Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:07:58 +0400WeeblyThu, 08 Jul 2010 08:45:44 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/07/national-standards-a-personal-view.html
 With National Standards currently causing some controversy I thought it timely to give my viewpoint on the new reporting system currently being implemented in New Zealand’s Primary and Intermediate schools.    I should point out that National Standards are very new and as such I am still learning more about them - I am open to corrections and may well change my opinions with time.

Firstly, what are National Standards?  I understand them to be a reporting system whereby parents must be told twice a year about their child’s ability in Literacy and Numeracy (English & Maths) from Year 1 to Year 8.   They must be told where their child sits in relation to the expected level of achievement for their age.   Teachers make their own judgement call on this using the normal range of testing methods (things like classroom observation and PAT tests) to work out if a child is at the prescribed standard.  Some schools were already doing this well before National Standards and I sympathise with their plight in now having to use up valuable time and resources re-inventing the wheel.  However, some schools were not and many parents felt they were not in the picture.  We have,to name but a few: curriculum levels that overlap year levels, numeracy project stages and reading colours...it had become a confusing mess for parents!  When I was teaching at secondary level, it was not uncommon to meet parents who were angry that they hadn’t been informed earlier that their child was falling behind.  A clearer system of reporting is surely a step in the right direction.

Perhaps more important is what National Standards are NOT.  They are not a test or exam– I have read articles where National Standards are unfairly compared to other overseas systems that aren’t showing good outcomes – but that are quite different.  In Australia, for example, NAPLAN (National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy) involves a set test so the emphasis is on assessment more so than reporting.  This sort of system risks an outcome of teaching that is narrowed down in an effort to teach to the test.  In New Zealand, for most schools the National Standards don’t require any additional testing than was already being done – they just require parents to be clearly informed of the results.

National Standards are also not about ‘standardising’ students.  They are about reporting – about making sure parents are in the picture.   My baby has a Well Child book and is regularly weighed so I can see on a chart whether he is 'well above', 'above' or 'below' the average.  It doesn’t mean that all babies have to be the same weight.  What matters to me is that I can see that he is progressing along – it is not a big deal if he is always just under the average.  And if there is sudden change, or if he goes well above or well below -  I will be aware of it and able to look at the reasons behind it and make an informed decision about what, if anything, to do about it.  My son is in fact well above the norm for his weight but as this is in line with his height and head circumference, I am not worried –every kid is different.  I give him bottled water rather than milk to snack on during the day and otherwise have taken no action – but I still appreciate having the information.   It is similar with National Standards – if your child falls well below the standard, as a parent you will know all the other factors that make your child who he is.  He may have special learning needs and still be progressing well from year to year and there may be little that needs changing.  Alternatively you may be shocked and the results may trigger further investigation into the reasons.   The latter may be stressful for a parent but at least you will have been alerted early and have time to take action.   It is not unusual for children to ‘slip through the system’ or to have undiagnosed learning disabilities and I think National Standards reporting may help prevent this. 

So why are some teachers and principals opposed to National Standards?

From what I can gather the opposition is centred more around how National Standards may be misinterpreted or misused.

·         League tablesA school’s overall National Standards results (not individual students) will be collected by the government and as such will be available to the public.  The fear is that the media will then produce tables ranking schools based on their results.  This could have disastrous consequences if parents are not well informed about the complexities of the data being presented to them.  A school, for example, may have more students for whom English is a second language and this may significantly lower their National Standards Literacy results.  Parents may see the school at the bottom of the list and their knee-jerk reaction may be to remove their students.   The school in turn may be tempted to turn away ESOL students.  I have outlined some of the serious pitfalls of National Standards being used to compare schools here.

 ·         Disheartened studentsI agree that it would be soul destroying to work hard every year and make progress from year to year, only to be repeatedly told that you were below the National Standard (the Standard gets harder each year).  However, National Standards are about reporting to parents.   I wouldn’t tell my toddler they were over the average weight for their age and nor would I tell my primary school aged child that they were well above or below the average for their academic ability.   If they asked or became aware through their peers, I would tell them - but only in the context of emphasising the progress they have made: “Yes, you are a little below the standard but wow look how much longer the stories you are writing this year. ”  

 ·         Outraged parents

I agree that there may be a minority of parents who find the results difficult to accept but there comes a time that rose-tinted glasses need to be removed and the realisation made that perhaps Little Johnny isn’t really a genius and that schools are only resourced to do so much.  I suspect that the vast majority of us parents are more than aware of our children’s strengths and weaknesses and are immensely grateful for their teachers. 

·         Neglect of other curriculum areas

There is some concern that other curriculum areas such as Science, Art and Physical Education will suffer because National Standards put the emphasis on Numeracy and Literacy.  Professional development in schools is already being channelled into National Standards at the expense of other subject areas.  I think this will change with time as training needs for National Standards ease.  I also think that as there is no set exam for National Standards, Numeracy and Literacy skills can be assessed through work in other subject areas so there is no real pressure to reduce the time spent on these.

·        Lack of training

I agree that National Standards have been implemented in a rush and this seems to be typical of changes in our education sector.  I recall it was the same when NCEA was introduced at Secondary level – as teachers we were floundering and at training sessions it often felt a bit like the blind leading the blind.  Perhaps it is a consequence of the three year government period in this country, if changes are going to get through – they need to be done in a hurry!  I sympathise with the teachers on this one as it’s already a job in which there are not enough hours in the day.   I found this concerning comment from a teacher on the Everybody.co.nz community forum:

"And they are not a 'national' standard. At least NCEA exams are the same throughout the country.  I have to feed to the Y8 dean whether I think my students are at the standard for reading and writing. I get to make up the assessment and decide how to mark it and then decide if they are at the standard.... no moderation or any input from other teachers on what I am doing- sole charge decision by me. What a joke! I have had no PD in national standards being a secondary teacher so I base it on my professional opinion. Now having been a teacher for awhile and heavily involved in the national exams, I trust my judgement but I have no trust in a national standard comparability between schools."

 I also firmly believe that parents need educating about National Standards if we are to avoid some of the above pitfalls.  It is one of the key reasons for this website, however I would’ve expected the government to be putting more resources into educating parents and caregivers about National Standards.

 

  ]]>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:00:36 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/07/bullying.htmlBullying is a very challenging behaviour for both schools and parents to deal with.  However it is not something that can be ignored because the potential consequences are very serious.  The signs below are taken from a fact sheet produced by 'The Line' website - a government initiative to help teenagers with relationship issues here in Australia (where I am holidaying at the moment :-) )

Signs of bullying

 Unexplained cuts, bruises or scratches

 Damaged or ripped clothing

 Damaged or missing belongings

 Vague headaches or stomach aches

 Refusal to go to school

 Tearfulness or depression

 Lack/Loss of confidence and anxiety

 Negative personality changes

 An unwillingness to leave the house

 Aggressive or bullying behaviour towards other family members

What if your child is the bully?

It can be hard to accept that our child is the bully but if this is the case, know that bullies operate out of a place of low self-esteem, inadequacy and feelings of powerlessness and this can often be changed with help and understanding.

6 indicators that a child might use bullying behaviour

They …

 Are impulsive, hot-headed and dominant

 Can be easily frustrated and have trouble reigning in feelings.

 Show a lack of empathy or compassion

 Have difficulty following rules

 View violence in a positive way

 Show little remorse or refuse to take responsibility for their actions


If you suspect your child is being bullied or that they are bullying others, there is a lot that you can do.  A great start would be to check out this site devoted entirely to addressing bullying.]]>Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:17:04 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/07/swearing-a-big-deal-or-not.htmlI'm interested to hear others opinions on swearing.  I've had a couple of e-mails asking me to tone down the swearing after I did so in my post reviewing Nigel Latta.  I'm not really big on swearing and only did so in that post as a bit of a joke because Nigel's presentations include a lot of the big bad  'f' word.  While I don't swear a lot myself,  I am also not greatly offended by others swearing (I grew up on a farm, sheep will drive even the most placid of fathers to expletives!).  I think there are far more concerning behaviours than a bit of bad language.  However, I'm holidaying in Townsville (Northern Queensland, Australia) at the moment and was stunned to  learn that swearing in Queensland is set to become an offence.  Police will issue on the spot fines of $100 for swearing in public from next year.   

And what about swearing in schools?  In my experience teaching at Secondary level, swearing is fairly commonplace in the school grounds and only really disciplined when directed at a teacher or when used with malice against another student.    If a student trips, stubs their toe and yells out a swear word the most common response from a teacher would be a fairly low level reprimand.    I suspect that in times gone by students wouldn't have dared to swear in school.   It is also an issue in New Zealand's primary and intermediate schools and I appreciate that parents have differing views on it.  In some families, for example, "bloody" is a swear word and in others, it's not.    And what about students who have been brought up in families where swearing is commonplace, a natural part of everyday dialogue - is it fair to penalise such kids when they bring this language to school?  Is it being culturally insensitive?  Personally, I believe that children are very good at adapting their behaviour for different settings.  And those that aren't good at this, need to learn the skill - it is part of life that we alter our behaviour depending on social expectations.   A tradesman's language while out on the tools may be quite different to when he is at a parent teacher interview!  I see no problem in a school enforcing a no swearing rule for all students.   But maybe I'm being unrealistic and such a rule may be just too hard and too time consuming to enforce.  What is your school's approach to the issue?   ]]>Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:29:06 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/06/should-my-child-be-shifted-up-or-down-a-year-level.html
Many parents sometimes wonder whether their child would be better off moving back a year or moving ahead a year.   I expect that it may become even more of an issue as National Standards are implemented – parents who are frequently reminded that their child is “well above” or “well below” the standard will begin to question whether their child is being catered for in their current Year level. 

The decision to move a child up or down a Year level is a very child-specific one that needs to be addressed on a case by case basis.  However there are some issues that all those contemplating such a move need to consider:

1.       Can I shift them by law?

In New Zealand, school is free and compulsory between the ages of six and sixteen and is a right until the end of the year during which the student turns nineteen (or 21 for disabled students with special needs).  Most students in New Zealand start school on or around their fifth birthday (you must be five to enter Year 0).    So you can’t start a bright four year old at school and you can’t hold someone back at school into adulthood.  There is nothing in the law to stop a child jumping up a year or two and therefore finishing their secondary school qualifications early and leaving at age 16 or 17.  There is also nothing to stop a student being held back a year and therefore finishing a year later at age 19.  Schools however may have their own policies about whether they allow and/or encourage children to go up or down a year. 

2.       Will it do them good to have them shifted up or down a year?

The most common reasons given for wanting a child shifted are: 

“They are finding the work far too easy and risk getting bored” or “They are really struggling with the work and risk loss of self-esteem and motivation”

Both of the above are good reasons and warrant further exploration of the idea moving up or down a Year level, however you do need to be aware that moving a Year level may create new problems.   If your child’s birthday means that they are very near the cut off point, then a change may have minimal effect – especially if done during the early school years.  On the other hand if they are a full year younger or older than most of their peers, there may be more issues to consider.

If you move your child up a Year level you need to think about whether he or she will also be able to cope with this emotionally, physically and socially.  Will they mind losing contact with their current group of friends and starting over?  Will they find it hard being the youngest further on down the track when it comes to their peers going through puberty, getting cell-phones, drivers’ licences and the like?  Don’t forget that as children go through the ‘tween’ and teenage years many find it very difficult if they are in any way different to their peers.  You also need to question whether there is any point to rushing a child through their school years – once out of secondary school, tertiary education is expensive and work lasts a lifetime.   I would be more inclined to talk to your child’s teacher about extending them within their current Year level.

 When it comes to moving down a Year level, I would also be hesitant.   At primary level especially, children’s brains are still developing and a child that appears behind in his reading for example may later ‘click’ to reading, take off and catch up to his peers.  Boys in particular can also often take some time to settle into school.  I would also explore first what options the school can provide as far as extra help goes.

For those of you would like to see what other parents think about this issue, there is a good discussion going on here at the Trade Me forum.   It includes some examples of where a move has been a very positive experience so far and others where parents are now not sure if it was the right decision.

Those of you with children who are very academically able for their Year level may also wish to check out The Gifted Education Centre as it is currently Awareness Week for Gifted Education.  There is an interesting interview here from National Radio on gifted learners.
 

 ]]>Fri, 04 Jun 2010 05:15:24 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/06/is-facebook-and-a-cellphone-bad-for-my-kid.html
As the parent of an almost teenager (twelve going on eighteen), I am interested in recent suggestions in the media that Facebook and texting are having a negative effect on youth in this country. 

Firstly, 60 minutes had an interesting clip about the death of 15 year old Michael Treffers from King’s College. 

http://www.3news.co.nz/Kings-Casualty/tabid/371/articleID/158913/Default.aspx

Around the 8 ½ min mark they address teenagers’ obsession with Facebook and with wanting to know each other’s movements all day.   It appears that Michael was off to bed for the night when a text and/or Facebook request came through and consequently he was off out the bedroom window.   While I suspect that there were a lot of other factors that resulted in his death, it does raise some issues.  The chaplain of King’s College, Warner Wilder, feels that teens “are exposed to all of this before they are emotionally ready to take it on” and that there is “a danger in teenagers being able to say whatever they like to whoever they like.”   I believe his points are valid. 

Our teens put loads of information about themselves onto Facebook and are then wide open to all sorts of comments from their peer group – and believe me the opinion of their peers matters immensely to them and they are at an age when self confidence is never more fragile.   Face to face interactions in the real world allow for context and for subtle facial expressions, voice tone and body language cues to play their part.  We use these things to know, for example, when it is appropriate to have someone on and when it isn’t.   We use them to determine whether someone is joking or serious.  However with Facebook you can say anything, anytime.    There is also that barrier between people that makes it easier  to come out and say something quite antagonistic – people often tend to communicate something they would have been afraid to say face to face.   And of course, Facebook and texting only allow for a limited number of words so communication is abbreviated and as a consequence is wide open to misinterpretation.

I also heard on Radio Live (http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Audio/tabid/109/Default.aspx) yesterday morning about a recent study out of America concluding that their teenagers have become more narcissistic, confident, and less empathetic (http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/newsfeatures/article/798611--debate-rages-over-teen-narcissism) .  Callers to the talkback show spoke of young people’s obsession with Facebook and relating this to self-obsession, with posting multiple photos of themselves and updating everyone with their every move.  It’s all about me: getting me out there, getting lots of ‘friends’  (wait for the T-Shirt: Facebook, re-defining ‘Friend’ since 1990), getting a bit of Facebook fame.    And why bother actually getting involved with helping a charity when I can just click to say I like it and I’ll look good. 

It seems to me that teenagers can’t win : they are condemned if they want to know what everyone else is doing yet are labelled selfish if they spend too much time focussing on themselves.   They are expected to ‘find themselves’ during these years but are not allowed to self obsess.  We screen television content that is all about appearance and success yet we expect them to be content with how they are.  But I digress...what is a parent to do regarding these technologies? 

Personally I don’t believe in trying to ban them from computers or cellphones.  Don’t forget that at present we are ‘celebrating’ 50 years of television in New Zealand yet when that first began many labelled it as ‘evil.’  Take some time to acknowledge the positive benefits of Facebook and texting:

·          I can use these technologies to know what my teenager is up to.  My mum had to lie awake wondering but I can flick off an “are you ok?” text at 1 am and check her last Facebook entry .  I can go out with my cell and know that we can contact each other at any time or place (don’t mention XT!)

·          Teens actually use Facebook to support one another.   Tribute pages sprung up immediately after the deaths of the King’s College students – those involved can share how they are feeling and feel a little less alone in their grief.   I saw teens recently encouraging each other via Facebook during the 40 hour famine.

·          Facebook pages can be used to facilitate good actions.  Here in Blenheim recently a Facebook page was used to co-ordinate help for a family that lost everything in a house fire. 

·          When you have an argument with your kids about an issue you can put it out to something like “Yahoo answers” and let the world answer it....then sneak in under an alias, put your view in and they will actually listen to it!

·          The phone line is always free for us old fashioned adults to call folk.

Cell phones and computers are tools of our age and teens need instead to be taught about the risks and given strategies to help them.  Parents need to be aware and to keep talking to their kids about the risks.  This means embracing the technology yourself so that you are familiar with it and so that you can communicate with them through it and about it.   My daughter and I discuss things such as the sorts of things friends have commented on our pages.  Sometimes I ask her advice  - such as “Have you worked out how to delete a photo?” and that way she asks me things too.   Through these chats  we have covered things like:

  * what it really means to be a friend

  * how easy it is to misinterpret texts and/or Facebook comments   

  *how things can be shared to a much wider audience  (don’t write anything you couldn’t cope with   seeing in the newspaper)

* how it’s important to treat others as you’d like to be treated – that one come up when she asked me to take a photo of her off my site, I thought it was cute, she didn’t! 

* how employers might use the site

*  dodgy people

*  and pausing to think before you click - current issues such as like-jacking which has popped up recently

I also think teenage use of these technologies needs to be moderated in just the same way as television is or should be.  It can become addictive for anyone and too much time spent on it does come at the expense of other great activities.   Our family are about to head off into the beautiful Marlborough Sounds for some time out from technology and some time interacting with friends.  The kids can’t wait – although they love their technology they still prefer to interact with their mates face to face.  I bet if we didn’t have friends coming who have kids their age, they’d be battling to bring along the cellphone.  I suspect that part of the appeal of Facebook to teens that we resist as parents is simply our resistance to the reality that young people reach an age when they’d far rather hang out and /or interact with their peers than us!

 

 ]]>Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:23:08 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/06/nigel-latta-a-review-of-revenge-of-the-teens.htmlLast night hubby and I went to see Nigel Latta’s presentation,  entitled “Revenge of the Teens.” In a truly ‘teacher-ish’ way I am going to do a PMI (Positive, Negative and Interesting points).  I could take the time to then structure these points into an essay but I’ve decided to be a bit more ‘Latta- ish’ and simply say, “I can’t be f****d.” J:

Positives

The guy is hilarious, the closest thing New Zealand has to Billy Connolly.   The show was full of funny anecdotes that had the audience in fits of laughter.   It wouldn’t be fair to tell any of them here – you’ll have to go to the show for those.

I left feeling more confident about my own parenting skills and reassured that the problems of teenagers are universal – as Nigel said, they literally aren’t right in the head.  It has to be healthy for parents to get together and have a good old laugh about the trials and tribulations of the job.

The average Kiwi (especially blokes) can relate to him because he

a) is funny

b) isn’t preachy

c) says ‘fuck’ a lot

d) isn’t politically correct

e) doesn’t take himself too seriously. 

If you struggle to drag your other half along to parenting seminars, this is one he will actually enjoy. Twist his arm or trick him into attending and you'll have a convert!

He speaks well – Nigel has a clear voice, good pace and a relaxed manner that makes for easy listening.  The show also made great use of visuals projected onto big screens.

$15 a ticket was pretty cheap considering Nigel’s now a celebrity in NZ.  After watching Nigel on tele in Beyond the Darklands and The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show it was kind of cool to see him in the flesh, and he looked exactly like he does on the box.   I can see an opening there for a big corporate sponsor  of his presentations (if Nigel’s ‘door locks n bolts’ business doesn’t flourish J) , although it is appealing that he does speak without any agenda.

It was a great excuse to get a night out from the kids! 

 Negatives

I didn’t take away a lot of new practical, specific strategies to apply in my own parenting.  Possibly too much time was taken up with anecdotes and funny descriptions of teenage behaviour at the expense of actual parenting tips.  While the former were very entertaining, I found it difficult to come up with much when asked afterwards: “What things will you do differently as a consequence of attending?”  Although to be fair this was part of his message – to not stress and that getting through the teenage years does rely a bit on time, humour and tolerance.    I think too he is more about reassuring us that it is a good idea to use the trialled and true methods of good parenting (boundaries, punishment, relationship etc) as opposed to teaching the latest new approach.

The seating at the Marlborough Convention Centre was crowded and we were in the back row.   I would have far preferred to watch this in an auditorium type set up where the seat heights were staggered so everyone could see.  I couldn’t actually see Nigel so felt I might as well have been listening to a podcast. 

2 hours 15 minutes was a bit on the long side ...although this wasn’t helped by the fact that I came straight from our kids’ school production and am still suffering the side effects of a dislocated tailbone as a result of childbirth...ahh the pain of parenthood!

Interesting

The room was packed – this guy is really popular, although a lot of what he speaks of is just common sense parenting.  He makes no secret that his message is one of simplifying parenting and not sweating the small stuff.  It seems a shame that we have reached the point of really needing this – that parents in New Zealand have lost confidence in themselves and become overly stressed about their role.

Nigel is a mainlander (born in Oamaru, now in Dunedin) who wasted nine months of his life arguing with his brother over drying the dish rack.  He always puts the toaster away for his wife but once binned the end of his son’s finger.  He has a book called ‘The Little Prick’ as part of his Civil Emergency Kit.  Oh, and he adores Sue Bradford and Coronation St!
 

 ]]>Mon, 31 May 2010 11:15:48 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/05/dyslexia-friendly-schools.htmlIf dyslexia affects your child(ren) you may find this interview on Breakfast today of interest.  You can also go here to learn more about  4D - a new dyslexia programme for NZ schools.  The Breakfast programme reported that dyslexia affects one in ten of us so it is fairly common.  In my teaching experience, I would estimate one child per class I taught was diagnosed with dyslexia - although in saying 'diagnosed' it makes it sound like some sort of disorder when current thinking views dyslexia as more of an alternative learning preference.  Schools have certainly come a long way in how they cater for dyslexic students and if you suspect your child may be dyslexic it is well worth investigating it further.   In my experience, sometimes students are tested and found to be dyslexic for the first time when they hit college.  Recognizing dyslexia late is unfortunate because it means there are many frustrations that child has suffered with their learning which could have been addressed earlier.   They may well have been incorrectly labelled as 'slow' or 'struggling.'

So how do you spot dyslexia in your child?  I have taken the following from the NZ Dyslexia Foundation's website which you can visit for loads of great information.  Note too that this list is not some sort of definitive checklist - some kids without dyslexia will exhibit some of these and some are stronger indicators than others.   However ff you do suspect your child has dyslexia have a talk to their classroom teacher and/or you can get a proper assessment done by any of these providers.

• Problems with labels, rhymes, sequences
  
  
• Letters or numbers reversed or confused b/d/p/q, n/u, 13/31
  
  
• Being slower to process and needing repeated exposures to retain learning
  
  
• Retrieval issues – learns something one moment, gone the next
  
  
• Large gap between oral and written capabilities
  
  
• Poor sense of direction – difficulty telling left from right
  
  
• Reluctance, embarrassment or avoidance around reading out loud
  
  
• A preference for face-to-face meetings/phone calls rather than email correspondence, and for charts/graphs over text
  
  
• Frequent misspelling of words and mixing up words which sound similar (recession/reception), in speech or written work
  
  
• Poor handwriting, punctuation and grammar
  
  
• Misunderstanding or misinterpretation of managers’ instructions
  
  
• Problems meeting deadlines, despite working hard
  
  
• Fine motor coordination may be problematic, eg. tying laces, doing up buttons
  
  

 ]]>Sat, 29 May 2010 05:42:23 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/05/im-not-thick-im-time-poor.htmlA number of you have asked me:  “How did I find the time?” to put this website together... in short I neglected other things - no mother or wife of the year awards around here – in fact gardener of the year would be highly unlikely too!   But seriously, I think being time poor is a massive issue for today’s parents.  I constantly find myself saying: “We’re not dumb, we just don’t have the time” in response to a whole raft of issues.  The media continually give us these obvious messages as if we were thick – Five plus a day and Push play etc.  Believe it or not we actually already know that exercise and fruit and veggies are good for us and our kids.  When will they see that a lack of time is the reason that we...

Haven’t planted a veggie garden and built a hen house

 Eat more takeaways than we should

Don’t get as much exercise as we need

Speed in our cars and text when we are driving

Let the tele and Playstation babysit our children

Don’t get to church on Sunday

Don’t spend time practicing numeracy and literacy skills with our kids

Don’t do volunteer work

Don’t recycle our rubbish very well

Don’t take time out to nurture our marriages

Have anger, depression and anxiety disorders

Throw our elderly into homes

Don’t catch up with friends as often as we should

Don’t get out into our National Parks

And the list goes on...

You could of course argue that it comes down to priorities and that there are and always have been 24 hours in a day.  I agree we do have to prioritise but in the current economy it is very difficult to survive on one income.  Many parents both have to work to keep a roof over the family’s head and food on the table.  When both parents’ work time has to take priority, a big chunk of that precious day is gone.  When I was teaching full time I would find that at the end of a stressful workday my own children would get what was leftover. ..and believe me that often wasn’t much.   I have had the last year off work and our whole family has functioned better as a consequence...although the same can’t be said for the bank balance!   There seems to be a narrow view that a country’s and in fact an individual’s success is based on income, but what is that worth if it doesn’t actually enhance our quality of life?  I’m tempted to go into some possible solutions but...I don’t have the time J

 

 ]]>Thu, 27 May 2010 05:59:20 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/05/hug-a-ginga-day.html

Tomorrow The Edge radio station is encouraging us all to “Hug a Ginga.”  There has been a bit of controversy over this – is it just a bit of fun or is it plain mean?   Stephen Simpson, a Christchurch father of two redheads has made his position against it very clear and some schools have banned it.  The poll on Close Up suggested most New Zealanders thought it was harmless but then I bet they weren’t all red heads. 

How would our elderly folk like a “Hug a wrinkly” day, or perhaps “Hug a dwarf” for those vertically challenged folk, “Hug a fatty” would’ve caused an uproar surely, maybe “Hug a jumbo” for those with big ears.  Before deciding that redheads are being  a bit sensitive remember that not all redheads like their hair colour.  Take a moment to think of the one feature you like the least about yourself and imagine a nationwide campaign drawing attention to that feature...suddenly hiding out at home all day may appear reasonable.   Even those redheads who love their hair colour don’t necessarily like being singled out because of it – to quote a comment on the Edge website:

Thanks very much (NOT), I just overheard my workmates discussing what they are going to do for me "ginga day". I'm so embarrassed, don't think I'll be going to work tomorrow. GUTTED”

If the person above is considering not going to work, take pity on those young redheads who have to go to school.  They have to face larger crowds of less mature participants and they are at an age when they are much more vulnerable to comments passed about their appearance.   It’s no secret that bullies target any point of difference they can find and The Edge is pointing a great big arrow at red hair.   I know some readers may have the attitude that kids need to learn to ‘harden up’ and cope with bullying but this is asking them to do more than deal with a couple of lippy peers giving them a hard time.  This campaign could mean the whole school is giving them flak and relentless or large scale bullying is not easy to cope with.  You only have to have watched a couple of episodes of Nigel Latta’s  ‘Beyond the Darklands’  to see how it can really screw people up and have a long term impact.   Take the time to do the research and you’ll see that almost every High School massacre has been a once bullied gunman out to get revenge.

I have therefore come to the decision that I will not be participating.  I asked my family what they thought of it – wondering whether my teacher training had made me a bit PC - but they too were unanimous in their disapproval:  “It’s a total piss take” (hubby)  “It’s sooooo sarcastic, especially the etiquette vid” (daughter).

Sadly in fighting against the ‘Hug a GInga Day’, opponents have raised its profile.  At the end of  the day that’s what the radio station is after: if they were really interested in the well being of redheads they could’ve at least made it “Give a Ginga 5 bucks” day. 

 ]]>Mon, 24 May 2010 05:53:15 +0400http://www.tworedapples.com/1/post/2010/05/the-dreaded-fourth-form-year-10.htmlhttp://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/middle-school-3-52-video-3564927
(the video runs for about 3 mins - sorry you have to suffer an advert at the start but hang in there :-) )
Pippa interviewed St Margaret's school principal Gillian Simpson this morning about changes they are making to stop those in Year 10 wasting their year...ahhh the memories of fourth form come flooding back!  There are some great ideas in here but I was STUNNED mostly by the fact that Pippa interrupts the principal before she gets all three of the 'R's out  - this is what teachers are dealing with, many young people have the attention span of a gnat as today's technology conditions us to receiving information in sharp, small bites.  I suspect it's why 'small amounts often' is well received by kids when you try to teach them.
PS:  If you too can't concentrate for long - just go to around the one minute mark of the vid to see the interruption! ;-)]]>