A throwaway comment to sadden a Librarian’s heart…

A 6th former has just walked past me.  Her friend asked her why she needed to computer.  I didn’t hear that lass’s response but heard the first one clearly reply ‘Why do you need to research for an essay?’.

Sigh.

This is presumably a girl who has done well at GCSE, and therefore in her coursework.  They come from all schools across the Borough to attend our 6th form, renowned as the best there is.  Yet they have no idea why, and it must therefore be assumed how, they research an essay.  I sit here screaming silently as this is exactly what I have been trying to get into the teaching staffs minds for 9 years!  I presented to Head of Department meetings, Inducted new (non-teaching and NQT/trainee teachers), provided pro-forma information literacy request forms and just talked constantly.  I apologise to Universities who end up getting undergraduates with no idea how to study independently, but with the curriculum as prescribed as it is and the continued dumbing down and destruction of our public and school libraries I see no chance of improvement in the near future.

Alan Gibbons has started a Campaign for the Book on the back of the systematic destruction of Doncaster’s Libraries.  Started because as he researched this action he discovered how widespread this destruction is within public and schools libraries.  I have just had anecdotal proof of how necessary a well staffed, well funded and properly used library is to a student’s education, and indeed to the population in general.  My school is by no means one of the worst, and if we can’t manage it…

Schools SMTs, teachers, Councillors… are you listening?

Guilty

Found guilty and still the young ‘uns are not believed by their primary carer.  What does it take?  Some of the evidence statements were accepted as fact, therefore the people expecting to be witnesses were not called, this they found out only the day before.  This means the defendant had to agree the statements were true and factual.

Not word on the sentencing.  I fear for my friend.  There will still be an almighty fall to come.  I fear for my young ‘uns.  Are they getting the help and support they’ve lacked so far?  How are they ever going to believe they are loved again?

I can only be here ready to help glue back the pieces.

I passed!!!

I passed the part 2 driving test on Tuesday 30th September at Barnsley test centre (examinaer was Rachel).  Only 2 minors and was told it was a “lovely drive”.  I am more pleased the further away I get from the test, all I could think about then was the errors I thought I had made, though obviously they weren’t.  Need to get away from perfectionism, it won’t help my students.

I have booked my days in College to start training for the part 3 – teacher training section.  This test involves my instructors role-playing.  They will play a phase 1 student (new or very little experience) and also a phase 2 (more experienced, different type of instruction needed), each for half-hour.  They will deliberately make mistakes and I will have to teach them.  I have to go in to College for 6 consecutive days, so am doing do for the last week of this half term and the first Monday of the holiday.  Lovely Michelle L has offered to do extra child-care, love her .

I could apply for a trainee ADI license and start legally charging for lessons.  But that costs money I don’t have and also, I suspect, you need to be ’sponsored’ by a driving school, and therefore be tied in, which I definitely do not want.

Still, part of the next stage of training takes into account all of this.  It should includes introductions to driving schools, guidance regarding setting up on your own and managing accounts, and such.  I’m going to have to make up the time I am having to lose at school, 5 full days, so it better be worth it!

On the home stretch now…  Lets aim for a high pass eh?!