Boy Bloggers

I have only been blocked by two people in my three years on Twitter. One who spoke for the left in the Independent and one who speaks for whatever right wing hurrah is the current obsession. I think both stopped the link because I disagreed with them and said so. Both enjoyed the thrill of being little heroes to their respective followers and while dispensing criticism was their game they hated it when an argument was made that didn't fit their perception.

I think blocking has to be used for a definite reason. Usually because of offensiveness or persistent unpleasantness. Unfollowing seems to me to be the right course of action in most cases.

I follow many people who have views I radically disagree with, but that seems to me to be the point. Hear an argument, dispute it when you can but still engage. Clearly, there might be exceptions. I don't follow anyone who blatantly supports racist organisations for example.

There are however, people on Twitter, (and most are male)who seem intent on becoming their own version of mini-celebrities. Unfortunately this medium and the news media encourage them by giving them access to speak about subjects they have no expertise in, only prejudices about.

The cult of the boy blogger has been discussed frequently by @lisaansell . Often the insults and rudeness is just a throwaway to get attention. Sadly this is as prevalent on the Left as the Right. Over Christmas some of the exchanges were pathetic. As a teacher, it reminded me of the playground behaviour of the loudest kids who couldn't argue a point successfully so ended up shouting insults. I wish Twitter could be more like a staffroom conversation rather than the one behind the bike sheds.

To be frank many of the supposedly political bloggers are far more interested in building a media presence than arguing a point constructively. Tweet enough rudeness, blog enough rubbish and say you belong to a ThinkTank and #SkyNews and #BBCNews seems happy to invite you on. You can then spout crap to millions of viewers who don't know your "claim to expertise" is based on nothing but writing awfulness on awful websites.

So. I have created a new ThinkTank from the comfort of my Basingstoke Sofa. The Coalition Resolution Assessment Platform is available for comment on any & all topics especially education.

Our first press releases:

#CRAP press release 1 available to news agencies. "Cabinet Millionaires think #NHS is safe in Tory hands, even though they don't need it"

#CRAP press release 2 #Gove a brilliant man, wasted as Education Secretary. His skills could be much better used as a PR man for a right wing dictatorship. Oh...

#CRAP press release 3 Speakers are available on any subject, usually without any expertise but that seems to be what SkyNews and BBCNews want.


Meanwhile, until the news media rushes to my Basingstoke doorstep we still have @MrHarryCole making a fool of himself in a debate on racism

Gove : Secretary of State for Academies and Free Schools

As the wordle of his Jan 4th 2012 speech shows, Gove no longer cares about the majority of kids in state schools. He seems to see his role as simply to promote one form of governance. He has insulted teachers, leaders and governors in schools struggling to create good opportunities for their learners in LA supported schools.

He is the true ideologue. Those of us arguing for a comprehensive system and curriculum are not the "idealogues" that the DfE tweeted about earlier today.

Gove's "Aspiration Nation" & 3 generations of job search

Unemployment among the young is above 1m. And there are so many other frightening statistics about unemployment and lack of jobs everywhere and every day. Can I illustrate the issue by telling the story of 3 generations in my family?

When my father retired at the age of 60 from a lifetime of work, he pretty soon got bored. He had worked for the AA before volunteering for the army at the outbreak of war in 1939. After time in North Africa and Italy he returned to the UK and passed the entrance exams for the Civil Service Commission. He spent the next 30+ years working on projects to do with Careers and Training in the Civil Service. My mother did a variety of jobs, but usually in retail, and part time. At the age of 60 he had his works pension but no state one yet. Living in a Council House they could afford to live reasonably but not lavishly. The problem was he was bored, so he walked into an admin work agency and walked out with a new job the same day. A temporary post led to a permanent one at the age of 61. He stayed there for 6 years using the same skills as he had learnt in the Civil Service. He never had a problem finding a job where he could demonstrate loyalty and hard work.

I worked in various jobs (office, school caretaking etc) before going to a Teacher Training College. With certificate in hand, I went straight into a Comprehensive on the Old Kent Road in London and stayed there for 17 years. Classroom teacher, head of department, senior manager progression. My loyalty was to the school and the community it served. A tough environment but a rewarding one. I didn't apply for another job outside until I had been there for 15 years. I moved on to another school's senior management team in a leafier part of the world and then worked for an Education Charity which received a major part of its funding from Labour Government programmes. After a few years there I got involved in work with African schools which became my personal "mission" and made me feel both valued and valuable. I raised in three years almost £1m from companies and trusts to be used to develop skills in African classrooms. Funding for my post ran out and I was threatened with redundancy but transferred into a new project that was totally dependent on government funding. With the emergence of the Coalition this project was scrapped and within 3 months I was made redundant.

After a lifetime of showing commitment, enthusiasm and loyalty, plus a bank of skills based on global experience of education, fundraising and media work, I had high expectations of finding a job quickly. 2 years later I have no full time job and although my days of consultancy continue I am now certain that I value being part of a team and not constantly having to "sell" myself. I grew up in an environment where demonstrating commitment and loyalty were seen as crucial In today's workplace it is the individual who is forced to re-imagine themself repeatedly.

My son left University in 2010 with a First Class Honours Degree. When he started his course in Film Studies he knew that full time permanent jobs were not the norm in the creative industries but he expected to earn enough to develop and hone his skills and his career. Within a few weeks of gaining power the Coalition scrapped the UK Film Council which was the source of hope for many hoping to work in British Film. Much of the work of the Arts Council has been reduced too.

He has had many successes with film and theatre projects (see below) but paid work is very limited. Arts employers offer unpaid internships or expenses only jobs, so wthout comfortably off parents this field is closed to many youngsters. The Job Centres are arranged to find poorly paid and temporary jobs. He has only managed to claim Job Seekers Allowance for a few weeks in the last year because every time he does something to further his career, he is not "available for work" and has to come off.

A great example of this is he was shortlisted (and then won) a film competition on "Conservation of Water". The American company organising this paid for him to attend the event in Los Angeles and a few other industry related days. This was a great opportunity to make links with film makers and funders and develop his skills. Because he was not "available for work" for a week he lost several weeks JSA. Absurd.

But the biggest loss for him is the inability to join the "contributing society". He is not part of a team. Like me he is not able to demonstrate and learn loyalty and commitment. His only priority in work is himself and the desperation he feels about being able to start on the road. He left University with massive debt but nowhere near what the next generation of students are going to face.

They will have no sense of belonging to anything, no sense of being part of a team, no hope and no choices. Any job will do.

My father worked and served all his life and had the opportunity to continue contributing until late in his sixties, using the skills and ideas he learnt and developed.

I worked in jobs where loyalty and commitment were important and my skill set was immense, but before I have reached sixty I am out on a limb, feeling I have lots more still to offer but nowhere to show that.

My son can't even start on that route, and he has yet to feel that commitment to anything other than himself is worthwhile. In his early twenties- but he can't get a worthwhile job and seems to have no hope of finding one. I think the film he wrote and directed "Wrestling Yetis" sums up how important it is to feel enthusiastic about the your job and your future.

"Aspiration Nation" Mr Gove ?

Wrestling Yetis http://tinyurl.com/4xozf42

Fun and Games IUOW Competion Winner 2011 http://tinyurl.com/7vv45zw

Why Status Quo fans never listen

Back in the seventies, I had a year off my studies to be President of the Goldsmiths Student Union. Previously, I had been the Social Secretary and had a wonderful year indulging myself with strange bookings for big events (2000 capacity) and smaller ones for a few hundred. Some of the LPs the companies sent to me cause supercilious sniggers even now. The Pink Fairies debut album, anyone?

I tried all nighters with a staggering range of acts that included people like Mungo Jerry on the same bill as Lindisfarne and various heavy metal bands. Some worked fantastically but to this day I still shudder at the image of the night Status Quo and John Martyn shared a stage. John was near to tears as his gentle set was ruined by the jeers of SQ fans who wouldn't listen to anything that didn't have the same riff in every song.

When I took over as President there was an incredible range of issues on the table for the NUS. Grants, creche facilities, accommodation, Gay Rights, Fights against the National Front and many others. Within the student council I tried to organise we had every shade of student politics, SWP, Tory and even one NF man. Full union meetings were a circus which I tried to organise without the whip.

I soon realised that politically I had a lot to learn. Whatever I tried to do, someone would tell me I was fighting on the wrong side. On one occasion, clear directions from NUS meant although I could speak against him, I couldn't stop the NF guy speaking. Unfortunately he was a damn good speaker. He loved the fact that I had allowed him to speak and made a great show of thanking me. Next day a very edited version of our debate was in the Daily Telegraph, making it seem as if I had supported the NF line, rather than one person's permission to speak.

I tried to get them to print a retraction. Instead a conversation I had with the education editor was misreported yet again.

There is no point in Labour trying to win the support of the right wing press. They will always report what they want, to bolster what they want and will always denigrate the views of the left.

I learnt as President that socialist arguments are never listened to by right wing media and that Status Quo fans are too stuck in the past to listen to anything that challenges their viewpoint.

Why I love my Kindle

One year on a quick blog about why I love my Kindle but sometimes don't. No massive research, no facts and figures, just a response.

What I don't like first:

1. I miss being able to pass on my book. Did this in lots of ways- to friends and family, holiday bookshelves, station cafe etc.
2. Being able to remember the book by checking the cover or the summary on the back of the paperback. With the Kindle it is far more complicated and often I completely forget what the book was I intended to read.

BUT what I do like in no particular order:

1. The ability to get most books within a few seconds. I read a review of a children's author's fantasy series and was able to download the first book immediately. My local Waterstone would never have had the complete collection.
2. Checking out referenced stories easily. I read online about a young American writer who had only published online. Got to start reading her that day.
3. The absolute treasure of "free" classics. So many books I may well not have bought to read, I have downloaded and read when I can. Always wanted to read Sherlock Holmes stories again. Done. Hadn't read Jane Austen for 30 years. Done. Re-read Jack London. Done.
4. New writers. There is a wealth of free books on the Amazon site by either new writers or authors giving away one book to drag you in. Have found some real gems in amongst the rubbish and enjoyed reading other people's reviews.
5. Storage. This really is a boon. Hundreds of books sitting there. Begging me in.
6. Ease of use. When I read hardcover books now, I can't help but think "wish it was on my Kindle". They are so bulky especially when you try and read in bed.
7. The battery life is amazing. It really does last a month.
8. And it is easy to read, hold and use
9. Synchronising between Kindle and Android is great too.

I still buy printed books. Love the feel of them and still like the disposability but the Kindle fulfills most of the needs I have as a very avid reader.

As an educationist I can genuinely see them or their equivalent replacing many books in the Library. The same way that reference books have largely been supplanted by the web.

So, yes I love my Kindle!

Teaching Appraisal : Ed's 1st Year

As an ex teacher and senior manager, I watched Ed's speech in London before Cameron announced his 5 "pledges".

Ed needs help! In the school environment both peers and managers observe lessons and it is common practice for teachers to get the opportunity to see their classroom style filmed and discussed. When you see your quirks and mannerisms revealed in playback it is sometimes frightening. I had no idea before I saw one of my lessons that my hands seemed never to rest and I had a few verbal tics that disturbed me greatly.

Has Ed Miliband ever been sat down in front of a TV screen with a group of colleagues and advisers and made to assess the effect of every gesture, expression and general delivery? It is desperately needed.

My assessment of his classroom performance yesterday in front of TV cameras and press?

Ed said some good things but his mannerisms and way of speaking is pretty awful. Important statements are hidden by using the wrong words without any real feeling.

Frowns and grimaces don't help your case. You demonstrated very poor presentational skills. Always remember who are you actually talking to.

Advice:
1. Watch yourself on video. Again and again. If you are not embarrassed by this performance, something is wrong
2.Don't use people's names if you might get them wrong. Referring to Patrick O'Flynn from the Express as Paddy, was not a good move. Especially when he corrected you immediately.Kids in class hate it when the teacher gets their name wrong.
3. Don't refer to "gentlemen" when it is a mixed class. You had just answered a question from a woman correspondent and then went on to address the gentlemen.
4. Use your face to show emotion as well as your hands. Your expression never matched the words or the flurry of hand gestures. Very distracting. Do I look at your hands or your face?
5. Don't make jokes without thinking through the effect they might have. Joining in with reporter initiated sarcasm is never a good idea without a genuine response.
6. Don't try to be one of the lads with the "class" in front of you. They are not your friends. Probably the most important advice for the new teacher, don't treat the "class" as your friends. They'll get you if they can!

The assembled press is not going to join you in weak jokes, they will treat you with contempt. Unfortunately for those of us watching Ed recently they are given plenty of opportunity to show it.

ED! You need to reassess your presentation style. We need you to start scoring the easy points against this bloody awful government. There is so much to attack. And the "class" wants you to take the lead.

Coalition, Cockroaches and the Welfare State

During my time working in Africa for schools, I spent a week in a village in Tanzania. Villagers had no electricity or running water in their homes but the school I stayed in did. However, the week I was there, the power went down and this stopped the water running too.

Night time was never fun. I had never used a mosquito net before so each bedtime was a complicated process with no light and cackhanded attempts to seal myself into my bed sanctuary. I have to be honest and tell you I am not brave about insects and the first night the bombardment of mosquitoes attacking my little sacred place terrified me. Only a few bites in the course of the week though and my privileged western access to anti-malaria tablets meant I would be safe.

What frightened me more each night was the floor full of cockroaches. Lights off and I could hear them, torch on and I could see them scurrying into the walls. Hated it, hated them. I would lie in bed and feel them creeping up on me while the mosquitoes buzzed around trying to break down my little place of safety.

But I knew I would be OK. I had the net to protect me, the bloody expensive tablets inside me and a torch to turn on whenever I felt I wanted the roaches to run away.

This is where my thoughts on the coalition come in. We used to hear about the wonderful theory of "trickle down", the idea both Thatcher and Blair seemed to espouse. As the rich got richer, the poor would also see the benefits. But we know now "trickle down" is just the rich pissing on the poor. And that's exactly what the coalition is doing.

They are taking away ordinary people's malaria tablets, mosquito nets and light as they destroy the NHS, housing benefits and education.

I really do feel the same about the coalition as I did those bloody cockroaches.