Thoughts from Cowal

2011-08-16T22:03:00.002Z

The middle section of the Navy's newest Aircraft Carrier passing Innellan on its way to Rosyth.

More Maersk Movement

2010-06-23T19:30:00.005Z

Moving through the gloom of Wednesday afternoon on the Clyde, the Maersk Beaumont - under her own power this time and according to AIS heading for Le Havre. Things getting better economy wise? Don't know as there is a Maersk tanker sitting off Arran with Loch Striven as its destination!

Maersk Movement

2010-06-13T17:05:00.004Z

Seen just a few mintes ago, the Maersk Beaumont being towed from Loch Striven to Gourock. Earlier the Maersk Boston had taken the same journey and is now sitting off Gourock. It seems that this is the beginning of the process of getting their engines ready for use again.

A few days earlier the SLPerformance underwent this process. She was due to pick up one last load of containers before sailing to the Far East for 'recycling'

The Maersk Baltimore and Brooklyn remain in Loch Striven as I think does the Maersk Bentonville, but only the Baltimore and Brooklyn have their AIS turned on again. Now does this indicate that, for Maersk at least, things are getting better?

When 'Doon the water' is dangerous!

2010-01-16T20:55:00.006Z

Woke up this morning to find a fishing boat aground just along the road from our house. It would appear that the Avalon got into trouble last night and the crew were lifted off by helicopter. Thankfully it would appear that all were safe and the biggest casualty was the boat itself.

The Clyde is only a relatively small river, but still dangerous, and the number of wrecks recorded in it confirms this. It was rather windy! I look forward to finding out what happened.

Not a day for going 'Doon the Watter'!

2009-11-22T16:20:00.004Z

Not a very clear pic - partly due to it being taken through a window and partly due to the poor visibility. What you see is as enhanced as I could get Elements 7 to give me.

The pic is of the Coruisk making its way down the Clyde to Rothesay. The weather did deteriorate after this and, after the Bute making a run from Gourock at about 3:30pm, sailings were cancelled.

Or Maybe Six?

2009-11-08T16:56:00.004Z

Although we hear that the recession is easing it doesn't look that way for shipping companies.

Yet another Maersk container ship has appeared on the Clyde. The Maersk Brooklyn is sitting at anchor off Rothesay Bay and it would seem it is bound for Loch Striven to be laid up with its five other sister ships.

Again it is one of Maersk's newer container ships, built in 2007, and of the same design as four of the others in Loch Striven.

Then there were Five!

2009-11-08T11:25:00.005Z

Having heard of the arrival of a fifth Maersk ship I had intended getting my good wife to take me back up Loch Striven to take more pics.

The best laid plans! We did set out, but as luck would have it the wind picked up somewhat and Fiona decided - given my lack of sailing skill - that it would be better to head back long before getting close to the ships.

The picture here, therefore, was taken from the road running along the Loch.

More of Newcastle

2009-08-11T19:01:00.007Z

Returning to our Newcastle trip I have to say that I found the 'Geordies' extremely friendly. I don't mean to suggest that I was expecting anything else, but it was simply the warmth and openness of them that I found exceptionally pleasant.

Newcastle, itself, is a strange mixture of very new buildings alongside the very old. Not unusual in a city, but strangely noticeable here for some reason. I mean that in many cities you have areas of new build and areas of old - here you seem to find new almost 'grafted' on to old constructions. Really interesting!

Also noticeable was the night-life in the city. I know that I have portrayed us as the 'country-cousins' come to town, but it was fascinating to see just how many folk were out mid-week eating out and enjoying themselves. I can only imagine what the weekend is like! As noted in my last blog it's good for us wee villagers to get out and see more of the world. They are also a hardy breed in Newcastle - the lassies braving the elements with minimum dress. Lots and lots of bonnie lassies there! Now can I block my wife from reading this?

The Sage, Gateshead

2009-08-08T18:44:00.012Z

An excellent three days in Newcastle this week!

Arrived on Wednesday - the last time we were here was over twenty years ago - and very pleasantly surprised by how the city has developed.

Stayed in the Jurys Inn and even more surprised at the standard and quality of the hotel (we don't get out much!). Honestly not advertising, but extremely pleasant with excellent staff and superbly spotless accommodation - would go back there again!

Why were we there? Well, my musical son was playing at The Sage with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland as part of an extensive tour taking in Aberdeen, Gateshead, Katowice and Krakow - Poland and ending in Apeldoorn - Netherlands.

We opted for 'The Sage' to hear their performance and it was excellent. The music was varied. Under their conductor Takuo Yuasa, they played Antonin Dvorak's Hussite Overture op.67, the rather unusual, but strangely enjoyable, Cello Concerto by Witold Lutoslawski featuring soloist Alexander Baillie and a superb rendition of Ein Heldenleben by Richard Stauss. A really great evening's entertainment added to by great food and service by The Sage prior to the concert.

One of the benefits of living in a wee Scottish village is the appreciation of experiencing the big world outside now and again.

Newcastle - you really lived up to it. Brilliant!

More on Newcastle and Gateshead - places and people - to follow!

Not Sailing Again!

2009-08-01T20:09:00.006Z

We had hoped to get away on the boat again this week, but a combination of me - the sailing wimp - and high winds has meant that we are still at home! The first picture is of the jetty at the sailing club from where we row out to Katana and the second shows Katana, in the centre of the picture, dipping forward into the water. Sorry, Fiona! Bet you wish you'd married a real sailor!

There have been days when the comment has been made that it was 'a great day'. Unspoken were the words - 'for sailing'. I do pledge to keep trying and get out there as much as I can. There that's public! Can't go back on it....:-)

However, on the up-side of this we have made some progress in researching our family tree - getting back to the 1700's in some branches of the family..... and Fiona bought a flexible laundry basket from our new hardware store having failed to buy one across the water!!

The next highlight in Dunoon's life is the opening of Morrison's on Monday. We look forward to it because we might get our Co-op back!!

Loch Striven

2009-07-23T20:06:00.010Z

It's quite fascinating what seems to interest people around the world. Having checked my sitemeter lately I noticed that many of the hits are from people interested in the Maersk ships laid up in Loch Striven - and these hits have come from as far as South Africa and Switzerland.

The ships also appeared the other day again on Scottish National news giving what I reckoned to be a fairly sympathetic insight into processes being undertaken to 'preserve' the ships in the hope that they will go into service again. Certainly the Captain interviewed did not want to see the ships laid up any more than the residents living around Loch Striven.

I can't quite decide where my thoughts lie with the issue, but can't quite help thinking that there is a bit of 'Not In My Back Yard' coming into the argument. There has certainly been some heated local debate on the Clydesights web site.

I'm sure the debate will continue.

Caladh Harbour

2009-07-17T18:18:00.010Z

On the way home the other day Fiona decided to treat me to a little sail through Caladh Harbour - something she had avoided doing until only a couple of years ago.

Essentially this involved leaving Wreck Bay, heading towards Loch Riddon and the bit of coastline shown in the second picture and continuing until a house appeared over our left shoulder. At this point a quick handbrake turn to the left was required and we sailed between the CCC pole on shore (starboard) and the white beacon on our left (port!). The instructions are very clear - stay mid-channel! Obviously completely convinced by Fiona's expertise, I was totally un-phased by all of this and happily snapped away with my camera and before I knew it we were through and heading back to the Burnt Islands - Fiona was most put out that I was not more 'wowed' by this diversion. Doesn't she realise us old sea-dogs have seen it all?

More Sailing!

2009-07-16T19:29:00.009Z

Dragging me, once again, kicking and screaming from in front of the TV Fiona decided that the weather was perfect for us to have a sail and overnight stay at Wreck Bay. 'Weather...perfect' meant little wind and nothing to be scared of..... not her - me!

We left just before 7:00pm and headed up towards the Kyles. The weather was good though more cloudy than I would have liked and with a rather cool wind blowing down from the Kyles resulting in me - the wimp - wearing jumper and sailing waterproof jacket. Summer in Scotland!

However we arrived at Wreck Bay - I've always thought it a strange name for a safe anchorage - at about 9:00pm and another first for us! With no one else on board i.e. the boys or someone else competent, we managed to anchor. It made me think that either Fiona had more confidence in me on the helm - unlikely - or that she had great confidence in her own judgement and ability - much more likely! A couple of whiskys later and everything was much cosier - apart from Fiona 'fretting' slightly whilst waiting on Low Tide - due at Midnight - in order to make sure we had enough water under us. We did! A good night and as you can see from the photos we awoke to a brilliant morning. The first photo is looking into Wreck Bay and the only other yacht anchored there. The other is looking further up towards Loch Riddon.

I could get used to this sailing lark if only the weather was always like this.

Loch Striven

2009-07-12T16:48:00.006Z

On our way to see the Maersk Container ships moored in Loch Striven we passed the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Bayleaf.

RFA Bayleaf was built by Cammell Laird -launched in 1981 and was accepted into service in 1982. She has a length of 560 feet and a beam measuring 85 feet.

Here we see her moored alongside the Loch Striven POL (Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant) depot. The depots storage tanks are built into the hillside above the ship and are fairly well landscaped - their shapes only noticeable on closer inspection.

...And where they ended up!

2009-07-12T15:50:00.009Z

All four Maersk owned container ships are now secured part way up Loch Striven. They are the Sealand Performance, Maersk Beaumont, Maersk Baltimore and Maersk Bentonville.

I know that there is some controversy about their presence here, but sailing round them yesterday I found them, quite simply, fascinating. My son has had experience working on container ships and this is the closest I have been to one (or four!) and now can appreciate their sheer scale.

They are moored alongside each other with Yokohama fenders (according to an extremely knowledgeable source at http://clydesights.com/) between them to protect them from damage.

Not Sailing!

2009-07-09T19:56:00.006Z

One of the four Maersk owned container ships anchored off Cumbrae and Bute recently. This one was just off Bute and, like the others, was waiting to proceed up into Loch Striven for a longer term anchorage.

Three of the Maersk ships featuring the accomodation block in the centre of the vessel are only recent builds - 2006 & 2007, but are too large to be as cost effective as previously hoped due to the present down-turn in container shipping. The photos are courtesy of my wife from our small yacht as she sailed past it.

TSC Sailing

2009-05-22T20:14:00.004Z

I'm sure that my anonymous friend didn't really want to see pictures of the start of the sailing season ......but here they are!!! :-)

A nice day - not much wind, but the Clyde looking good. There is life outside school!!

Wish you were back?...:-)

Back at Last!

2009-05-04T19:32:00.004Z

In answer to my anonymous post requesting an update on the school, I have included a couple of photos of the working school - almost two years on!

My office less tidy! The corridors less austere.

How is the new school working? Well OK! There are still many issues to be resolved - leaks, doors not working, all-weather pitches still not in use, over-sensitive fire alarms, poor sound-proofing. However education continues in a better building than we had. Brilliant staff overcoming the difficulties every day.

Me? Older and more stressed! Broke a mirror today - seven years bad luck! Seven years to retirement - at least there will be no surprises!

Since I've started!

2008-05-03T22:02:00.003Z

Although not blogging, I've not been totally idle. Lots of walks and photographs just in case I started again. Over the Easter holidays some days walking - a particularly good day around Loch Tarsan.

The day was exceptionally beautiful and the water like glass. A great day's walk!

We did make it into the New School!!

2008-05-03T21:13:00.005Z

We did make it into the new building, but by the skin of our teeth.

Every new building comes with a 'snagging' list. Ours will last into the 22nd century by the looks of it. Overall though an improvement on the old building.

Most house moves are traumatic, but the move of a whole school at the last minute proved to be considerably more so. The top picture is of my new office and the other is of our Forum.

At this point I must apologise for the long delay in posting another blog - a combination of the move and loads of work connected to it and some degree of feeling that I had nothing interesting to blog about!! However, after talking to one of my year group who had discovered my blog, I have promised to start updating the blog.

Having mentioned my year group I officially lost mine on Wednesday 30th April. Our system is that a Year Head takes a group through from S1 to S4 then they move on to the Formal Depute in S5 and the Head in S6. Personally I don't like this system - I would much rather be with them until the end of S6. This group has been particularly good over the course of the last four years and I am sorry to lose them.

From Grey to Great!

2007-07-15T19:46:00.000Z

What a difference a couple of days makes to us here on the Clyde. Racing at Toward in glorious sunshine and a view up the Kyles that would make the Scottish Tourist Board forgive me for my previous Blog.

Sorry - just a self-indulgent post to mark a great day out on the boat!

Mm - I'm in danger of becoming a fan of sailing!

A Grey Day on the Clyde

2007-07-13T18:53:00.000Z

Having been dragged - almost - kicking and screaming from the comfort of my chair and away from another riveting episode of Murder She Wrote I found myself back on the water again.

The picture is taken from on board our boat Katana looking out from the moorings as we were about to go for a sail this afternoon. "We should have gone this morning!" was the cry, but we went anyway.

The clouds and rain that you see did indeed move up towards us and we did get wet - sorry Scottish Tourist Board! It's still raining and cool despite forecasts of the warmest summer ever - global warming? Ah well!

...And from the front Window!

2007-07-11T16:30:00.000Z

One of the many things I love about living here is the variety of what you can see simply from the windows of the house. From deer in the back garden to Tall Ships at the front of the house.

The ship in the photo is the Tall Ship "Tenacious" heading up to Glasgow for the River Festival which takes place on the weekend of 14 and 15 July.

The Captain of "Tenacious" is one Barbara Campbell - a local woman hailing from Kirn. Barbara is so enthusiastic about sailing that she has given up her own time to deliver several talks about this remarkable ship and it's capacity to take crew of various abilities. One of these very informative and enjoyable talks took place at Toward Sailing Club last year.

The ship can take a voyage crew of 40 in addition to 12 permanent crew. Up to 20 crew can have physical disabilities and it can cope with up to 8 crew in wheelchairs. "Tenacious" provides a superb sailing experience for all who take part.

'Shy' Garden Visitor

2007-07-11T15:16:00.000Z

Just back from a very pleasant week at Center Parcs near Penrith and it's nice to see that after the kind of 'artificial' wildness of Whinfell Forest, we can enjoy 'real' wildness in our back garden.

Despite the inconvenience of them eating all the plants they can find, it is still rather nice to see mother and her 'baby' visiting the garden on a fairly regular basis. The photo was taken from our kitchen window and the young deer was munching outside the outhouses in the back garden.

Away from school - it doesn't look finished yet and the date given for entry, before we went off on holiday, is Friday 13 July - and down at Center Parcs, we enjoyed a rather active time. I have made a mental note, however, that at 51 it's not a good idea to launch yourself back into games of squash - particularly with two fit teenage boys! I did, however, keep my end up until the last day when bits of me finally broke down. All credit to my wife - the PE teacher - who despite similar degrees of unfitness managed to beat me hands down. Back to the drawing board and the multi-gym!!

The Front!

2007-07-01T17:14:00.000Z

It just dawned on me that all the pics I have taken of the school have been from the back - taken from the vantage point of the old school - so today I ventured round the front, only to discover that from the various possible vantage points there you can't really take a decent pic of the place! You'd really need a shot from a helicopter - or a very long ladder to get the elevation! So I've taken a couple of shots just for the sake of it anyway!

The bottom picture is a close up of the front of 'The Forum' - the glass-fronted area that will contain all the kids during breaks.

Quiet and Empty

2007-06-30T14:35:00.000Z

The inside of the old school as it was yesterday. The pictures show two of the social areas (the S6 one in blue and the S1/2 one in red). The kids had been sent home a day early to allow staff to complete the packing process. The school was strangely quiet - quieter even than on an In-Service day. Looking at the photos - the social areas have survived remarkably well given the years of constant use (the graffiti is a last minute addition by the kids before they left the building!).

These social areas will be replaced by one large area in the new school. It will be named 'The Forum' and will accommodate all pupils at break times and will also contain the dining area. This will be interesting and I look forward - heh heh - to supervising it at lunch-times. Well, after all, what problems could there be with a potential thousand kids all in the one area during a wet lunch hour? Schools! - designed by Architects....used by Kids.....and having to be made to work by Teachers.

Nearly Finished

2007-06-29T20:24:00.000Z

Almost there! Nearly everything packed up and the school closed for the summer holidays.

It's been a very strange week with the realisation that we won't be back here again in the new session.

Lots of memories over the past twenty-odd years, but it is only a building.

Move-in date? July 13th at the moment. Watch this space.

Nearly There!

2007-06-27T11:29:00.000Z

At last a moment of quiet from the madness that is a school packing up to move into its new building!

I've only been back a few weeks from sick leave and it has been like entering a bizarre version of Alice's 'Wonderland'! Staff bravely trying to keep their classes working while packers move about the school wrapping and putting in boxes anything that doesn't move. Over the course of the weeks the classrooms have filled up with boxes and emptied of kids as the battle to keep material available for them has been lost.

More recently child labour has been re-introduced and the sight of kids carrying paper, chairs, tables and boxes to and from skips or re-cycling bins has become commonplace.

The moment of peace and quiet at the moment has come as a result of the packers running out of boxes - no more arriving until 6:00pm this evening so things have just about ground to a halt.

The actual move should take place within the next three weeks - during the school holiday - and I, for one, am looking forward to getting over there and organised for next session. I do have up-to-date pics and will post them this evening.

Not All Bad

2007-05-02T18:18:00.000Z

Despite my earlier indication that the winter months from January to April were less than joyful, there were some bright spots during the gloom.

My son was, again, performing with N.C.O.S. (The National Children's Orchestra of Scotland) during the Easter break and this year it took us to Perth - to the relatively new concert hall (pictured above). It was actually quite an impressive building and the concert really rather good. The only down side was the fact that despite being in row K, we were still only at eye level with the staging and therefore looking at ankles rather than down on the orchestra - more noticeable here than in other concert halls I've been in. The rise in the level of seating here seems more gentle than elsewhere, but otherwise a good night.

What I did notice during the day in Perth was the welcoming feeling about the place. The general attitude and demeanour of the people working in the shops and of those we met in the streets was one of friendliness and good humour. We may just have been lucky - it certainly seemed to have the usual wide mix of character types you would associate with a large built-up area - but I left with the impression that it might be quite a pleasant place in which to live. I'd certainly go back there again.

A Welcome Return ?

2007-05-02T12:38:00.000Z

The sailing season has returned to Toward as I have to blogging.

Four months away feels, now, a very long time although since January life has been hectic both at school and in some ways at home. I have to admit I've been putting off returning to blogging for some weeks now, but since I find myself on sick leave for at least the next three weeks - recovering from some long-needed surgery - I've decided to make the best of it and hit the blogging scene again.

Reasons for being away so long? I'll blog about this over a number of posts rather than hit any possible readers with it all at one time. I wouldn't wish that on even the most ardent reader.

Anyway - a start made at last! Now if only I could remember how to post photos! Hah! Done it!

.....The Storm!

2006-12-31T19:50:00.000Z

A bit of a change today as forecast!

It's dark and gloomy and the wind is howling around the house. There was one brief period of respite around three o'clock, but back as bad as ever now. (The picture is of a navigation mark taken from our bedroom window.)

At the moment the waves are crashing over the road just along from our house and high tide isn't due for about another two hours. All TV Channels have ceased to function here and the rain is torrential!

Have a really Happy New Year everyone!

The Calm Before......

2006-12-31T19:38:00.000Z

Just a beautiful day yesterday in between the gales on Friday and the forecast gales for Sunday - Hogmanay.

No thoughts of school or ICT problems, just a beautiful walk above the village and the picture overlooking the reservoir with the Clyde behind.

A very wet walk through boggy ground, but worth it.

Christmas Greetings

2006-12-26T21:11:00.000Z

Merry Christmas everyone out there - and that's as far as my Christmas spirit goes!

I've held off blogging because I felt that a huge rant was due and I didn't want to appear petty or churlish, but after several weeks of trying to remain calm and the festive spirit just having worn off I feel that a rant is due!

Argyll & Bute, through using I-Gear, has banned the use of Blogger. Before it was only a technical problem, but now it's official - Blogger is banned! It appears that the I-Gear system has decided that Blogger sites may contain sex and thus ALL blogspot sites are blocked - therefore all sites created by teachers and pupils using Blogger are now inaccessible to those schools using the I-Gear system.

I had intended using Blogger to stimulate creative writing next term - creating a wider audience for my students, but that has now been stifled and I really don't have the time or motivation to find and learn about another acceptable blogging provider to start again.

Tony! ... Your Attention Please!

2006-12-04T18:57:00.000Z

There's a certain irony that Tony Blair has announced a desire to replace Trident so soon after my poetry work with S4 on 'Your Attention Please'. It makes you sit up and listen just that bit more quickly - to the extent my son commented that I get so worked up sometimes! Good...wish more people did.

About twenty billion pounds? What an obscene use of money.

I find it incredible that we can still argue for Nuclear Weapons on the one hand and decry others who aspire to have them. What makes us morally justified in holding WMDs and others not? Are we a safer option - I think not.

It's been called, today, 'The ultimate insurance policy' ? Read the poem Tony and learn from it!

Your Atttention Please!

2006-11-29T22:26:00.000Z

Let me make it clear (if you don’t know already) – I love trying to use ICT in the classroom and think the kids appreciate the effort, but there’s a long way to go before it becomes a seamless, integrated part of my teaching process.

Picture the scene:

I recently inherited an S4 Standard Grade English class due to extended staff absence and found them to be keen to get back on track with their course having been mucked about quite a bit by having numerous cover teachers over a number of weeks. They were due to start some poetry work so, after the initial depression of taking on another class, I set to organising some poetry work for them.

Not content with just ‘doing’ the poem with them I really wanted to take them through it in a much more interactive way and decided to break the poem – “Your Attention Please” by Peter Porter – into sections and highlight/annotate it using PowerPoint. Great idea! - I thought. Stupid, bloody idea! - I thought three hours later, although I did have a finished product that worked to my satisfaction. Everything ready for a superb lesson then – not quite!

I don’t have my own classroom so some organisation was needed!

Saved my work onto my USB drive from home computer where I did my work, booked a data projector, checked that the presentation worked on my school laptop – breaking all the rules about not using USB drives on school machines of course – and then got ready for the lesson!

On the day:

Picked up the data projector, my laptop and my USB drive. Arrived at the classroom minutes before the kids. Pulled down the white sheet that served as a screen – slightly crumpled giving an interesting texture. Took some time to find a multi-plug extension, then connected all the equipment and spent some more time getting the laptop to talk to the projector. Eventually all was ready and the lesson went ahead – actually it went quite well with the interactive nature of examining the poem really holding their attention and getting them to work on their own annotations at the same time. Then the reverse process of disconnecting and putting everything away.

Total preparation time: about three and a half hours

Total lesson time : about forty-five minutes

OK I’m maybe a little slow with the PowerPoint creation side of things and this may get slicker and quicker, but a lot of effort – albeit seemingly worthwhile.

We desperately need the classroom environment, at least, to be ICT ready – all connections and equipment already there and waiting. In the New School? Looks like it might be – any little helps!

My PowerPoint presentation? Well I’ve now got a lesson saved and ready for use at any time – for S1, S2, S3, S4, S5…..S6!! ;-)

Is it worth the effort? Yeh probably is! I’m hooked.

Service Restored

2006-11-17T13:13:00.000Z

The good news is that Blogging is again alive and well in Dunoon. I understand the problem was local to Dunoon and the result of a technical hitch. My apologies if , during my rant, I suggested it was a change of policy!

Plans to create some Creative Writing Blogs with my S2s next term can now go ahead.

Many thanks to those who commented and gave their support and many thanks to those who put the situation right.

I do like a happy ending.......now if we could just work on getting access to Flickr and.......! ;)

Congratulations!

2006-11-16T18:20:00.000Z

Just announced on STV - Glendaruel and Colintraive have succeeded in their bid for money from the Lottery.

One new Playpark on it's way.

Very many thanks to all of you out there who voted for them. Brilliant!

Glendaruel/Colintraive Appeal

2006-11-15T17:02:00.000Z

The magic contact numbers are:

Call 0870 243 7802

Text SCOTTODAY 2 to 63330

Community Playpark
Kilmodan Acre Trust (Playpark Committee)
Based in Glendaruel

The project aims to create a fully accessible community playpark and picnic site in a rurally isolated area to encourage all ages in the community to socialise and interact.

You have until Midnight tonight to make a difference for the kids of Glendaruel and Colintraive.

Please phone or text.

"We Don't Need No Stinking ICT"

2006-11-10T18:39:00.000Z

To quote my pal Chris it's 'back to the stone age in Argyll'.

Having been reading about the tremendous advances being made by students and teachers using blogging as an educational tool and having bemoaned the slow rate of progress here, today marked yet another retrograde step for Educational ICT use in Argyll.

Access to Blogger, one of the most popular ways of blogging, has been denied. Someone somewhere has decided that it is obviously either dangerous or subversive or something. The reason given from the automated firewall/filter is that it's interactive! God forbid we should be allowing the students to learn in an interactive environment.

Having been enthused by many of Christine's ideas for interactive writing I had plans to try this out with my S2 class next term - back to A4 paper and pens then. This is particularly galling as the HMIe on their last visit were positively beside themselves because they thought we were not making enough innovative use of the ICT provision in school. Well I can't wait to talk to them next time!

It's quite bizarre that our four probationer teachers were positively encouraged to start up and keep blogs of their own - is it something Blogger has done. Does Argyll & Bute have a preference for a 'safe' blogging platform? Who knows and who makes the decisions?

David Muir is an extremely enthusiastic lecturer from Jordanhill and always encourages his students to create and use blogs as much as they can - not if they come here, David! I can now just about read his in school, but can't comment and can't always see all of his site! He's effectively being censored - too strong a word? I don't think so. We are being prevented interacting with a blog site written by a respected Educationalist and I object to that!

It is interesting also the seemingly random nature of how this blocking takes place. I can, for example still access Ewan's blog and still comment. Maybe they've not found typepad yet - mmmm of course maybe now they have!

An Appeal

2006-11-09T11:39:00.000Z

My wife who is a peripatetic P.E. teacher and who visits many of the small village schools in Cowal came home the other night with the latest stage of an appeal from the kids of Glendaruel Primary and the Colintraive area. They are desperate for a play park - something many kids elsewhere take for granted.

This small group has progressed in their bid for money from the Lottery's 'People's Millions' and they are looking for our votes to help them gain the money required. To help - if you can - please read the following and make a call!

Watch 'People's Millions' on Scottish Television's 'Scotland Today' on Wednesday 15th November at 6pm.

You can vote for them by phone or text from 9am to Midnight that day only.

You can get the number only on Wednesday 15th November from:

The website - http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/peoplesmillions

OR

'Scotland Today' at 6pm on STV.

Please help them. They need your vote to make their dream a reality.

Come on fellow bloggers with a bigger audience than me! Spread the word!
I'll even post the number first thing that morning to save you guys time!

ICT Again

2006-11-06T12:48:00.000Z

I've been reading a number of blog and website entries on this subject and there are certainly a huge number of innovative suggestions and good practice for the use of ICT in the classroom....and then I look around me and see little of it happening here. I know I have already moaned about this back in January, but things show no real signs of improving.

True we have a large number of computers in the school ranging from desk tops to lap-tops in trolleys, but apart from a few smart boards ICT use is still sporadic and does not seem to be any more embedded in the curriculum than it was back then while some schools seem to be forging ahead.

Our firewall, of course, does not help - I can't access huge areas of the web designated by someone as not suitable for school use. After years of asking we still cannot access Edinburgh University's SCHOLAR discussion boards despite large numbers of our students being given access to SCHOLAR material; Flickr is a 'no no' although it's been shown to have educational potential and not that long ago we lost access to the BBC's news site - reason given by the firewall auto response - humour! We did win the case on this one and got it back.

We really do need a more co-ordinated approach to the delivery of Education through ICT - from local school and Authority to National approaches to it. I feel it's still too piecemeal and I'd love to be able to do more.

Thanks.....rant over!

Summer 2006

2006-10-17T19:19:00.000Z

Teaching is a stressful job and over the years I've tried to find holiday activities which allow me to wind down.

When younger I played squash, went hill-walking, climbing, running, cycling .... but as I get older the options are - well - more limited. Nowadays I do reading, walking, internet ... less physically demanding ... but they don't really get the adrenalin going and don't really relax me.

However my wife and kids are really into sailing and, as we are really lucky to have a thirty year old beautiful keelboat which sails so well, I'm drawn towards this form of 'relaxation'. The only problem is that I don't like water and don't like sailing!

My wife, being a damn good teacher, has gradually introduced me to this 'sport'/ 'recreation' and this summer I managed to go on several day sails and an overnight trip. You're away from it all - mobiles off, no contact with the outside world - apart from vhf and coastguard - brilliant! I'm a convert! Photos of us and others at anchor in wreck bay near Colintraive. Beer extra - not what's making me happy!

Summer Visitors!

2006-10-17T18:48:00.000Z

I've decided that I'm a terrible blogger. Even after getting started again after summer I've let it slip - a combination of loads of work and fighting for the internet cable (wife and son usually win on that front!) - anyway a couple of pics to get started again.

Beauty and the beast? Just a couple of visitors to the garden. Perhaps unfair because the toad is really rather stunning, but the jay just has the wow factor.

I'm Back!

2006-08-21T09:43:00.000Z

Yes back to school and back to blogging!

I gues I'm not as dedicated a blogger as I thought since the summer holiday has also been a holiday from my site. Still I'll make an effort to get back to it and post regular blogs.

Quite a few new staff starting this term - all of them looking very young and fresh and keen - wish I saw that when I look in the mirror! However it was an unusual first day back ending as it did with a continental-style downpour which filled the extension building with about three inches of water in the Maths and Social Subjects floors. When the kids arrived the next day controlled chaos ensued - classes displaced, staff carrying materials across the school, multiple classes in the dining hall and assembly hall, new S1 pupils looking more than a little confused!

All good fun and well done to all who coped with the situation.

Now - must go and work on my keen, young, fresh face.

Activities Week 2006

2006-07-07T20:04:00.000Z

A Sumptuous Starter

The term ended well.

Quite a departure for me this year during Activities Week. Usually I, with two brilliant colleagues, am involved in the school's French Exchange and this year would be in Saint Brieuc, but with the Exchange folding I have turned my 'talents' to cooking!

With two other excellent colleagues, Alastair Stewart and Val Anderson, we took over one of the Home Economics rooms and spent three days producing 'Masterchef' quality three-course lunches.

Needless to say my team came out on top with the judges!

Great fun. Great company. Great kids.

A Bit of an Absence

2006-07-05T18:29:00.000Z

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It's been so long since I blogged it feels strange to post anything.

Since the last entry it really has been a stressful few months - not the leisurely wind-down non-teaching folk think we have. A whole series of demands meant that each week was more hectic than the last and those brief periods of time away from school stuff were directed at family or dozing in the chair in front of the TV - yes reached that stage of life!

Anyway no moans just a couple of pictures of the new school's progress to get me back blogging and one of the present school for posterity!

Bank Holiday Break

2006-04-30T18:45:00.000Z

Calm after the storm last week! Two Citizenship days followed by an In-Service day delivering material to staff.

Saturday was bliss. One son at the RSAMD, the other working on a farm - time for my wife and me to go wandering!

Weather brilliant and the Kyles of Bute and Tighnabruaich looking fantastic. Peace and quiet on the hills - on days like this Argyll is really the place to be. I love living here anyway, but on days like this it cannot be beaten.

Citizenship Days

2006-04-30T18:16:00.000Z

I took my second year group out of timetable last Wednesday and Thursday and with the help of the emergency services 'exposed' them to the workings of the police, coastguard, fire-brigade, ambulance service and our builders - Mansell.

Basically the services explained what their roles were in dealing with incidents, while trying to put over the idea that everyone has responsibilities in terms of caring for others and being 'good citizens' !

The days seemed to go well and culminated in a major incident scenario in Dunoon Stadium - involving all the services including the RAF rescue helicopter from Prestwick. Great job everyone - including the kids. BIG thanks to Mairi Thomson for coming up with the idea and all the organisation.

More Progress

2006-04-30T18:09:00.000Z

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Some pics for Duffy since I promised - sorry it's taken so long!

School really beginning to take shape.

First Day Back

2006-04-18T21:23:00.000Z

First day back after Easter break and I don't think I have experienced a day of such conflicting emotions as today! Someone had put into the Daily Notices that I had reached the grand old age of 50 and everyone was absolutely brilliant - cards, presents, cake, Happy Birthday sung by office staff, kids shouting happy birthday in the corridor and in class - such overwhelming support and kindness! I could not have asked for more.

Yet in the midst of this I found myself having to talk to a form class - my year group - and tell them that a member of their class had died over the Easter Holidays and watch their faces as the awful reality of the situation sank in. No amount of teacher training prepares you for this nor even many years of teaching! My heart goes out to the family and to the child no longer with us. The kids responded with stunned attention, care and emotion - it was too much for me. I hope I never to have to do that again.

I really don't know if I should have placed this on my blog, but sharing helps and at the moment I still feel totally overwhelmed. The child was a great kid and will be sorely missed.

Fifty!

2006-04-16T19:04:00.000Z

My darling wife has forced me into confessing that I turned 50 yesterday. It was not a day I was looking forward to - glass half empty man - but God bless my wife and kids they made it a great day! Also if I follow her maxim - "you're only as old as the man/woman you feel" - then she's aged too!

I am constantly amazed - particularly because I work with youngsters - that I never really feel old. The kids do tend to keep me young - although now beginning to teach the grandchildren of former pupils - and former pupils now working alongside me as colleagues. No I shall continue to think of myself as a fifty year old with the body and mind of a twenty-one year old and continue to avoid looking in the mirror! Sometimes difficult I'll admit - particularly when one wit in my class a while ago, having asked how long I had taught at the school and been told, whistled and said "God sir, they'll be taking you out of here in a box!"

That may very well be true!

p.s. Cake baked for me by my son, Alasdair! It was excellent!

Dull and Miserable!

2006-04-12T13:30:00.000Z

Exactly how I feel today - weather matching my mood so I thought I would simply post a picture of loch Eck from a walk at the weekend to remind myself it can be beautiful down here!

Still Not Back Up To Speed!

2006-04-10T18:18:00.000Z

Great performance from NCOS on Friday - although not my favourite music! From my lack of musical knowledge it seemed to be particularly difficult and my son did comment that some of it required extraordinary concentration - could only be followed by counting!! See write up in The Herald today.

Sorry!

2006-04-05T18:53:00.000Z

Back, but with apologies to my faithful readers - Duffy & Chris! After last rant things just got worse. S3 exam marking, S5/6 NABS, S2 National Assessments, S1 RME projects and assessment and as Duffy noticed S2 bloody options!! I suppose I went into a sort of terminal decline - couldn't even face going online let alone blogging!

Recovering slowly now - Youngest son safely delivered to Strathallan School for National Childrens' Orchestra of Scotland rehearsals - tickets still available for concert at Usher Hall tomorrow and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Friday! Proud parent!

Had a go at my SMT colleagues before end of term re. their departmental involvement in marking etc. Apart from one I seem to be the only one that has this level of department work in addition to SMT responsibilities - ah well - always the martyr and don't I get paid well for it?

I had forgotten how cathartic this blogging is - could have been on the road to recovery ages ago!

Thanks for your comments Chris and Duffy. At the risk of being soppy I really do appreciate your concerns.

Unreasonable ?

2006-03-13T20:38:00.000Z

Just a little rant ... an email this morning detailing the misbehaviour of one of my weans on Friday afternoon. Emailed back that I would deal with it, but that I was committed all day today (classes, meetings and parents) and that tomorrow I was out of timetable all day to interview kids about their options (interviews all day every fifteen minutes) and that Wednesday was the soonest I could deal with it. Happy with that? Not likely! Angry retorts from staff concerned - angry emails - threats of union action! There are some stressed and angry people in school at the moment. Am I so unreasonable ? Make me a non-teaching Depute and I'll deal with it straight away. (Rant over - gosh I feel better).

The only saving grace from this great start to the day was Chris coming up to see me as a result of a comment I left on her site. Hugs, kisses and a gift fair cheered me up. Thanks Chris - sorry I only had the interval to see you and - yes - I do know where to find you!

p.s. Duffy more pictures soon. Sorry about delay in posts - if today was bad the last couple of weeks have been not very good !

Good Kids - 2

2006-02-27T14:32:00.000Z

On the same line of thought as my previous blog I was involved with my year group on Friday in a careers/options morning.

We had invited in speakers from various areas of work and they rotated round the groups of kids giving them some insight into their jobs.

The morning finished with reports being issued along with options material.

The kids were brilliant! The speakers left with very positive impressions of the school and the pupils. Proud again? You bet I was. I've been telling them for ages that they are a great group of kids. On Friday they proved it to me and to themselves.

Good Kids

2006-02-27T14:15:00.000Z

I've been reading a lot lately, both in newspapers and on the web, about the increasing problems with youngsters in and out of schools. There seems to be no doubt that problems are on the rise, but it does lead me to reflect yet again how sad it is that the media focus is always on the negative.

Just a week ago I sat in a hall in Helensburgh and listened to the combined musical talents of youngsters from all over Argyll & Bute who had given up their holiday weekend to practise for the concert. Their musical director, John Grant, and their section tutors had only three days to bring this diverse group together and come up with a polished performance. They were absolutely terrific. They put together a concert of ten different pieces of music and in his vote of thanks the local councillor stated that they were as good as some professionals he had listed to.

Proud of them ? You bet .... and not just because one of them was my son ! They displayed all that is good about kids. I just wish this kind of thing was given the same degree of publicity. There are a hell of a lot of good kids out there too.

Expanding Horizons!

2006-02-17T12:50:00.000Z

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Just some pics of the ever-expanding new school building. Bet you wish you were back here, Chris !

Things Don't Change

2006-02-12T21:32:00.000Z

Reflecting this evening on Sundays, I remember, as a school kid, leaving all of my homework until Sunday afternoon and evening. I grew to hate Sundays as a result.

Now twenty-six plus years into teaching I still leave my homework until Sundays and have just completed five hours of marking and report-writing. I still don't like Sundays and have not learned. Wouldn't it be nice to have a job that doesn't involve homework ?

Why moan though - after all don't we have the short hours and the long holidays ?

All of this made worse, of course, by seeing gorgeous pictures and reading about Christine's trip to New Zealand then looking out at the mist-shrouded hills and hearing the rain.

Good on you Chris. Enjoy it all.

Code of Conduct

2006-02-03T12:33:00.000Z

We have recently been issued with an employee's Code of Conduct. Much of it is very worthy of note and some of it actually quite sensible.

It was, however, the last section of the document that caught my attention - talk about a 'cover-all' clause!

It reads:

"These guidelines are intended to provide a framework for employees but do not cover all eventualities. Employees should never do anything which could not be justified to their Director, the Council or the public."

OK so far, but then......

"Always bear in mind that it is not enough to avoid actually doing something improper, an employee must always avoid any reason for suspicion or any action which might appear to be improper"

The bold type is theirs. Any legal types out there like to comment ? How is it decided what might appear improper ? Paranoid - me ?

Work in Progress

2006-01-26T19:32:00.000Z

Just a couple of photos showing the progress of the new building. The top is the left-hand section which will eventually join with the rest of the building shown on the second shot. We are looking at the back of the new school building.

ICT thoughts from the USA

2006-01-20T20:59:00.000Z

Found this on The Blue Skunk Blog : some interesting thoughts.

"Courtesy of Kansas High School Dialog Buzz website, via Rae Niles via Wes Freyer…this is the kind of stuff to put up on your wall…
This was posted on the Abilene, Kansas High School Dialogue Buzz website. It was an anonymous post, but VERY powerful. Feel free to share this with educators, parents and stakeholders about 1:1 and the power of the seamless use of technology. It seems to sum it all up!!

Let’s have a little competition at school and get ready for the future.

I will use a laptop and you will use paper and pencil.

Are you ready…?

I will access up-to-date information - you have a textbook that is 5 years old.

I will immediately know when I misspell a word – you have to wait until it’s graded.

I will learn how to care for technology by using it – you will read about it.

I will see math problems in 3D – you will do the odd problems.

I will create artwork and poetry and share it with the world – you will share yours with the class.

I will have 24/7 access – you have the entire class period.

I will access the most dynamic information – yours will be printed and photocopied.

I will communicate with leaders and experts using email – you will wait for Friday’s speaker.

I will select my learning style – you will use the teacher’s favorite learning style.

I will collaborate with my peers from around the world – you will collaborate with peers in your classroom.

I will take my learning as far as I want – you must wait for the rest of the class.

The cost of a laptop per year? - $250

The cost of teacher and student training? – Expensive

The cost of well educated US citizens and workforce? - Priceless "

The sentiments are a touch idealistic and miss out on the teacher - pupil interaction, but the seamless use of the technology along with teacher interaction ring true. We would also have to be very aware of the huge amount of mis-information there is out there on the web - thus still the need for the teacher 'expert'.

We need more technology and more training in how to best use it. Chris, has similar excellent thoughts about what could be done on her latest post.

At least there's a load of people thinking about it. Let's try to DO it.

ICT in Schools

2006-01-17T19:44:00.000Z

I freely admit that I am very keen to see the development and use of ICT in schools - in ALL subject areas. To that end I have been trawling the net for ideas and there's a lot of good and interesting stuff out there. However it seems to me that, as with many innovations and developments, it's the enthusiasm of individuals willing to take on the technology challenge over and above their already heavy workload that keeps this kind of progress in schools - look for example at Sandaig Primary

I'm old enough to remember the arrival of BBC computers in our school. Great excitement for some of us - no reaction from others. They arrived in many schools, not as a result of a need expressed by staff or pupils, but because the authorities felt that it was good to have new technology in Education. As a result they lay unopened in many schools across the country - opened in some by staff who were willing to take a chance and who knew something about them.

I wonder just how far we, in Scotland, have progressed since then ? True the rise of the Mac and the PC has allowed far more flexible use, but many staff I talk to still see the computer as either a word processor for the kids or as an extra to be brought out every now and again. Maybe I'm just impatient, but I long for the day when the school is built around ease of access to computers and the net - no more having to book the computer room or find the trolley with the laptops - and have ICT use built seemlessly into the curriculum.

I remember a quote I think from the US Vice President expressing surprise that education had taken so long to embrace technology while industry and others had - reasons ? - lack of money, vision and still not regarding it as an essential element of 21st century education.

Education in Singapore, I read on remote access , seems to have embraced ICT in the form of blogging. From my school the content security system would not even let me view the winning site! A battle still lies ahead, but at least there are more of us today to keep trying. Maybe in my lifetime ?

What discipline problems ?

2006-01-12T18:31:00.000Z

After many years of serious research my wife, who is also a teacher, and I have decided that it's not governmental interference (Education...Education...Education), nor poorly designed lesson plans, nor lack of commitment, nor Local Authority control that create problems in schools ! We have decided, independently of each other, that most of the discipline problems in schools arise either from a full moon or high winds or worst of all both together. Get rid of both and we're laughing.

With 60 - 70 mph winds today blowing up the Clyde, Ferries off and structural building work suspended over at the new school site, I was lucky enough to be on duty at lunch-time. Good preparation for when they cart me off to the asylum. Kids who otherwise are calm, polite and well-behaved were howling during their break. A challenging lunch hour - just off to pour a large one and think about our 'boat-people' who had to find another way home this evening.

Back to School ?

2006-01-09T19:44:00.000Z

Not quite! Arrived early this morning as I was due to enroll two new pupils. Did so, but then along with the rest of the school had to go home again due to the fact that the heating was not working. Bitterly cold, but a lot of smiling faces - even amongst the kids.

A VERY Belated Happy New Year

2006-01-09T19:37:00.000Z

Happy 2006. Apologies to my readers who will have given up. Some 'slight' technical difficulties with my aging Pentium II resulting from all the Christmas goodies attached through my new USB hub - now working again, but at geriatric pace.

Enjoy Cowal in 2006.

The Festive Season

2005-12-30T15:14:00.000Z

So much for having quality time to sit on-line and blog with the pressures of school behind me. One birthday and Christmas Day down - two birthdays to go over the next week. Bad planning in there somewhere!

Sad as it may sound my blogging has also been curtailed due to receiving DVDs from my boys for Christmas - the first series of Stargate and the fourth series of MASH have kept me 'couch-potato like' for hours. I really must get out and do something worth recording on the blog site.

Back to normal tomorrow!

Made it !

2005-12-23T12:01:00.000Z

We've exchanged Christmas cards, wished each other season's greetings, had mince pies with the rector and tried really hard to smile and greet the small hordes of kids who have turned up on this last day fully intent on wandering the corridors looking for the best venue! In a quiet moment, though, you can see the tiredness in the faces of many staff. No matter what the public perception of teaching is, it's a damned exhausting job especially when you try to do it properly and this school has more than its fair share of good, hard-working teachers who have done just that and now deserve a break.

One day to recover and build up enthusiasm for Christmas day, then turn our attention to the bundles of marking not yet done and think about the January exams or maybe even do a bit of relaxed blogging!

Have a great Christmas out there.

More Building Work

2005-12-19T15:00:00.000Z

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At Christine's request - at last - a couple more pictures of school building progress.

Real Progress in Education

2005-12-13T09:22:00.000Z

A very brief building update! After weeks of mud, filling the ground with rocks and pouring concrete into selected areas to create some foundations, the materials for actual building work have started to arrive.

Anti Social Education ?

2005-12-12T14:15:00.000Z

Talk in the staffroom at lunchtime can be wide-ranging! In the past we have discussed the dubious merits of soap operas, the demise of much-loved childhood sweets, ferry journeys we have survived and much more in the same vein. We do also talk about Education and quite recently the topic of Social Education raised its ugly head.

I've no real personal gripe with the material used with these classes. Indeed some of it is very good and it's clear that staff responsible for the courses have spent a great deal of time and effort in researching it and putting it together. However, in my experience, few staff and fewer pupils take the subject very seriously. Talk to the kids about drugs and very quickly you find that they know far more about it than you do. Talk about sex ... yes probably the same!

My real gripe is that we should formally state that we are going to socially educate the kids in the first place! This leaves us open to great expectations from society and leads to possibly my greatest gripe - the experts and politicians who, when asked about society's ills such as drugs, teenage pregnancies, alcohol abuse, violence etc., smile and say that they have produced a package for schools - always a package for schools! The very idea that we would have that kind of influence on kids pushes credibility to its limits. Schools are not the quick fix for society's ills. Responsibility should still lie with parents and individuals. Schools have enough work to do in trying to deliver an increasingly complex subject-based curriculum without being held responsible what goes wrong outside the building.

By all means keep the interesting material, keep the class discussions - we sometimes discuss areas which make parents feel uncomfortable and schools should be more than just academic learning, but don't create unreasonable expectations about social education.

Cuan Sound

2005-12-05T16:22:00.000Z

Cuan Sound
Originally uploaded by don_innellan.

Just a post made from my new flickr account of a photo taken by my wife when sailing off the West Coast last summer. Interesting to see if it works. VisitScotland eat your heart out. Days like this are not that common!

Festive Cheer ?

2005-12-05T13:54:00.000Z

Maybe I've been living down here too long, but busy cities don't hold the same attraction for me any more. I found myself up in Glasgow on Saturday on our usual run to the RSAMD and immediately noticed just how much busier it was - the first two levels of the multi-story car park were full and it was only 8:30am.

As the day progressed the crowds increased - queues now for the car park; queues for the autobanks; queues at tills; queues outside Pizza Hut - arms loaded with bags and presents, pushing and shoving - Christmas approaching and not one smile to be seen on any of the faces. In fact quite the opposite if you could overhear the buying public abusing shop assistants for not having sufficient X Box 360s. How could their child's Christmas be complete and fulfilling without it ?

Why do we do it ?

It reminded me of the reaction of one of James Herriot's characters to a visit to the city from his farm and didn't much like it compared to the open fields and land around his home. His main complaint ? - he had to take big steps and small steps - that wasn't proper walking !

Thank-you, Argyll & Bute, where I can get to work without so much as a set of traffic lights in my way and where people actually do smile at you in the streets.

For another take on Christmas see Christine's latest blog.

Supportive Colleagues!

2005-11-30T15:04:00.000Z

The secret is out. I happened to mention in the staff room this morning that I had joined the ranks of Bloggers. Did my colleagues nod and make supportive noises about me joining the blogging community ? No chance. I'm now branded as a sad individual who obviously has too much time on his hands.

"You write about yourself and put it online!"
"Is this some sort of ego trip?"
"Why ?"
Are just some of the questions.

So be it...their loss. Obviously not forward thinkers.

After the rain

2005-11-29T09:03:00.000Z

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Brighter today both weather wise and in outlook as a result of my pal Christine having somehow discovered I was trying out Blogging left a comment on my site. Not only that, she placed a link in her own site to mine and she’s managed all this on a Mac! What a woman – retired ? I don’t think so !

Going back to my thoughts on schools and teaching, Friday actually finished off well. I really do like the interaction with the kids. I like laughter in the classroom. I like the buzz you get when the kids engage with you and you see a spark of understanding appear in their faces - probably a rarer event than it should be, but great when it happens. I like teaching and I think I’m good at it. I don’t even mind the marking (four hours of it on Sunday afternoon) – just not all the other stuff that gets in the way and makes the process more difficult. I sometimes envy my colleagues who have not gone down the road of promotion. They, at least, are free to concentrate on the really important stuff – the kids and their learning .

Christine commented in her post ‘Old Wine’ that our new school should be led by people with vision. Absolutely agree, but so should all schools. The kids deserve it. Our school, as it stands, is a very good school with dedicated and committed staff and a huge number of really great kids. If we can’t succeed and move forward with that mixture then we should all give up hope. I won’t – I’m worn down, but not burnt out – not yet.

Friday Thoughts

2005-11-25T10:40:00.000Z

Another wet and windy day here. The foundations continue to be laid for the new school - due to be completed by 2007. It really will be a time for starting afresh.
More and more I am beginning to think that teaching is for the young. The energy required to keep the kids engaged is huge - sometimes worth it though, but am I getting too old for it - maybe !