December 19, 2003 closed-circuit security cameras at the Hampton Court Palace in London captured what appears to be a ghostly monk. Security guards had seen the figure in closed-circuit television footage after checking it to see who kept leaving open one of the palace’s fire doors. The area around the man is somewhat blurred, and his face appears unnaturally white compared with his outstretched hand. The spokesperson for Hampton Court Palace stated, “We genuinely don’t know who it is or what it is.”

The Ghost in the Burning Building
On November 19, 1995, Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England burned to the ground. Many spectators gathered to watch the old building, built in 1905, as it was being consumed by the flames. Tony O'Rahilly, a local resident, was one of those onlookers and took photos of the spectacle with a 200mm telephoto lens from across the street. One of those photos shows what looks like a small, partially transparent girl standing in the doorway. Neither O'Rahilly nor any of the other onlookers or firefighters recalled seeing the girl there. According to the story, the apparition may be the spirit of Jane Churm who died in another fire in the town hall in 1677.

Freddy Jackson
This intriguing photo, taken in 1919, was first published in 1975 by Sir Victor Goddard, a retired R.A.F. officer. The photo is a group portrait of Goddard's squadron, which had served in World War I aboard the HMS Daedalus. (Click the photo at left to see the entire photograph.) An extra ghostly face appears in the photo. Behind the airman positioned on the top row, fourth from the left, can clearly be seen the face of another man. It is said to be the face of Freddy Jackson, an air mechanic who had been accidentally killed by an airplane propeller two days earlier. His funeral had taken place on the day this photograph was snapped. Members of the squadron easily recognized the face as Jackson's. It has been suggested that Jackson, unaware of his death, decided to show up for the group photo.

Your Kids Dream Holiday?

I'm going to have a rant again today. What about this time... ? Well take a look at the horrendous castle in the picture and have a guess. Yes, it's Disney, but I haven't got anything particularly bad to say about Disney. What gets to me, are these people who make out that unless you've taken your kids to Disneyland Florida, then you must be a failure as a parent. As if it's a lifetime achievement to spend 2 weeks queuing in intense heat to get on to rides, with the occasional Mickey Mouse strolling past, while you throw cash around like there's no tomorrow.

"Oh, but it's worth it...", they say "to see the joy on their little faces!" Really, well my kids have no interest in Disney any more, and haven't had for a really long time, and the US in general cetainly doesn't rank as my top holiday destination. The kids agree. They'd far rather holiday here in Europe than go to the US. Yet, these parents have the idea in their heads, that their kids really want to go to Disneyland, and the kids agree, because they know that the parents really want them to want to go. It's laughable really, but I've seen it so many times. It shows a real lack of imagination really. They're very similar to those people who holiday in Majorca, Ibiza, Benidorm or such like, every year. It's a big wide world out there, try something different.

I tell you what, if I had the money, I'd be off to Mexico, Australia, Japan, Iceland, Peru.... places where you can have a rich cultural experience. That's the idea of a holiday, not re-visiting your childhood vicariously through your children who are already more mature than you are anyway. I read the other day that Brits spend £6k a year on average keeping up with the Joneses, and I fully believe that. I know people very well who have to have the best of everything, their children have to be the best at everything, and it's important to them that you know when they bought something first. They are completely moronic! Truly self-obssessed, to the point of making me wanting to shake them violently and tell them to get a life. Do you know people like these? I'll bet you do!

The Eye Of the Beholder!

You saw something didn't you? You told people what you think you saw, and they ridiculed you? They made you wonder if you really saw it at all, if you imagined it, or it was a trick of the light, your mind playing games with you. No, what you saw was real, it doesn't matter if anyone believes you, you know the truth. There are just some things which most people would have difficulty accepting, because they're clinging on to grim reality for all it's worth, and the vaguest notion that there are things out there, beyond the safety net, that's too much for them to take.

Then there's the notion that if you for just a second appear to hold water with any "outlandish" ideas, then you'll be branded a freak of some sort, an outsider. Well, that's just too much for most people. We'll do anything to keep up the pretence of seeming normality. So, have you seen something extraordinary? Something unbelieveable, for which you were ridiculed? I'd like to think that most people have. I've recounted some of my experiences in this blog. Find them youreslves, I'm not going to make it easy for you. And, yes I have been ridiculed, but my convictions are strong. I know what I've seen, and believe me when I say that "seeing is believeing!" Certain experiences can change the way you think about, if not life, then certainly the great beyond.

I must say though, that modern life makes it difficult to experience the sort of event I'm talking about. You need to get out into the wilderness, or the countryside, preferably at night or in the dark. City living makes it diffcult to give little regard to anything beyond what's around the next corner and you're never going to have a deeop and meaningful experience in a busy street, that's for sure. We have lost touch with nature. We've embraced technology and it's a cold embrace. Our intuition has failed us, our bond with the earth has been severed. Will we ever be able to restore that which was lost?

The Tomb of Osiris!

Call me barking, if you like, but I have a deep-rooted suspicion that someday soon, a discovery is going to be made which will cause the whole of humanity to stop and re-think not only the course of human history, but our very place in the Universe. What could such a discovery consist of you ponder? Well, there are indeed many fabled wonders, which believe in their existence or not, you can be rest assured that there are those out there seriously seeking them.

The sort of thing which might fall into this category would be, for intance, the tomb of Osiris, or perhaps the Hall of Records, the Cavern of the Ancients, call it what you will, or alien visitation in prehistoric times. Anyone with an open-mind can accept the possibility of any sort of dicovery taking place. The real question is, would the public ever know if it such a discovery was made? That's debatable, but let's consider the possibility for a moment, that someone, somehow discovered the tomb of Osiris, complete with 12 foot tall skeleton, after all "There were giants in those days!" The Egyptian King Lists tell us that Osiris existed, so why not? If Schliemann or Evans hadn't taken supposed mythology at face value, then perhaps Troy and Knossos would never have been discovered.

We live in a sceptical age, when sagas and legends from the past are dismissed as fantasy out of hand. However, the evidence has always tended to suggest that the opposite is true. Supposed myths when regarded in all seriousness, can probably be proven if the requisite evidence has survived the course of time. You can't disprove a myth, neither through lack of evidence or by reasoning alone. Reason tells us that giant men or aliens, with long lost powers and abilities, couldnt possibly have held sway over the Earth in ancient times, but that doesn't mean that they didn't. Anything's plausible and logic would suggest that at least one myth which is currently regarded as impossible, must be based on real events! Which one will it be?

My Sinister Left-Brain!

Today at Uni, we were looking at different ways of thinking, and of course by different ways of thinking, also, different ways in which people think! The image above might indicate where I'm going with this. Nio disrespect to women, au contraire, I think they're lovely, but the way in which their brains' operate is virtually alien to man! They're totally right-brainers, OK some men are also right-brainers (they claim), but I'm not convinced that there's an even spread.

What separates left-brainers from right-brainers? Well left-brainers are logical and rational. Right-brainers are random and irrational. See what I mean? This is the reason why (if you're a man) that you will find it impossible to win an argument with your other half. You are applying logic, they are applying insanely irrational randomness. They don't win the argument, they just render your logically constructed points completely irrelevant, through tangential absurdness. In effect, you feel like you've lost the argument, but don't know how, while they feel like they've won the argument, and don't care how.

Obviously, thinking is not as clear cut as left or right brain and indeed many people are partly both. Right-brainers are creative, that is there forte, and they therefore supply a product (art, music, writing) which is useful to left-brainers. And, it's sometimes also useful to be reminded of how not to behave!

The Solution Is Obvious!

What's wrong with this answer? Is it the student's fault if the person who wrote the question wasn't half as clever as the person answering it. As they say; "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer!" My intuition however, suggests to me that the person who gave such a witty answer, was probably slapped down for it, as there's often no place for humour in education. I personally would have allocated full marks for this answer, and used the experience as a lesson to myself for correctly wording questions in future!

I think it's a shameful indictment of modern society, but more particularly in the UK I suspect, that while saying we'd like to see more open thinking and discussion, on the one hand, when it comes to putting those ideas into practice, we get all disapproving and snooty about it!

Fortunately, in this short period I've had so far, of teacher training, has demonstrated to me that there is a significant sea-shift away from the traditional emphasis on assessment and formal teaching, towards promoting greater understanding and a concentration on more narrow topic areas. Government initiatives such as AiFL (Assessment Is For Learning) and cFE (Curriculum For Excellence) are probably going to result in the end of the Standard Grade format which is currently the norm. Many schools have already gone over to teaching subjects at Intermediate 1 and 2 instead. The winds of change, they're gonna blow!

Read Before You Look!

So, the kids are sitting watching "The Lord Of the Rings - The Two Towers" again and they still really enjoy it! I'm glad they do, because it's a fantastic story, which I'm afraid to say is far more enjoyable in the reading rather than on film. The problem is, having read the book at the age of 12, it was clear to me that any film version would never be able to do justice to Tolkien's writing. The second component is the imagination, and as a 12 year old, my imagination was indeed vivid. I lived this book, in my head.

Now, I know that my children, even if they were to read the book, would never draw the same enjoyment form it that I did, because not only do they now know the main themes of the story, but they already have mental images of the events described, and so won't be able to imagine them for themselves. It's a shame really, but at least they show me that they have the same good taste as myself, in embracing "The Lord Of the Rings" just as fully as they have now rejected that Harry Potter nonsense. The comparisons are ridiculous really, but they do happen, and it's clear to me that the popularity of Harry Potter says a lot about the present generation of children. What's astounding though is how many older people I've met who have expressed a liking for it (mainly women in retrospect). I wonder why that is? Perhaps because, it's written by a woman!

Anyhow, I think it should be compulsory that in order to be permitted to see a film based on a book, you should have to have read the book before-hand. Such a move would increase literacy skills and allow people to be imaginative again, instead of sitting in front of the telly vegetating. Get your brain mechanisms working again, reading does stimulate the mind, just get a book and read it, even if it's awful at least you'll have the mental capacity to realise that!

Who Does He Think He Is?

He's Sir Matthew Pinset (four times olympic gold medallist), that's who! I've decided to do a second post of the day, because this is what I was going to write about in the first place, but got side-tracked by political news. Well, last night was the final episode in this series of "Who Do You Think You Are?" Unfortunate, as besides "Top Gear", it's one of the few things that the BBC can be congratulated for. I've got to admit, where British TV used to be pretty good, we're rapidly losing out to US telly. For instance I've recently caught a few US shows in passing such as "Entourage" with Matt Dillon in it, and "Californication" starring David Duchovny. Both seem excellent!

Back to Sir Matthew Pinsent and his family tree. I was quite jealous, because he found (a researcher found actually) what genealogists allegedly call a "Gateway Ancestor". The individual in question was General Sir George Anson, who we were told acquitted himself rather well in the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. Turns out that Sir George was descended from the Howards, one of the leading noble families in England during the Middle Ages. They also provided a wife for Henry VIII to have beheaded.

A visit to some peerage place later, and it becomes clear that the Howard line was descended from Edward I, who was descended from William the Conqueror. He was then shown a tree going back to Jesus, Adam & Eve and finally God. You see now that's the kind of thing I want for my own family tree, I just need one of those Gateway Ancestors, and I'll be sorted. I know I'm descended from nobility, I just can't join the dots, so to speak. For instance, on my mother's side of the family I have Beaton's (or Bethune's) from Skye. It's commonly known that they were descended from an Earl of Fife, but no written genealogy. My wife's family claim a link to the Dukes of Gordon, and circumstantial evidence indicates a likelihood of this, but conclusive proof is elusive. Nevermind, someday I'll make a breakthrough too!

No Change From This Lot!

I've quite a few things to get off my chest today, mainly political I'm afraid, but all hugely significant I can assure you. Firstly, let's talk about the man above. Yesterday he claimed that a nuclear Iran would pose the potential for World War 3. Hmm, really! Well, we all know that a nuclear Iran is some years away, but a nuclear US is here and now, and hasn't Bush been threatening to nuke Iran? Don't all but one of the present Predential candidates for 2008, advocate such an attack? I'll answer for you, yes they do!

What's more, Putin says he'll be very upset by any attack on Iran, as he knows the US only has eyes on the Caspian Sea oil there. Of course he's right! When asked by a reporter about Putin's step-down from President to Prime Minister in order to keep hold of power, being a constitutional violation, Bush's reply was "I was planning something similar myself!" Nothing new there, I said so many moons ago. The legal framework is in place. All that's needed is an major Iranian-backed terrorist attack, elections will be cancelled and that's a toe-hold on the Presidency for life that Dick Cheney and his lackies have had their eyes on all along. Take heed, I'll be happy if I'm wrong!

Back to this country, and yes as predicted, Gordon Brown has provisionally signed the new EU treaty (to be formally ratified in December), which is proven to be 96% the same as the old EU constitution, which he promised us a referendum on, but then lied in saying wasn't the same and that he had our "red lines" covered anyway. All lies, he's a liar, it is the EU constitution, we never got our referendum and the "red lines" will be gone in 5 years. I know they'll be gone, becuase the Germans say so! The real question is; "What's in it for us?" Nothing whatsoever! So, what's in it for Gordon? we might wonder. Maybe he has his eyes on that EU Presidency that was once Blair's pipe-dream. He has no chance though, that's guaranteed to go to a Frank or a German.

Last but not least, seeing we've mentioned Blair, new evidence released concerning MOD scientist, UN weapons inspector and government whistle-blower Dr.Kelly, pretty much proves that he was indeed murdered as we had all concluded anyway. The knife with which he apparently slit his wrists had no fingerprints on it. Independent doctors also claim that the wounds would not have been fatal anyway. Take into account the lack of blood found with his body, and it becomes pretty plain that Dr.Kelly was murdered (by lethal injection?) elsewhere and deposited afterwards at Harrowdown Hill! You thought that poilitics was sordid and murky in the past. Well, it's worse than ever now. We really can't trust the people who hold the reigns of power!