tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post8142184506910917530..comments2023-06-28T22:58:28.247+10:00Comments on Sixth In Line: Shift happens, or does it?Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-76634171895596616692011-11-02T20:52:01.411+11:002011-11-02T20:52:01.411+11:00Schools are like microcosms of broader society I s...Schools are like microcosms of broader society I suspect, Marylinn, and I, like you, am glad I never had to manage one. To that extent I also have some compassion for the principal. <br /><br />At least she was trying.<br /><br />Thanks, Marylinn.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-22779876711078918382011-11-02T20:49:27.269+11:002011-11-02T20:49:27.269+11:00That was some school you went to, Kath. Fifty out...That was some school you went to, Kath. Fifty out of three hundred. What sort of attrition rate is that? A high school perhaps in a large country town, or an inner-city impoverished school. Or was it in the days of Kennett's assault on schools? <br /><br />The idea of sniffer dogs to weed out so-called wrong doers in a school sounds tragic. It's a pity not much has changed. <br /><br />Thanks, Kath.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-71087442654937331982011-11-02T03:06:13.562+11:002011-11-02T03:06:13.562+11:00The issue (or issues) of control are what I believ...The issue (or issues) of control are what I believe to be at the heart of most conflict. When/if we can surrender our extreme need to have things be the way we want them, such rebellious acts would lose their power. Daily I seem to be reminded how small is the portion of human existence over which I have control...myself and my attitude, that's about it. And I am very glad that I never had the responsibility of teaching or running a school. I'm sure I would have been a shrieking lunatic most of the timeMarylinn Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02759437467691163658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-48891573615189082182011-11-01T22:52:26.558+11:002011-11-01T22:52:26.558+11:00Judging from your daughter's school, I'd s...Judging from your daughter's school, I'd say that nothing much has changed!<br /><br />However, when I was at school there was no such thing as 'muck up day' and only around 50 from the original 300 students had lasted at school until the matriculation exams.<br /><br />Graffiti was rife and the year after I left, they introduced sniffer dogs to check lockers and bags..... *sigh*. Now makes me realise that 50 out 300 was a pretty terrific result!Kath Locketthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09677312773827236567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-5081726490585663652011-11-01T20:06:07.005+11:002011-11-01T20:06:07.005+11:00There are many people who celebrate Halloween here...There are many people who celebrate Halloween here in Australia, Kirk, but mostly they are young or American ex-patriots. <br /><br />I have only noticed Halloween in recent years. It's not something I feel inclined trio celebrate, but I enjoy reading about the historical significance, All Hallows Eve, etc.<br /><br />It sounds, as you say, like this particular prank, the car welded to the flag pole must have had the blessing of the teachers and maybe even the police as well. Not every one is opposed to pranks. <br /><br />As for muck up day and Halloween coinciding here, that's a function of the fact that our academic year ends between October and November in readiness for our long holiday season from Christmas through till February. We are entering what you might experience in June/July.<br /><br />I take it you've never been to Australia. It's a long way away from you but it's worth a visit. <br /><br />Thanks, Kirk.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-69838931349408557902011-11-01T19:58:15.790+11:002011-11-01T19:58:15.790+11:00Olga, I especially admire you for your ability to ...Olga, I especially admire you for your ability to write in English when it is not your native language. <br /><br />Many of us English speakers, though of course not all, can only boast one language: English, but you have mastered at least two. <br /><br />Please do not apologise for your English, but rejoice in it, because you also can speak in your mother tongue as well, and that's more than I can do. <br /><br />Thanks, Olga.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-15088999589994263312011-11-01T19:54:33.262+11:002011-11-01T19:54:33.262+11:00Hi praise from your child, Karen, that you have do...Hi praise from your child, Karen, that you have done a good enough job at parenting. I wish my children could say the same for me, but I'm not sure they would, at least not yet. <br /><br />As for the business of keeping our heads while all else are losing there's and thereby misreading the situation, perhaps misperceptions are necessary sometimes, or not so much misperceptions as different ones. <br /><br />It's amazing to me how much things can change when we look at something from other angles.<br /><br />Thanks yet again, Karen.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-56106107199687729872011-11-01T10:05:29.323+11:002011-11-01T10:05:29.323+11:00I remember when I was in high school, there was a ...I remember when I was in high school, there was a spate of toilet bowl bombings. Somebody would throw a firecracker or cherry bomb in and BOOM, cracked porcalean. For a couple of weeks, I held it in until I got home from school. Didn't want my ass to get blown off.<br /><br />We had Senior Prank day when I went to school, but it wasn't sanctioned by The Powers That Be. If you were caught, they threatened to withhold your diploma. An offially-sanctioned prank may have occured the year after I graduated. My sister was one year behind me, and came to school toward the end of her senior year to find an old car welded around the flagpole. Some kids in shop class had done it. According to my sister, the principal and teachers were amused by the prank, and in fact mentioned it during the graduation ceremony. Here's why I think the teachers were in on the joke. The car was welded to the pole over night. The school was around the corner from a police station. It would have taken a while to accomplish this, especially as the car was welded in a way so as to look like the flag pole was coming THROUGH the car. The had to have been broken in pieces to do this. While all this welding was going on, a police car MUST have driven by. The school must have informed the cops and asked them just to ignore it.<br /><br />Forgive me if this sounds like an ignorant question coming from an ignorant American, but do they celebrate Halloween in Australia? It seems kind of a coincidence that Muck Up Day should fall so close to a holiday where pranks play a major part.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-74027912804608711232011-11-01T08:42:29.559+11:002011-11-01T08:42:29.559+11:00Since I'm not a native English speaker, many w...Since I'm not a native English speaker, many words and expressions in the English language are still a mystery to me. Why are they sometimes so similar, but some make a strong impression, whereas some just make you laugh? I understand that it's a matter of mentally, and, for the past 11 years, I've been trying to study the language and all that is behind it.Olgahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10652566920769043373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-40270952798804788552011-10-31T21:16:44.403+11:002011-10-31T21:16:44.403+11:00I understand what you are saying, Elisabeth. I ha...I understand what you are saying, Elisabeth. I have sometimes become a lightening rod when expressing a different viewpoint, but then again I am well known for my contrary opinions and the expressing thereof. <br />I once found a statement that best sums me up.<br />"When all around you are losing their heads and you have managed to keep yours, you have obviously misunderstood the situation". <br />As for the rights and wrongs of parenting, my youngest (20) recently admitted that he had re-thought child-rearing after a recent experience and believed that I had done a good job and he would do exactly the same.<br />High praise, indeed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-27553423999129843612011-10-31T20:35:09.940+11:002011-10-31T20:35:09.940+11:00It can be hard as you suggest, Karen, to set a goo...It can be hard as you suggest, Karen, to set a good example for our children, especially when we see them behaving in unhelpful ways, but don't want to preach or become too heavy handed. <br /><br />I think the best way to teach is by example. If we set a decent enough one it goes a long way, irrespective of what we espouse.<br /><br />Thanks for your asides, too, Karen. I'm sure there are many like Persiflage who agree. One trouble is the written word within the blogosphere can sometimes seem either too harsh or too soft . And therefore it's not always easy to represent your point of view as we intend.<br /><br />Thanks, Karen.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-39669001178102151352011-10-31T20:29:44.479+11:002011-10-31T20:29:44.479+11:00Well, Aguja, as a teacher you'd have seen both...Well, Aguja, as a teacher you'd have seen both sides of the debate and your response here seems quite modest. <br /><br />Perhaps when you connect with what it was like during your own school days and relate it to the experience of kids today you get a more balanced perspective.<br /><br />Thanks, Aguja.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-20104796851564270352011-10-31T20:27:02.644+11:002011-10-31T20:27:02.644+11:00I imagine in Cuba the issue of property, who owns ...I imagine in Cuba the issue of property, who owns it ad who gets to use it as a statement of revolution are different from here, Cuban. It sounds as though you enjoyed your boyhood transition. <br /><br />Thanks for the appreciation.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-65484998409389016762011-10-31T20:24:51.520+11:002011-10-31T20:24:51.520+11:00The shoes in playground were an amazing sight, Nia...The shoes in playground were an amazing sight, Niamh, and yes, despite their nuisance value they were collected in a playful way.<br /><br /> I agree with you, too, that words in public tend to attract a far greater reaction than words issued in private, even when written. <br /><br />But on second thoughts I've been inflamed by and managed to inflame others by the odd privately written communication. In these instances the written word seemed to pack more clout, though not always. Sometimes a few well chosen words spoken well or badly can attract a passionate response. <br /><br />Thanks, Niamh.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-49254394728683069552011-10-31T20:24:50.701+11:002011-10-31T20:24:50.701+11:00The shoes in playground were an amazing sight, Nia...The shoes in playground were an amazing sight, Niamh, and yes, despite their nuisance value they were collected in a playful way.<br /><br /> I agree with you, too, that words in public tend to attract a far greater reaction than words issued in private, even when written. <br /><br />But on second thoughts I've been inflamed by and managed to inflame others by the odd privately written communication. In these instances the written word seemed to pack more clout, though not always. Sometimes a few well chosen words spoken well or badly can attract a passionate response. <br /><br />Thanks, Niamh.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-81395051869772359592011-10-31T20:19:53.819+11:002011-10-31T20:19:53.819+11:00Thanks for the good wishes, Isabel. Words can be ...Thanks for the good wishes, Isabel. Words can be bullets indeed. Let's hope my daughter manages to fire a few choice ones in her English exam in a couple of days. It's such a tough time.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-71542618179861653952011-10-31T14:01:44.350+11:002011-10-31T14:01:44.350+11:00I have to admit I am with Persiflage on this one. ...I have to admit I am with Persiflage on this one. I think it is grossly unfair when anonymous perpertrators fail to think beyond their own fun or revenge. They always have the daring to act out but seldom the guts to claim responsibility. For all our liberal thinking and values it seems we have failed to teach people how to deal with authority that we think is unjust.<br />Just a little aside here, but perhaps a relevant comment, I have a small issue with today's lack of meaningful traditions and rituals which are more often seen as dusty relics of a feudal or religious past. <br />In fact they often served as both an acknowledgement of the place a person had risen to in society along with the responsibility that came with the position.<br />These days it seems everyone has the 'right' to do anything, but responsibility lies with no-one.<br />The most useful piece of advice I was given as a young parent learning to set boundaries for my children was "When they can accept adult responsibilities, then they may have adult privileges."<br />Sorry if I have gone off on a bit of a tangent. I don't think I have really addressed the topic.<br />I am not a total wowser and admit to laughing out loud at some of my kids pranks that they don't think I've seen.<br />Karen CAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-26815702670065228872011-10-31T04:31:13.169+11:002011-10-31T04:31:13.169+11:00Words are and always have been, powerful; that is ...Words are and always have been, powerful; that is why I love them so .... 'the pen is mightier than the sword'.<br /><br />I really enjoyed reading your post which brought together past and present, causing me to reflect on both my schooldays and my time as a teacher.<br /><br />Thank you for putting so much thought into your post!agujahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15857809123531088629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-72908235087711948072011-10-31T03:10:44.431+11:002011-10-31T03:10:44.431+11:00The written word can be a sword of a balm, dependi...The written word can be a sword of a balm, depending on the hand that wields it. I had a similar tradtion to your daughter's year 12 celebration. And with the same rules: no defacement, no destruction of property. Taking into account that we were always told that there was no such as property in Cuba because it belonged to the people we made a mockery of what the schools authorities said.<br /><br />Lovely tale about words and the effects they can have on us. Many thanks.<br /><br />Greetings from London.A Cuban In Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-83476588855616510012011-10-31T00:04:51.501+11:002011-10-31T00:04:51.501+11:00have to say I love the idea of the shoes in the pl...have to say I love the idea of the shoes in the playground.<br />Re the word plays and power of the written word - in both of your instances the words were up in public, so I guess it was a face saving exercise coming down hard on the culprits.<br />good luck to your daughter!Niamh Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06519443787482685320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-83788481153731516082011-10-30T21:25:19.467+11:002011-10-30T21:25:19.467+11:00words are the real bullets, self/ego/pride the eve...words are the real bullets, self/ego/pride the ever-present target <br /><br />Best of luck to your daughter in her exams<br />Isabel xIsabel Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974989548030799086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-24656101768787610572011-10-30T20:55:57.962+11:002011-10-30T20:55:57.962+11:00To have been able to release the tension with laug...To have been able to release the tension with laughter, as you say would have been so much better, Enchanted Oak. A pity it didn't happen at the time. <br /><br />Thanks again.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-30581962245801329082011-10-30T20:54:08.198+11:002011-10-30T20:54:08.198+11:00It can be quite a pleasure, as you say, Anthony, ...It can be quite a pleasure, as you say, Anthony, to remember those long gone school days and times of change.<br /><br />Thanks.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-56138549058854429592011-10-30T20:52:43.119+11:002011-10-30T20:52:43.119+11:00As a teacher, you'd been particularly mindful ...As a teacher, you'd been particularly mindful of these sorts of transitions, I imagine, Steven, and I agree it's a pity we can't be more creative as parents and as teachers in our endeavours to help our children get through these times with better outcomes. <br /><br />At the same time I have a suspicion that had it all gone smoothy it would not provide our children with quite the growing experience that it has. <br /><br />Certainly it has been helpful in some ways for my daughter to be part of this conflict and to get through it. <br /><br />Thanks, Steven.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28133718.post-89380664540238034502011-10-30T20:09:03.109+11:002011-10-30T20:09:03.109+11:00If you're bemused by the notion of muck up day...If you're bemused by the notion of muck up day, Janice, your students would be too, I imagine.<br /><br />Thanks.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.com