Dream School Exposes Reality of Nightmare School System

If anyone has been watching Channel 4 over the past few weeks, they will have seen the adverts for the new show pioneered by TV chef Jamie Oliver. "Jamie's Dream School" takes failing students and puts them into a school where all the teachers are celebrities. David Starkey will teach history, Daley Thomson will be PE coaching and Sir Robert Winston will be the science professor. The question Mr Oliver is asking is "Could we get our kids' brains working differently? Make them want to actually turn up at school". Through taking people who children admire and look up to, Oliver is trying to see whether despondent pupils will find a new-found love for learning. It's something of a revolutionary idea, which many argue may change the British school system forever. However it is one which is creating a lot of opposition among 'everyday' teachers who are wondering why it is seemingly them who are being blamed for failing students across Britain.
On the forums on TES Connect, the leading website in the UK for teaching professionals, a storm seems to be brewing. Angry teachers are questioning Oliver's authority over the matter. What gives him the right to say that there are no 'dream teachers' already in schools?  Does he take the opinion that there is simply no skill in  the actual art of teaching itself? Is he saying that the failings of the education system are down to the lack of expertise on teachers' behalf? Many members are outraged at the fact that Oliver seems to be assuming such things. On the site's weekly poll the members were asked whether they think Jamie Oliver has what it takes to improve British schools. In a somewhat damning inictment 79.7% said no.
It would seem that the show has served to reveal many problems within the British teaching system from the over-zealous Ofsted to the highly restrictive health and safety requirements which prevent many teachers from being able the help children reach their full potential. Teachers on the site are speaking of how they are struggling daily in oversized classes with students who simply do not want to learn. Oliver is showing an idealised classroom with very few pupils where they are able to have much more attention lavished upon them than in a real classroom. One member on the forum, dogbert82 gave their opinion on the matter; "[He is] in a much better position to make [his] tutoring sessions fun because [he is] taking small, probably one-on-one sessions where they have specifically elected to be taught [the] particular subject. I'm sure it's a jolly little party for them. Try performing a regular job doing the same thing with 30 random 15 year olds and you'll find it doesn't work so well." Another member lizburf writes; " I worry this type of dream school undermines the value of trained teachers, continuing to support the theory that 'those that can; DO, those that can't; Teach.'" The daily school regime needs routine and formality - some state institutions have one thousand plus pupils and often staff shortages. Teachers are unsung heroes who often have to also be social workers, riot police and any number of other roles yet this show implies they are completely incompetent and failing children nationwide.
I honestly do not see what Jamie Oliver is trying to do with this new experiment of his. Hopefully some good will come out of it and he will get a harsh wake up call that the problems within the education system go far deeper than teachers and that his judgement was completely skewed in the first place by his own bad experiences with school.

A 21st Century Disturbance

Looking back on the riots of a few weeks ago I still feel almost dirty. It is as though by committing such crimes that particular group of young Brits have tarred the rest of their age group and nationality with the same brush. I recently heard something which completely illustrated exactly the reason for people's disdain for these criminals-

In Africa they're looting the grocery stores because they're starving to death. In Britain they loot and destroy simply because they can.

It is an apt statement. These kids may feel like they're deprived because they live on a council estate and don't have an ipad or a 3DTV. Yet they have no real experience of deprivation. Our welfare system, while ridiculed every day by tabloids, is one of the greatest in the world and provides as much as possible to make sure kids get the best start in life. I can guarantee that none of the rioters has ever experienced real hunger, having not eaten for weeks. I am sure that they have never not been able to receive inoculations, medical treatment or a social worker or counsellor to speak to about their problems. And if they have it is the fault of either themselves or their parents. In Britain today all you have to do is ask... And half the time you don't even have to!

They looted because they were bored or greedy. A modern disease in the western world. They want it, so regardless of whether or not they have worked for it, they think they can take it. They beat the corner shop owners they have seen most days of their lives, they burn down the homes of neighbours and schoolmates, they make aunties, uncles and friends forcibly redundant by wrecking their workplace. And who cares? Not them. They got a new flat screen.

All I could say to these people is how disappointed I am. They are despicable, stupid and completely ignorant and the sooner they learn not to bite the hand that feeds them the better. As for a solution.. Well, at risk of sounding like your grandmother they need a good hiding. Send them to prison with the big boys - The killers, the rapists, the hardened criminals. Then let them see how hard they are. Their greed and disregard for others is a modern capitalist epidemic which needs to be cured. Of course I agree with the idea that you need grassroots education and support in inner city areas synonymous with deprivation but I think these events showed us just how successful they have been. The softly softly approach has lost us a generation of people who now seem to be in a state of anomie. They looked almost feral as they ran through the streets with their bricks and poles. So if they want to act like animals they should be treated as such. And the best way to make a dog behave? Show them who's boss/

The Retail Blues

I write this while finishing the fifth consecutive day at work in a retail store. I've worked there since Christmas and I've got to be honest.. It is DRAINING. Yeah, there's the usual job gripes: Feet hurt from standing up all day, don't get paid enough, hours are too long, breaks are too short. That stuff, though, is easy. It comes with the territory of any job. However there's only one thing that really REALLY annoys me.. Customers.
Before I start let me say that I certainly don't mean all customers. Customer service is the best part of my job.. I enjoy helping people and I love it when someone leaves happy because of the assistance I gave them. The customers I'm referring to are the difficult, ignorant and aggressive people that I have to deal with on a daily basis. My proposal is that everyone on earth has to do a short, mandatory stint as a sales assistant in a clothes shop to learn some retail etiquette.. But I somehow don't think it's gonna catch on.
So here's some rules on how NOT to be that customer that every sales assistant hates.

• Politely ask for help if you need it. So that's no 'oi's' no clicking of fingers and no whistling. We are not dogs. It puts you on an already good footing if you simply say 'excuse me have you got a minute? I was looking for this in a different size/colour/fit/whatever'. 
• If you don't need help and staff ask if you're ok or need anything don't scowl or be rude to them. It's part of their job. You'd be quick to complain if you needed help and weren't approached.
• In the event of that particular shop not having the item you want don't blame the staff. It's not the end of the world that you can't have that new pair of shoes right this instant. Accept it as one of life's mild annoyances.. Like rain on a Saturday.
• When rifling through clothes on the rack keep in mind that the mess you make will eventually have to be cleaned up. That top that fell off the hanger won't miraculously jump back on and that dress you placed on a rail full of trousers won't somehow walk back to it's allocated spot. Yes it is a sales assistant's job to do such things and we will do it.. But it shows a distinct lack of respect to have no regard for that fact. If you were in a fast food restaurant you'd clear your table - It's the same principle.
• Remember that we WANT to help you. It makes our days go much quicker when we have a creative task such as picking your outfit for your work night out. This, again, is within reason. Asking for every shoe in stock in a size 8 because you can't decide crosses that line.
• SMILE!!!!

Trouble In Egypt

Two days ago, stories filled the pages of every newspaper in the country of the riots in Egypt; We saw scenes of vehement civilians running through the streets showing their defiance against their political leader. One man steadfastly held his position in front of a huge tank which looked as though it would have had no problem swiftly crushing him. Another climbed up and tore into a colossal canvas poster of the Eqyptian Prime Minister Hosni Mubarak and plumetted to the ground in a positively cringe-worthy fall.
Most Westerners have been conditioned into believing that when Muslim communities come out in their droves to protest about something it is usually to oppose American or British interference. We picture hysterical radicals chanting in Arabic and shrieking and hollering wildly, cars being set on fire and naive young children following their parents into the dangerous crowd. It may be stereotypical but this is all we have seen from the news coverage of Muslim countries. We fear Eastern nations as we know them to have different values and very different rules about what is right and wrong.
Yet, I could not help but feel wholly proud after seeing this coverage, and also astounded at my own level of ignorance and small-mindedness. Here were well educated, well informed individuals speaking rationally about their struggle for democracy and why they were revolting against Mubarak's three decade regime. No shrieking or hysterical behaviour whatsoever; just young and old alike coming together for democracy - something we Westerners hold so dearly in our own countries.
Furthermore, women and men were involved. It's so easy to think that Muslim cultures treat women as second class citizens because they are 'forced' to wear burkhas and seemingly not encouraged into education. However these women i saw were speaking with the utmost intelligence and the burkhas only served to show that they themselves were preserving their decorum and dignity so as not to be objectified as mere female bodies (which is unlike most of us British women can say for ourselves).
I was impressed with a wise and richly cultured people and i felt truly ashamed that i, like many others, had held unjustified preconceptions about predominantly Muslim cultures. I think what is needed more than anything in these uncertain times between the east and west is education. Education about how others live their lives, about the people behind the dictators and about the similarities we share. Otherwise, i fear it could be too late for us to reconcile our behaviour - and i feel strongly that half of the world is too many people to alienate ourselves from.

UCAS

It's university applications time and stress has inevitably ensued. Mine was sent on Christmas day (only to add to the abject bleakness of that particular day) and I have, so far, received one reply - a rejection. Needless to say I'm completely downcast. 

• Granted it was a huge stretch of the imagination expecting to get in anyway with grades well below the entry requirements. 
• Granted I can't afford to pay for an English uni as well as the cost of living in London. #
• Also granted I have attachments here in Scotland and I wouldn't leave certain people here for anything. 

But that still doesn't take away from the fact that it is a rejection. They still don't want me there; I am still not good enough for them. I just get angrier and sadder. On the upside though, I was on the online forum 'The Student Room' and was looking through a couple of general threads about UCAS offers. Basically, some of the people on that site (most of whom have gained conditionals) are a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Surely if they can get in somewhere then someone like me who has, at least, a grain of common sense can. And if not, then I wouldn't want to be there anyway ;). 

My Addiction

I'm back on it again, the form of musical heroin that keeps me awake at nights. It's The Cribs, the band which i will never have enough of. The title of this blog explains it all.. That underlying anger at the world which makes many a decent band into iconic figures. The thing I love the most about The Cribs (apart from the obvious great music) is the fact that they are working class. It's a silly thing iIknow, but if you're familiar with the indie scene at the moment you'll be aware of the fact that there is A LOT of well off-perfectly presented-decked out in all the Topman their artist parents could afford bands singing about.. Well not very much if I'm honest. The Cribs are my choice because they show their disdain freely for jumped-up scenesters who obviously spend about 6 hours a day in front of their bathroom mirror. They actually remind me of myself in some ways: My English teacher HATES to like me. She is part of the literary set who have nasal voices and won't read Welsh because it's not good enough for 'them'. I entered her advanced higher class and she obviously wanted me gone immediately. With my working class accent and lack of desire to enter Oxbridge higher education, she took one look at me and said 'unintelligent'. This was until she read my pieces.. Still she critiques them so much harder than the rest of the class. So I fight back, iIdo what the Cribs do.. I get better every time, just to show her that I AM smart enough to be there, I CAN show up the rest of the class and there is no way that my background affects the quality of my work, it in fact enriches it because I've got more life experience than anyone there ('born in the same expensive house they live in now, dad's a GP, mummy's a full-time housewife' children). The Cribs are my working class heroes, who inspire me to defend myself by always being better. In years to come when I meet that teacher again I'll be glad to say that however I've turned out at least i didn't get there because of my posh accent and wad of cash.. I worked fucking hard for everything i have.

Kwilliam?

So.. The most politically correct young couple in the country have finally announced their engagement. Good for them! There's all this talk, especially where i live in Scotland about how we shouldn't have a royal family. My view on the subject is that getting rid of the royals would be like banning tartan in Scotland. They cost what is, essentially, a pittance of the taxpayers' money and bring in an enormous amount of revenue in tourism. We spent 105 BILLION on welfare this year compared to the queen's estimated spending of £14million. Tourism contributes £76 billion to the economy with this coming, in the main, from London (home of her majesty herself). Let's weigh that up shall we? I say we wish Kate and Wills the best of luck for the future and enjoy a day off of work on their wedding day instead of prattling on about nonsense.