Scouse in Sudan

This story just proves that we live in a mad mad world...

Reading, reading and more reading.....

This is linked to what I was talking about the other day in terms of literacy in England. It's interesting that to say we've fallen so greatly in the world scale the report is saying it is parents who need to get their acts together, not the schools. I'm not arguing with them- just interested!!!

Memories

Today was a normal chaotic day. We got up late. School was busy. Found out I had a meeting after school I knew nothing about when I'd finally booked an appointment at the doctors 8 weeks too late! Missed the meeting and drove to the surgery miles away through tea time traffic. Then went to the pharmicist on the way back, driving in the rain and dark. Arrived back exhausted and not ready to do all the work I have to do tonight.

Andrew and Liam had also just got back. From the vets. Bruce ran out in the street today and got hit by a car. The house seems empty. The bag of crisps I'm managing to eat somehow I should be fighting to eat on my own. As for the work I'm meant to be doing...

But anyway, I was thinking about something dad was saying the other day. Rob came up with his gf this weekend and we were telling him about a home video my grandma's recently put on a dvd. Dad was commenting on the photos on the wall of my gt gt gt granfather and how important photos have always been for people and continue to be. He was saying that you just can't find anything to replace photos to look back through.

I've spent the last month since I moved in properly here thinking- I should take a picture of Bruce. He's always up to mischief. Last night he ripped a tennis ball apart. Took us a while to clear up all the mess he'd made. Stole some bread from Andrew when his back was turned for a second. He really wasn't impressed with Gromit. When the three of us (me, Bruce and Gromit) sat in on Friday night together he wasn't happy with the addition at all. And now, we've no photos. Nothing to remember him by. And yet somehow that makes it easier. I've hidden all my photos and anything personal in my room. My life at the moment is blank like the white walls, focussed only on school. Maybe that's the best way to go, the way it should be. Certianly makes situations like this easier to deal with. The less emotions involved the better.

Communication

When I applied to spend a year in Finland in the back of my mind there was an element of thrill at the fear of going to the unknown. The biggest factor was probably that I was about to leave my comfortable Catholic diocese of Liverpool to a land of 7 diocese, 20 priests and one bishop. Everyone asked me about how I would cope and that was the prime concern for me. How would I manage without my mass, and familiar structure. It felt like a wilderness from the strong basis I was leaving. And yet since I've returned my eyes to my home town have been opened more and more as I began to look beyond the religion to the society and the place in which I've grown up. The place I would have once described as traditionally religious and passionate is becomming more and more vague in my understanding of the place.

As I've mentioned countless times, Wigan is in the top 4% in the UK of unwanted teenage pregnancies, with England the highest in Europe. On Wednesday I learned that studies show that Wigan and Leigh are in the battom quarter nationally of adult literacy. From this, there is at least a 10% gender gap with it very often being the father in a family who is unable to read, write, listen and speak to a particular standard. Whereas I oftern moan that we should have a system more similar to the American one when it comes to education, this session on Wednesday went on to compare ours to that in Finland. The blank, wilderness with no God or spirit for me. Finland has the best education in Europe, with them only starting at the age of 7 parts of the literacy scheme. It is one of the biggest faults here that we start to make children learn to write at 5 when they can still not speak properly.

As a teacher I should be concerned about this, and I am- it embodies everything I work for and need to consider. But what I began to think about on Wednesday is that at one time I would have thought, but the positives- the faith, the passion, the beliefs; these, we have got right. Today...well the question stands as to what is more important to a community- the ability to be able to communicate to God or to each other?

Bonny Blighty

On Sunday I decided to head back down to the North West via home. This meant driving back home via the lakes rather than the way I had driven there from school. Part of it was the relief of managing to find my way back to the M6 I think, but driving through the hills made me think...yeah England is beautiful, why do I spend my life trying to escape from it? I then thought...calm down Maria! Before I know it we'll be announcing the engagement, and looking for good schools for the imminent kids. Can't be coping with this contentment! Think it's time to settle back down into my bitter twisted state before I get too carried away!!!!!

Memories forever

Remember remember the 11th of november. Any kid in the UK could quote that to you. It sometimes gets confused between the 5th November (Guy Fawkes night) and the 11th, but the 11th is by far one of the most important days in the nation's year. This year, our Simon was playing in Leigh, as chance would have it! So Sunday morning, myself and Andrew got dressed up in suits and walked into the centre to watch the procession. On Saturday night I went home and we watched the national events at the Albert Hall. We sat there saying 'well that's another war we shouldn't have entered into', 'that was a waste of too many lives'. Traditionally it is WWI that is remembered on Nov 11th, and with it WWII. But more and more now other wars are being taken into account and all the lives lost in the wars, with all the people it has affected. I was thinking about it a lot on Saturday night during the two minute silence, watching all the poppy petals fall to the ground-

This is one of the few days a year when the nation really goes all patriotic. For one day every year the whole country remember what it means to represent your country, to be linked to your nation as a whole. Religion and state are intertwined. Each year fewer and fewer men survive to tell the stories, but the nation wont let them forget. The cadets of the air force and army marched through Leigh, with a combination of brass bands merged together for the day. Old war heros, proudly displaying their medals, marching with the utmost respect and sincerity. Young beavers, girl guides, cubs and scouts- 'doing their best' for queen and country, as Lord Baden-Powell encouraged them to do, the promises etched onto my heart from when I was 7 years old. I used to love the processions when I was younger- singing the national anthem, processing to the Brass bands. These days I have a different understanding of the day but all in all- and I don't often say this- it's a day that I feel proud to be British.

Hel-sinki

My kids told me about this this morning. Having just got home I went online to fine out more. Every day I seem to despair at the human race even more.

How often do we stop?

I have returned from my voyage in lands unknown and by Tuesday feel like I've never been away! Saw lots of the sights in Budapest and walked for miles, broken foot and all :-)

One of the best things I saw though was an art sculpture when passing through a park. It was quite simple but the plaque at the side made me smile. It made me think of all my year 12's and what they would say in philosophy, it made me think of my year 8's who have been looking at different types of worship, but most of all I just liked the idea of it- especially the line, 'should we stop or keep running? by which may we gain more?'

'Freedom

Are we still able to stop and meditate? To be glad and daydream? To be fond of the ancient power of water and wind. Are we able, do we want to associate if today's sculptors offer ideals and visual thoughts to be associated?

Should we stop or keep running? By which may we gain more?

The glass object swimming on the water and bearing the reflection of its environment embodies our desired freedom.

As a giant bird it would like to take wing just now and to forget about every trouble on earth.

Free, moved by the wind, it shows through its meditative movement that the world might also be thought of like that, there may be perhaps intellectual and spiritual tasks which are more important than everything else in the drifting of everyday routine.

And if we stop, are we able, do we actively want to take part in the composition of the accompanying world's movement into an image?

Are we able to abandon ourselves to the joys of interactive creation?

The sculpture created by the means of 'miminal art' thus without instruments offers virtual image elements. Walking round the sculpture we ourselves may produce a steadily changing, film-like series of images depending on our intellect and visual ability. The spectator is not a sufferer of the sculpture but an organic associate creature of the artist'