Sunday 7 February 2010
OK, it's been a while and let's face it, little has changed. Tomorrow I'm going on a course in Manchester that will focus on engaging ESBD kids and I'm really looking forward to it. It's a one day course and it means that I get a day out of the "Naughty Cupboard", which is always good. I've recently applied for a place on the Graduate Teacher Programme and I should hear something in the near future, I will endeavour to keep you all posted.
Wednesday 15 April 2009
Twenty Years Ago
Twenty years ago today I was at Ewood Park watching Blackburn Rovers play Manchester City, we beat them 4:1. Both teams were battling for promotion and the result was amazing for Blackburn, but the result soon became insignificant.
It was traditional during the 1980s for fans to take transistor radios with them to keep up with the results of the day, and fifteen minutes into the game someone said that there was rioting between the Liverpool and Nottingham Forest fans, but now we know that this was wrong.
I came home from Ewood full of smug satisfaction that Rovers had convincingly beaten one of their main rivals for promotion, however that result soon paled into insignificance when I discovered that 96 fellow fans had gone to a football match and failed to come home.
The rumours of violence had been a mistake and because of one man's incompetence 96 fans died. If the incident had been in different circumstances, a death at factory because of an employers incompetence, then he would have been arrested and charged with corporate manslaughter. So with that in mind why hasn't the then chief of South Yorkshire Police been charged with corporate manslaughter? Isn't it about time that a new inquiry was opened and and the incident was investigated properly with an outcome that would do justice to the loss that was incurred by those families.
Now, as a father of four children and three daughters I particularly feel for Trevor and Jenny Hicks, who lost both their daughters, personally I can't even start to contemplate how they must have felt and dealt with that.
Although there was a "good" outcome to the deaths of the 96, all seater stadium, it shouldn't have happened. Fans were treated like animals during the 80s, that is a fact, electric fencing was actually suggested at Chelsea and at Oxford there was a fence that stretched the full length of the shed and reached from top to bottom. Thankfully those days are long gone.
Justice for the 96
It was traditional during the 1980s for fans to take transistor radios with them to keep up with the results of the day, and fifteen minutes into the game someone said that there was rioting between the Liverpool and Nottingham Forest fans, but now we know that this was wrong.
I came home from Ewood full of smug satisfaction that Rovers had convincingly beaten one of their main rivals for promotion, however that result soon paled into insignificance when I discovered that 96 fellow fans had gone to a football match and failed to come home.
The rumours of violence had been a mistake and because of one man's incompetence 96 fans died. If the incident had been in different circumstances, a death at factory because of an employers incompetence, then he would have been arrested and charged with corporate manslaughter. So with that in mind why hasn't the then chief of South Yorkshire Police been charged with corporate manslaughter? Isn't it about time that a new inquiry was opened and and the incident was investigated properly with an outcome that would do justice to the loss that was incurred by those families.
Now, as a father of four children and three daughters I particularly feel for Trevor and Jenny Hicks, who lost both their daughters, personally I can't even start to contemplate how they must have felt and dealt with that.
Although there was a "good" outcome to the deaths of the 96, all seater stadium, it shouldn't have happened. Fans were treated like animals during the 80s, that is a fact, electric fencing was actually suggested at Chelsea and at Oxford there was a fence that stretched the full length of the shed and reached from top to bottom. Thankfully those days are long gone.
Justice for the 96
Saturday 14 March 2009
Narrow Minded Fools
Last week I was invited to join a Facebook group called 'How Dare Muslims Protest Against Our Heroes!', obviously the 'Friend' that invited me does not know me that well, otherwise they would have realised that I find the sentiment that is spouted on the pages as ill informed and evil.
I agree that the animals that were protesting at the homecoming parade of the Anglians last week should be escorted to the nearest port or airport and pointed in the direction of the departure lounge. I don't care that they were exercising their right to free speech, If you disagree with the policies of your host country, leave.
What I do not agree with is the fact that all Muslims are being tarred with the same brush as the aforementioned idiots. I am proud to say that I have worked with Muslim men, women and children, and I am even more proud to count members of the Islamic faith as very good friends who I admire and trust. Not once I have ever heard them say anything that was uncomplimentary against our country, if anything they are proud to be British citizens. Yes, some disagree with the policies of our government, but so do I, including the invasion of Iraq. However we were part of the invasion and as a consequence we have a duty to help the Iraqi people to rebuild their country, and those Muslim friends that I have spoken to on this matter agree. None of them agree with 9/11 and 7/7 and all of them want to live their lives peacefully.
I am not naive enough to believe that all Muslims believe this, like with any society group you do get a minority of idiots, whether they are football hooligans, animal rights terrorists or Continuity IRA and the Real IRA, but as yet I have not yet seen a group campaigning against Roman Catholics or Irish People in Britain, nor do I want to.
One may ask why I have not put these sentiments on the walls/pages of the group 'How dare Muslims protest against our heroes!!', well for me to do that I would have to join the group, which is something that I do not want to do. And for the 'Friend' who invited me to join this group, I 'ignored' your invite before I saw who invited me, if I had seen who you were I would have deleted you as a friend.
I agree that the animals that were protesting at the homecoming parade of the Anglians last week should be escorted to the nearest port or airport and pointed in the direction of the departure lounge. I don't care that they were exercising their right to free speech, If you disagree with the policies of your host country, leave.
What I do not agree with is the fact that all Muslims are being tarred with the same brush as the aforementioned idiots. I am proud to say that I have worked with Muslim men, women and children, and I am even more proud to count members of the Islamic faith as very good friends who I admire and trust. Not once I have ever heard them say anything that was uncomplimentary against our country, if anything they are proud to be British citizens. Yes, some disagree with the policies of our government, but so do I, including the invasion of Iraq. However we were part of the invasion and as a consequence we have a duty to help the Iraqi people to rebuild their country, and those Muslim friends that I have spoken to on this matter agree. None of them agree with 9/11 and 7/7 and all of them want to live their lives peacefully.
I am not naive enough to believe that all Muslims believe this, like with any society group you do get a minority of idiots, whether they are football hooligans, animal rights terrorists or Continuity IRA and the Real IRA, but as yet I have not yet seen a group campaigning against Roman Catholics or Irish People in Britain, nor do I want to.
One may ask why I have not put these sentiments on the walls/pages of the group 'How dare Muslims protest against our heroes!!', well for me to do that I would have to join the group, which is something that I do not want to do. And for the 'Friend' who invited me to join this group, I 'ignored' your invite before I saw who invited me, if I had seen who you were I would have deleted you as a friend.
Saturday 28 February 2009
Last Day Blues!
Well that's it I no longer work at Beardwood Humanities College, although I'm pleased that I've got a new job I'm also sad to leave. I've made some really good friends there and I'm going to miss them all.
Today has been a strange day, Donna and the girls have been at a Thinking Day event, so it's just been me and AJ today. Although he was happy to sit and watch Lazy Town all day I took him for a walk to the shop and a drive to B & Q, not very exciting I know, but AJ enjoyed himself and said "Hello!" to everyone that he saw.
On the way home I nearly knocked over a guy who was so drunk he was wondering into the road, and I can honestly say that I've never seen someone that drunk. It wasn't too long before he was passing our house at which point he plonked himself down on to my neighbours' wall and went to sleep, and soon enough the police arrived and carted him off in a van.
Today has been a strange day, Donna and the girls have been at a Thinking Day event, so it's just been me and AJ today. Although he was happy to sit and watch Lazy Town all day I took him for a walk to the shop and a drive to B & Q, not very exciting I know, but AJ enjoyed himself and said "Hello!" to everyone that he saw.
On the way home I nearly knocked over a guy who was so drunk he was wondering into the road, and I can honestly say that I've never seen someone that drunk. It wasn't too long before he was passing our house at which point he plonked himself down on to my neighbours' wall and went to sleep, and soon enough the police arrived and carted him off in a van.
Friday 13 February 2009
Three teachers, four TAs, one football and a big comedy toe!
On Fridays a few of us from the school get together and have a kick about in the gym. The majority of us know that we're not that good, we go purely for the enjoyment and to blow off some team. Personally I've never been that good at football, I play to my strengths, I put myself between the player and the ball and let them try to take it off me, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Two of the lads that turn out are quite good, but they're the type that don't like it when you play rough, but hey it's all fun.
Anyway, today we played as normal and I was determined to play a blinder. The two "better" players were doing their tricks and playing their dummies, but miraculously, we were winning, but only just. After a couple of hard tackles the "Ronaldo brothers" were sulking and their new signing was getting a bit shirty, (the bruises on my shin are evidence of this). Late on in the game the score was 27:25 to the older players, when a ball was cleared into my direction, I shouldered Toner away and went to put my foot through the ball, which I did,.Unfortunately for me the momentum caused me to not only to clear the ball, it also crashed my foot into a protruding panel on the gym wall. Final result was 32:29 to the grey team, and one broken big toe for me!
Anyway, today we played as normal and I was determined to play a blinder. The two "better" players were doing their tricks and playing their dummies, but miraculously, we were winning, but only just. After a couple of hard tackles the "Ronaldo brothers" were sulking and their new signing was getting a bit shirty, (the bruises on my shin are evidence of this). Late on in the game the score was 27:25 to the older players, when a ball was cleared into my direction, I shouldered Toner away and went to put my foot through the ball, which I did,.Unfortunately for me the momentum caused me to not only to clear the ball, it also crashed my foot into a protruding panel on the gym wall. Final result was 32:29 to the grey team, and one broken big toe for me!
Thursday 12 February 2009
BSF or DSF
It's not often I feel disappointed to be starting something new, but today I am. In two weeks time I'll be working my last day as a Teaching and Learning Assistant Level 2 at Beardwood Humanities College in Blackburn and three days later I will be starting at a new school. I've not worked there for too long but I've developed a real appreciation and respect for the school and for those that work and attend the school; I love the job and have a hell of a lot of time for the kids that I work with.
Unfortunately the powers that be have decided that this little old school no longer fits the criteria that befits a multicultural society. You see Beardwood is a mainly Muslim school, at least 95%, and the Powers That Be have decided that they should merge Beardwood with a mainly white school, Blakewater College, to form the new Blackburn Academy. All well and good in a perfect world, but this is not a perfect world.
Another reason why the decision has been made to close Beardwood is because "falling pupil numbers", what a load of rubbish. Pupil numbers only started to decline at rapid rate after the announcement was made that the school was going to close, I mean who in their right mind would send their child that was going to school when their child was in year 10?
Building Schools for the Future, like many other government decisions is based in good will, but has fallen down drastically, the fallout of BSF in Burnley has resulted in the Police being called to some of the merged schools to separate fighting gangs, whose allegiance is still aligned to their old school. As far as I am concerned they are building schools, they are destroying them.
Unfortunately the powers that be have decided that this little old school no longer fits the criteria that befits a multicultural society. You see Beardwood is a mainly Muslim school, at least 95%, and the Powers That Be have decided that they should merge Beardwood with a mainly white school, Blakewater College, to form the new Blackburn Academy. All well and good in a perfect world, but this is not a perfect world.
Another reason why the decision has been made to close Beardwood is because "falling pupil numbers", what a load of rubbish. Pupil numbers only started to decline at rapid rate after the announcement was made that the school was going to close, I mean who in their right mind would send their child that was going to school when their child was in year 10?
Building Schools for the Future, like many other government decisions is based in good will, but has fallen down drastically, the fallout of BSF in Burnley has resulted in the Police being called to some of the merged schools to separate fighting gangs, whose allegiance is still aligned to their old school. As far as I am concerned they are building schools, they are destroying them.
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