A Blaise School Parent

Homeschooling

2007-07-19T16:47:00.001+01:00

  Well I took my kids out of Blaise School.

  All you have to do, as far as the authorities are concerned, is inform the head teacher that you intend to homeschool your children.

  It has made an incredible, positive impact on my kids :)

  It is hard work at times, but they have come on in leaps and bounds, and we don't have to worry nearly so much about the silly amount of dangerous dogs in Henbury. We've seen two dog incidents since then, but thankfully been involved in none. I educate my children to the best of my abilities, and they have a teacher/pupil ratio of 2:1, or better. Neither gets ignored, and they are not exposed to much we don't want them exposed to.

  The kneejerk reaction/criticism of homeschooling is: "...but won't they miss out on socialization?"

  Well, if you look at what homeschoolers actually say, then you will find that socialization is not a problem really. Putting kids in a forced environment with 30-odd other kids of their own age with one or two undervalued professional teachers is an artificial kind of socialization. Its good for them in peoples eyes mostly because its what they got when they were kids. It helps kids become their parents.

  Spending time with family, learning, and experiencing the world with a parent to help make sense of it all is a far more natural form of socialization. The socialization of the classroom and playground even, are effects of the nations system for creating workers. There are nice kids there of course, in that system. There are also not so nice kids, to say the least. If you are reading this, and you attended school, you'll remember them.

  I don't blame any teachers at Blaise. In fact, Ms Sh. and Mrs L were nice people, doing their best to accomodate us. (Thankyou, if you ever read this..)

  But here is my advice if you happen by this blog:

Don't move to Henbury if you have kids, or at all. There are many dangerous dogs and a fair ammount of dangerous people here.

Don't accept state schooling for your child if you can possibly homeschool, although neither are permanent. Just like your computers web browser: the default option is not the best.

Eat fruit and veg, and omega 3-6-9; don't eat junk food.

Give your kids the best you can, not what you are told or expected to give them.

Thanks for reading.

To Deregister or to Not Deregister

2006-12-15T16:36:00.000Z

Text to follow...

cc - Letter to Crimestoppers

2006-12-15T16:35:00.000Z

This morning, Friday 24th November 2006, whilst walking my children to school across the Crow Lane Green Space, in Henbury, Bristol, at around 10.30 am my children and I saw a rottweiler off the leash. Its owner was clearly not in control of it.

No emergency came of this. We saw it quite a way off, stopped, and backed off. I took a photo of the dog off the leash, but did not save it on my phone. I took another (the dog was now on the leash) but it is so low res as to be pretty useless. The lady owner of the dog, walked away and eventually drove off in a yellow sports car, parked near the bus stop along from the row of shops. She was slim, and had short blond/fair hair.

Following other incidents locally I find this highly worrying, and worth reporting, but not as an emergency. I have very recently had contact with PC G-L (Avonmouth Constabulary) about another dog attack in the area.

I would very much like to see some kind of proactive policing in the Crow Lane Green Space area, to get people to control they're dogs better, and reduce the risk to children and adult alike.

Paper Tiger, Genuine Poo

2006-12-15T16:26:00.000Z

It pales in comparison to my other dog related issue, but it doesn't go away...not even with the rain sometimes.

Dog feces (shit) is present along the pavements, on the green, and by the park fence.

I'm speaking in general, and of Henbury in particular.

Dog owners don't care, in general, about picking it up, unless they think they will get caught. I wouldn't want to pick up dog shit, in fact its one of the main reasons we don't currently have a dog. I don't want to have to chose between picking it up every time, and getting my kids to take responsibility.

Ask yourself this: If humans started defecating in the streets, regularly, how long would it be before there was a major outcry, and police investigation?

And how is human feces really different from the canine variety?

Laws without enforcement are paper tigers.

Images from the Far Side of Henbury

2006-12-15T14:37:00.000Z

Lately we've made a pyramid/geometry animation, an alien, some pretty cool pictures too:

Political Aspects of Dangerous Dogs

2006-11-24T12:40:00.000Z

People are scared. A lot of people would rather walk about armed, or at least 'protected'. In local newspapers, and on national news websites, people deplore the lack of visible policing, the 'Bobby on the Beat'.

Many carry illegal weapons.

I believe that there is a large, and growing subculture of people who take great comfort in the fact that they're protector, or family protector, is a big fighting-breed dog. A rottweiler is pretty much the deadliest weapon it is still legal to take down the street.

The politicians, especially those who value the working class vote, are afraid of enacting legislation (such as compulsory muzzling) out of fear of alienating that subculture and its vote. This week, another child has been bitten:

"Boy, 12, bitten in dog attack
Nov 21 2006
Audrey Forbes And Ron Livingstone, Evening Gazette"

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/news/tm_headline=boy--12--bitten-in-dog-attack&method=full&objectid=18131131&siteid=109975-name_page.html

( link is dynamic, so I'm not sure how long it will be valid, try googling: 'UK latest dog attack' ...the results change frequently... )

...But unfortunately our govt has set up a top down culture of target setting - and crime prevention cannot be measured.
Additionally, as i have noted here before, it seems as though it is in working class areas where the greatest density of these dogs are. Many people 'blame the owners' and that is a fair enough attitude I think, but a portion of the blame belongs to the politicians/Law/social divide as well. Where do politicians live? On estates?
I'd put fair money on it that champagne socialists like Diane Abbot (who talks some sense but sends her children to a private school, probably by car) live in areas where there is not a high density of fighting dogs. There is no pressing concern, for those who are in a position to not care.

Besides, they are also the ones blowing up 'the enemy' in their villages, shipping weapons to aggressive states, and causing the deaths and mutilations of children, so what are a few 'rotties' and 'staffies' to them?
Maybe it actually helps them, insofar as it fuels public fear, in a general sense. Fearful populations are more likely to accept new legislation/actions that they *do* want to enact, such as ID cards and centralised medical databases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne_socialist

Another Unleashed Rottweiler

2006-11-24T12:22:00.000Z

This morning on the way to school we had to stop walking in the middle of the Crow Lane Green Space and wait for 15 minutes or so.

We had spotted an unleashed rottweiler up ahead. Given that our family has been attacked no less than four times in the past 18 months by fighting dogs, we are quite afraid of them now. Consequently, it is extemely dangerous for us to go near them.

In the words of a policeman i recently spoke to about it:
'They do have a nasty streak. If you are afraid, they do not like it.'

It is our fear that causes them to attack. A friend of mine interprets this in terms of astrology - how i have some 'thing' that I need to work out, but I tend to think of it in terms of pheromones. Dogs smell fear, and breeds with an vicious streak turn nasty at that smell. Their social conditioning is overridden by an attack instinct. Owners of fighting dogs are largely blind to this because they are not afraid of them (with some exceptions, believe it or not) and because a dog is basically a member of their family. I can understand this. Until the first dog attack on *my* family I was a dog lover, although not a dog owner for many years.

Todays incident on the Crow Lane Green Space, Henbury was not particularly dangerous. We saw the dog a long way off, stopped and backtracked a way. I took a photo with my phone, but closed the phone before hitting save. The lady, noticing we had stopped and backed off, leashed her dog. Its was the case, however, that the dog was not under her control, when we first saw it.

Frustrated, I took another picture, this time of her with the dog on the leash. The photo that remains on my phone is so low quality anyway - taken from such a distance - that its probably useless, but taking it served its purpose anyway. At least that particular owner now knows how uncomfortable these dogs can make parents and children feel.

From my point of view, its getting silly. On monday we saw a large dog with a boxer-like head being walked by a small girl of perhaps 8 years of age and avoided it no problem. However, last week I was forced to physically fight off two Staffordshire Bull Terrriers in the same area, an incident that the aforementioned police officer became involved in.
I'm not going to go into the details of that incident right now, but i will note two more things.

We are going to have to start walking charity owned dogs from a kennel, in order to counter our increasing fears.

I am in a state of heightened adrenaline and awareness twice a day; walking to and from Blaise School.

I'd rather be abroad in the dead of night! :(

Maths Lesson Demonstration

2006-11-22T12:20:00.000Z

I attended a demonstration of the way the reception class are taught maths yesterday, and I shall attend another - year 1 - demonstration today.

The first demo was very interesting; based around 2D and 3D shapes, patterns, teamwork and recognition.

A Sphere has no edges...

One activity had children spotting, and creating patterns of 2D shapes on the interactive whiteboard. Another had pairs of children sitting back to back, with one holding a pattern printed on a card, and giving descriptive instructions, while the other attempted to recreate the pattern on the floor with 2D plastic shapes.

The children in this class seem to love learning!

Its as cool as that, I am happy to write. The teacher seems to have a degree of freedom in choosing the direction subsequent learning will take, which is also a relief to know. Over adherance to a rigid plan may make progress easier to measure, but i sincerely doubt that it is good for individual children in the long run.

Another very welcome sight is that we now have a parents board, so I can see what has been taught in class, and how i can best support that with home and walks based learning. Homework, that is! Often, directly after school, my children do not wish to discuss what happened during the day, as they are focused on getting to the park or our house! :)

A Cube has Points, Edges, and Square Faces.

Beware Evangelicals in Our Area!

2006-11-14T17:41:00.000Z

An evangelical Christian group wants to set up and build a church on the old pool site on Crow Lane.
Personally I am against this, and will be raising my doubts with the council.

Evangelical Christianity (think: George Bush) is all about spreading the word, ie: pulling in more punters rather than just weddings and funerals. This Pentacostal church is a brainwashing program. These people try to get disadvantaged people and warp they're minds, so that they are easier to indoctrinate.

Frequently new members are drawn in through various themed groups (kids playgroups, mothers groups, rehab groups) and then they're fears and self doubts are focused upon in a way that gets them to think that they need to be saved by deeply accepting Jesus (the Church doctrine) into they're lives.

New recruits are convinced that they are 'sinners' and that they are intrinsically bad, and that in order to be saved from horrible things, and become acceptable to God, they must accept the church and all its teachings. Often, buying the churchs media, books and paraphernalia is stressed, as is the giving of donations to the church. One section of society is usually condemned, with a view to changing followers beliefs accordingly. Currently, most Christianity I have encountered demonises Gays, and some of it demonises Science and rational thought. Most Churches and doctrines teach that women are secondary to men in almost every way, often that women are actually 'evil', then go onto to support state led wars and killings.

If I am correct the Church on Crow Lane will be situated accross from the school. Will there be ministers being posessed by the Holy spirit and speaking in tongues in front of children? Epileptic style Holy Spirit possessions?

Can anyone say what the increase in risk of paedophilia will be? Christianity of all types makes people feel bad about themselves, partly by being sex-negative. It helps to cement the doctrine in the flocks (sheep) minds.

The libido (especially of priests) is supressed, and buried deep within the psyche.Far too many times priests who are caring for the vulnerable within they're flock then molest them.
There is it seems to me an all too common chain of consequence:
Christianity -> Social Conservatism -> Sexual Repression -> Eventual Paedophilia.

Construction details have yet to be finalised for the Church.
I am going to lodge an objection in the morning. If you have any objections, I urge you to make them public straight away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecostalism

http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=446

http://www.cmawashington.org/index.cgi?CONTEXT=art&art=3275&BISKIT=8889714

Hi5 DVD Review

2006-11-14T16:43:00.000Z

If you like to let your kids watch DVDs (and lets face it who doesn't? It gives a you a break from their constant needs...) then I have a few recommendations. I will write some of them up as reviews here on my Blog.

First of all, if you haven't heard of them, check out Hi5. These talented Australians are a seriously hi energy dance/song/story edutainment group who combine the best qualities of pop stars and traditional kids tv presenters with none of the drawbacks. I can't recommend Hi5 enough...they offer my kids an enriching experience which I personally find hard to offer a lot of the time. Every last sketch has an education element to it...but it is always interesting, always lively. Child development pros work on each episode, and the presenters individual personalities shine through in their own sections.

I'd go as far as to say that Hi5 offer your kids something that British and American presenters and kids media don't really offer as well; they seem to sum up what is good about Australian culture and are just really *different* to cbeebies or milkshake. With so much American culture permeating childrens media, this is
a refreshing break, and I think that in this it offers a rewarding type of cool that you just don't get elsewhere.

Skills and areas covered: Body co-ordination, logical thinking, mathematics, puzzles, mazes, shape, colour and pattern...social skills, but above all dance and movement, music and fun!
They're a pop band that are all about helping your kids development, rather than grabbing all the limelight and money!

So cheers to Nathan, Kellie, Tim, Kathleen, and (my favourite) Charli!
You rocked our world! 1, 2, 3, 4 ... hi5!

Cthulhu Rising

2006-11-01T11:52:00.000Z

On the final day before half term, my eldest child didn't want to go to school. I considered being lenient and having a family day off, but in the end made them go, as I knew there would be a cooking session today.

Here is what i was presented with at home time:

If you can't tell, its mostly candy, with a thick layer of regular sugar stuck to it.

My youngest had (despite our expressed wishes against religious worship/participation) been educated in making 'Diwali' cake; a Hindu cake with a high sugar content. I'm not sure if this is the same recipe below, but my partner knew a Brahmin, and says that Hindus do have a sweet tooth.
http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/oct/20diwali1.htm

Where does this leave the push to have healthy food in British schools?
At Blaise school?
I'm not going to focus on the religious aspect of this here, but do you think that a religious observance could justify bad nutrition in school? Is the Divali cake more legitimate than the Cthulhu cake?
I'm withdrawing my permission for my children to 'learn' to 'cook' at school.

When we were home, my children tried a nibble of both, then spat them in the bin. I hope it was a conditioned reflex, and not parent appeasment.

Wreckage

2006-11-01T11:44:00.000Z

There are some wrecked motor vehicles in the fields near Blaise school, which have been there for a few weeks now.

This one is a different wreck:

-

At some point, I will photograph various bushes and trees that are around the area, but the wreckage stands out as being extra blogworthy.
I hope the owners all had adequete vehicle insurance.

Ubuntu

2006-10-02T11:01:00.000+01:00

I had a reassuring chat with my youngest childs teacher. The quantity of homework will be stepped up, and I am told that i will be welcome in the classroom to help and contribute with my sons education. I am happy with this, it is good to hear.

My eldest was uneasy at the thought of being at school today, and a helpful teaching assistant came to the rescue. We had been made nervous (all of us) by an unleashed alsatian running around on the green on the way to school today. It hadn't done anything wrong at all, but we can't help but see things in the light of previous experience. I phoned in when i arrived back home, and it seems that he has settled in for the day.

Today I attended a school trip to a library, which was fantastic. This was with my youngest childs class. Once there we listened to the librarian, and i read a maze book with some boys. On the return trip to the school we passed a rottweiler, but it was being well behaved.

So far, things are looking much better for my youngest child at Blaise School. Soon, I am going to want to see a bit more of what is going on in my eldest childs class, as I have yet to have a proper conversation with his teacher.

Ubuntu

tinyurl, communication...beer

2006-09-28T12:33:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I asked my youngest sons teacher if she had looked into his reading diary today. I had written a tinyurl link to this blog there.

She said no, tuesdays and thurdays were the days for that, so i gave her a piece of paper with the URL on.

Its pretty difficult getting anything more than a few sentences from my sons teacher, my partner tried the other day to engage in conversation, and the schools paperwork handouts make it clear that they're preferred methods of communication are appointments and scheduled parent evenings. Compared to the creche they were in, there is very scant information about what is going on in the classroom. At creche we had daily reports on what they had eaten, what they had done, incidents good and bad.

Today when i dropped of my kids, I was asked if the main teacher could speak to me after school.
This is great news, I hope it goes well.

Incidentally, I noticed this morning, at around 9.05am a man with a large alsatian dog standing at the end of the schools road, drinking a can of beer. I was going to photograph him, but my phone camera wouldn't work.
Just a comment, feel free to leave comments below.

Stone Age Worries

2006-09-28T12:24:00.000+01:00

The same breed of dog that caused this damage, recently attacked my kid, whilst we were walking home from Blaise School, Bristol.

I've been convinced by a correspondant to report the incident, even though I have very scant information.

From personal experience, I know that the police will not destroy dogs, until actual damage has been caused. We were attacked in Cornwall not long ago, by another rottweiler.

How do your kids get home from school?

Rottweiler Attack

2006-09-26T09:35:00.000+01:00

I used to like dogs when i was a kid.

Nowadays we make our way through a minefield of piles of shit on the way to school.
Some local kids walk right through it, oblivious, they're parents:oblivious.

Yesterday though, on the way home from school, we got attacked, by a rottweiler. A few days ago, a family lost they're child to a pair of the beasts in a pub.

This is the second time we have been attacked by a rottweiler in the past year. This time i have no address, so its useless to report it to the dog warden or police. The common factor, besides breed, was location. Both times we were on a council estate where we live.
I wonder if a judge or politician's kid were mauled, in a nice cozy cotswold village, there would be tougher action on these animals.

Patricia Hewitt is seeming to try and find a way to legitimize doing nothing:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5377262.stm

The problem is, these dogs are too popular with they're owners subculture. Politicians risk making enemies of voters if they enforce any new legislation. Our national totem is a fighting dog, the 'British Bulldog', so its pretty deeply written into our society that its ok to own these things.
And people do it because they can't own a gun. My girlfriends reaction to yeterdays attack was 'We could get a rottweiler, to protect the kids'.

I think it would be better to ban them from the street, and legalize pit fighting, to let the dog-violence thirsty among us feed they're need.

Is it fair to let even one more human child pay the price for our (aging, fattening) hard men to have they're weapon with them as they walk down the street?
Its a semiotic weapon, usually, walking a deadly dog, that says: Don't fuck with me.
Thats why they own them. Else why not own a labrador?

Healthier Material

2006-09-25T00:30:00.000+01:00

(How to Be Healthy - Kids Book)

My eldest (5 years) came home with a better book: How To Be Healthy by Nash Kramer
I was really impressed with this one and so were the kids.

(I eat vegetables and I eat Lots of fruit)

(That keeps me healthy too)

This weekend we bought Room on the Broom, which is quite complex really, but well worth it.

(Room on the Broom)

My youngest read pages of this one as well, with help. I had to work on them for quite a while to buy it instead of Horrible Histories sticker books.

My youngest has taken to saying:

"If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both."

This is a saying he got from Civilization 4, which i highly recommend as an alternative to first person shooters or third person jumper type games. Its quite educational, in more ways than one. It was created by Firaxis Games.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Civilization

CandyMan and CigarDad

2006-09-20T10:46:00.000+01:00

Well we went throught the picture book together, my youngest son and I.

It has a juggler, a man handing out sweets, and a dad character who dresses up and smokes a cigar.

Spark are Flying

2006-09-20T10:37:00.000+01:00

Today we had to watch out for shooting sparks on the pathway inside the school. The workmen on the roof were using angle grinders. I reported it, and thats the end of that...sorted.

We had a nice long play in the park today, the boys are getting bigger and stronger.

However. My youngest came home with another picture book, this time featuring someone dressing up and smoking a cigar. An explanatary note in his diary said:

'I have given you another book without words as it is really important that they start by using pictures to tell a story as they won't get chance further up the school. They will have books with words soon.'

Well...firstly I can acknowledge the need for them to make words up to tell a story, thats fine, but why would a teacher think that he was just starting? Starting they're curriculum or system of study perhaps, but he's not starting to read or handle books from his own individual point of view. Additionally they *will* get
the chance to make up more stories using pictures later on...regardless of whether its scheduled. We will make stories with them, and let them decide how the story goes.

My other sons bookbag had the same book in it again, the one i asked to be changed yesterday. I guess the teacher had not the (scheduled?) time to do reading today. Again.

Finally. When I asked what they had eaten for lunch, I was informed: chicken nuggets, ice cream and jelly.

This is annoying, and not what I was led to think they would get judging from Blaise School's paperwork. Aside from an odd incident with they're Grandmother, we had successfully banned ice cream and jelly from our house and family.
I was also told that my eldest was offered chocolate by bigger children. He says he refused. What was the slogan in the eighties?

Just Say No.

Thats right. He managed to say no to the other kids, but i guess a dinner lady ladling it onto your plate legitimises it..

I would say its time to write a letter, but this blog is that and more, being public and all. I think I'll send people the URL's.

Nutrition for the Body, Nutrition for the Mind

2006-09-20T10:35:00.000+01:00

Well its now law that schools have to provide decent food for they're pupils. This is excellent. Both our childrens classrooms have a place where you can leave they're snacks (fruit) and i have seen no vending machines, I have however seen numeous kids high on sugar, walking around just after school with crisps, candy-things and whatnot, that parents have brought them.

I know that some parents do this to appease they're child when they collect them. On one level it doesn't bother me at all - its not my kids after all - but my son said that a teacher had been hit by a pupil and I can't help but wonder if its sugar/additive related.

If schools enforce good nutrition inside, thats great, but what about when mum/dad arrives bearing poison gifts? The behavioural fallout still falls to the teacher/state/society to deal with
doesn't it?

We're also increasingly concerned that our children are actually learning anything yet. They have been well educated at home and creche so far, but Blaise, by contrast seems to be firmly in the 'let them play' strategy. Which is great as far as it goes, but my youngest was sent home with a picture book when he can read to the standard of the year above him, and when i asked for fresh books for my sons
the next day, I was refused, twice.

In the previous school (we have just moved house, and area) my eldest
came home with a new book almost every day. His reading needs were clearly being monitored daily, and his reading diary regularly filled in. I have been home educating them all summer, and, at least as far as reading goes, still need to fully educate them in this, as opposed to supplement the schools
reading program.

Youngest Childs First Day

2006-09-20T10:31:00.000+01:00

Today is my youngest childs first day at Blaise School, Bristol.

As we arrived, I found that the gates were locked, and a dinner lady told me through the fence that I'd have to walk my child around 'all the way' up such and such a road.

A quick couple of phone calls later and another lady appears at the boundary and motions us over. It appears that tommorrow we will have to walk around because that is the 'front' of this school... and the office staff, and its lunch time, and ...

I have to walk my children to and from school three times a day. I would appreciate being able to let my child into the school through the gate opposite the park at the correct time, even if this meant it having to be staffed. Obviously staff shouldn't be made to walk several meters if they suffered from some condition that prevented it (verucas, obesity...) but I don't think that this is
too much to ask.

Inside the school looks bit run down; some of it looks like a building site. The teachers seemed nice though.

I am determined not to jump to premature conclusions about Blaise school.