the computer again... sigh! This is being written at my sister's place and I know I am fortunate to be able to prowl over here and "get things done" but it is still awkward.
It makes me realise how dependent on technology we are and also how dependent I am on books and computer programmes which are specific to my work. There have been many discussions about e-books and their advantages and disadvantages but the last couple of days of using a different computer has, once again, convinced me that there are certain advantages to having a real paper book at my disposal.
I have a fondness for what might best be termed "hedgehogs" - multiple strips of paper (sometimes colour coded) sticking out of a book so that I can flip backwards and forwards quickly for information. Scrolling through something is simply not as fast. I cannot annotate the pages either. I know there are ways of highlighting information in an e-book but it is simply not the same.
And, not everything I need is available in e-book form nor am I prepared to pay for a second e-copy of a book when I have a perfectly usable hard copy.
And then there are programmes that I use that I cannot download on to this computer - apart from anything else I would not want to add to the mass of icons they already have on the screen!
I am no sure when I will get my own computer back either. I am dependent on my brother-in-law to return it and he is in no hurry to do that. He takes the attitude, "Cat, if you are working for nothing then they can wait."
It is however not quite as simple as that. The people I work for are also volunteering their time. I don't help people who are paid nice fat government wages for doing "aid work". Yes, some of them work hard but compared with people who give up their annual leave and pay their own fares and take their own equipment and live alongside the locals the government funded aid workers have it easy. I also suspect that some of the volunteers I work with do more good. They do operations which save lives and teach the locals how to build footbridges which won't get washed away every time it rains.
There have been comments here and elsewhere about writers being asked to "volunteer" or work for minimal pay and I really do firmly believe they should be properly paid but should I be? If someone is not being paid to help then should I charge them? I get a minimal allowance for caring for the Senior Cat but it is not a full time job at present. I hope it never is. It means I can help others as well. I think I am doing the right thing but it seems that other people disagree. It is not just my brother-in-law but others who say, "You should charge people."
Yes, if they are being paid but if someone is volunteering their time - is that right?
Monday, 21 October 2013
Sunday, 20 October 2013
Bushfires are
common in Australia - all too common. The current situation in New South Wales is of disastrous proportions and likely to continue for some weeks.
It is just good fortune that, so far, my home state has not had similar fires in the hills behind our house. Yes, just good fortune.
The claim by the Greens MP Adam Bandt that there will be more of these fires if we do not go along with the Greens policy on global warming and what to do about it however is to be questioned. His statements smacked of political opportunism. The reality is that his party must take some of the blame for the present situation.
Why? There are several reasons for this but one major one is a belief among some people that the bushland environment should remain "natural".
People have moved into areas where houses simply should not have been built in the first place and then they have failed to keep the ground around them clear of the sort of natural debris that allows a fire to move through so extraordinarily rapidly. They have not kept their gutters clear. They have allowed trees like gums to overhang their houses. Gums burn readily, all too readily.
Add to that the failure to do controlled burning off to create fire breaks because some environmentalists oppose such things and you have a major problem. Fire breaks may not stop a fire from starting but they can help to do much to contain a fire that has started and they can make the job of fire fighters much easier.
People still want to live in high risk fire areas but they also expect to have the benefit of largely volunteer fire services when things go wrong. They expect to be able to keep their "natural" surroundings too and to do it without the need to clear gutters and grounds of debris.
Yes, I have said all that before and I will probably say it again somewhere else at some other time. Yesterday a stranger contacted me and said, "I have been told you have written a book for children about two children in a bushfire. I am just wondering if you could give me the name of it so I can order a copy."
I had to tell them, "I'm sorry. It hasn't been published." I gave them the name of another book (Colin Thiele's "February Dragon" as a substitute only to be told, "Isn't that the one where the horse dies?" Well yes, it is. Animals do die in bushfires and people die in them too.
I explained that the children in my book lose their parents and their sister. "Oh, I don't really want to scare her and she would be very upset about the horse in the other book."
We ended the conversation but it made me wonder whether perhaps that is one of the reasons why I have not succeeded in getting the book published? When Colin published February Dragon there were people who objected to the death of the horse but this is what happens in fires. And yes, children do lose their parents in similar situations - just as parents can lose children.
But have we come to a point where people don't clear debris from around their houses and publishers (and agents) believe that the theme is inappropriate for a children's book because people no longer want to face the consequences of their own actions or their own beliefs. Do we want to so protect children from such information that they won't know the consequences until it is too late?
Maybe the book I wrote is not good enough - although I still think it is - but is is also the topic?
It is just good fortune that, so far, my home state has not had similar fires in the hills behind our house. Yes, just good fortune.
The claim by the Greens MP Adam Bandt that there will be more of these fires if we do not go along with the Greens policy on global warming and what to do about it however is to be questioned. His statements smacked of political opportunism. The reality is that his party must take some of the blame for the present situation.
Why? There are several reasons for this but one major one is a belief among some people that the bushland environment should remain "natural".
People have moved into areas where houses simply should not have been built in the first place and then they have failed to keep the ground around them clear of the sort of natural debris that allows a fire to move through so extraordinarily rapidly. They have not kept their gutters clear. They have allowed trees like gums to overhang their houses. Gums burn readily, all too readily.
Add to that the failure to do controlled burning off to create fire breaks because some environmentalists oppose such things and you have a major problem. Fire breaks may not stop a fire from starting but they can help to do much to contain a fire that has started and they can make the job of fire fighters much easier.
People still want to live in high risk fire areas but they also expect to have the benefit of largely volunteer fire services when things go wrong. They expect to be able to keep their "natural" surroundings too and to do it without the need to clear gutters and grounds of debris.
Yes, I have said all that before and I will probably say it again somewhere else at some other time. Yesterday a stranger contacted me and said, "I have been told you have written a book for children about two children in a bushfire. I am just wondering if you could give me the name of it so I can order a copy."
I had to tell them, "I'm sorry. It hasn't been published." I gave them the name of another book (Colin Thiele's "February Dragon" as a substitute only to be told, "Isn't that the one where the horse dies?" Well yes, it is. Animals do die in bushfires and people die in them too.
I explained that the children in my book lose their parents and their sister. "Oh, I don't really want to scare her and she would be very upset about the horse in the other book."
We ended the conversation but it made me wonder whether perhaps that is one of the reasons why I have not succeeded in getting the book published? When Colin published February Dragon there were people who objected to the death of the horse but this is what happens in fires. And yes, children do lose their parents in similar situations - just as parents can lose children.
But have we come to a point where people don't clear debris from around their houses and publishers (and agents) believe that the theme is inappropriate for a children's book because people no longer want to face the consequences of their own actions or their own beliefs. Do we want to so protect children from such information that they won't know the consequences until it is too late?
Maybe the book I wrote is not good enough - although I still think it is - but is is also the topic?
Saturday, 19 October 2013
He fell off the roof
of the chicken house," our neighbour told us.
These neighbours live two doors away. We have never had much to do with them. They are, to put it kindly, "slow". He was a twin and suffered some brain damage at birth that left him with a below average learning ability. He spent his years at school in a special class. He said very little at any time and increasing deafness made it more difficult.
His wife is pleasant but also not very bright. Their marriage has been stormy and she was often physically abused. We heard horrendous tales from our previous neighbours and say the police there more than once. Nothing was ever done although I filled out more than one set of papers for her she would always withdraw at the last moment.
Despite their problems he held down a job at the same factory for all his working life. They had three girls, all of whom were more able than they are. They have gone on to have careers, marriage and children.
I could sometimes see him working in his garden or in his tiny shed.
Yesterday his wife told us that he had climbed on to the roof of the old chicken house. There are no longer chickens in it but he has things stored there and apparently it was leaking. It is only about 1.5m high but he slipped, fell backwards and landed on his head as well as cracking his ribs and his coccyx.
This happened last Sunday but nobody knew anything about it. It was a day of wild weather. He must have gone out in the rain and climbed a very slippery roof.
He has been in hospital since then. He is in an induced coma because of the broken ribs but now they have had to do further surgery, including a tracheotomy. It is intensely distressing for her. She was in tears as she told us the whole sorry tale.
I wondered about all of this. Here is a man who has been morose, sometimes violent, often verbally abusive and rarely pleasant. She is a "battered" wife.who has never had the courage or intellectual capacity to leave him and yet she is still upset by what has happened, upset for him. She has shown more compassion and care than many people show at any time.
I think that, in a way, I admire her.
These neighbours live two doors away. We have never had much to do with them. They are, to put it kindly, "slow". He was a twin and suffered some brain damage at birth that left him with a below average learning ability. He spent his years at school in a special class. He said very little at any time and increasing deafness made it more difficult.
His wife is pleasant but also not very bright. Their marriage has been stormy and she was often physically abused. We heard horrendous tales from our previous neighbours and say the police there more than once. Nothing was ever done although I filled out more than one set of papers for her she would always withdraw at the last moment.
Despite their problems he held down a job at the same factory for all his working life. They had three girls, all of whom were more able than they are. They have gone on to have careers, marriage and children.
I could sometimes see him working in his garden or in his tiny shed.
Yesterday his wife told us that he had climbed on to the roof of the old chicken house. There are no longer chickens in it but he has things stored there and apparently it was leaking. It is only about 1.5m high but he slipped, fell backwards and landed on his head as well as cracking his ribs and his coccyx.
This happened last Sunday but nobody knew anything about it. It was a day of wild weather. He must have gone out in the rain and climbed a very slippery roof.
He has been in hospital since then. He is in an induced coma because of the broken ribs but now they have had to do further surgery, including a tracheotomy. It is intensely distressing for her. She was in tears as she told us the whole sorry tale.
I wondered about all of this. Here is a man who has been morose, sometimes violent, often verbally abusive and rarely pleasant. She is a "battered" wife.who has never had the courage or intellectual capacity to leave him and yet she is still upset by what has happened, upset for him. She has shown more compassion and care than many people show at any time.
I think that, in a way, I admire her.
Friday, 18 October 2013
So far nobody has built
a duck house but our politicians have also been involved in some very dubious expense claims.
Claims have been made to attend weddings, funerals, birthday parties, football matches, participate in charity events and visit wineries.
I don't condone any of those claims.
The weddings are probably a little awkward. You're getting married? You feel bound to invite the boss, in this case the leader of the party. He or she feels bound to attend because the media will make much of it if they are not there. It is also an opportunity to do some "networking". But yes, it is an expense you have to wear as leader of the pack.
Funerals? A former Prime Minister or Governor-General? Mmm... possibly reasonable to expect some minimal taxpayer assistance. Try and tie it in with something else so that things get done. Anyone else - unless you are representing the country abroad pay for it yourself.
Birthday parties? (That one was for a once leader of the pack.) Definitely not.
Football matches? Why on earth should the taxpayer fund your leisure activities? No, I don't care if Aussie Rules is loved by thousands - even worshipped. Send the team an e-mail if you must.
I would rather you actually played football with the local kids.
Mmm....yes those "charity" events. On balance you should probably be paying to participate in those too. There may be circumstances when you attend such an event in your role as a politician. If it can be genuinely classified as "work" then perhaps there are some expenses that can be claimed but it is a grey area. Great caution is needed.
And then we come to the visits to wineries. I think this might come into the "building of a duck house" class. Nothing can justify those. They were for personal pleasure. They should have been paid for by you.
The whole business of who pays for what with respect to politicians has become ridiculous. Questions need to be asked. "Is it part of my duty to my electorate?" "Will my electorate benefit?" "Is it part of my wider duties to the parliament?"
There has been more than one blog post recently about the way authors do not get adequately paid for both writing and activities related to writing and earning an income from writing. It seems to me that, if we can pay politicians to visit wineries or go to birthday parties, then we should be able to pay writers to do their job. What is more we should be able to pay them well.
Reading the latest ridiculous claims and counter claims has further depressed me. I just cannot understand how so many of these claims are justified. There might actually be more money around to fund new writing or writing from new authors if we stopped paying politicians not to do their job.
Claims have been made to attend weddings, funerals, birthday parties, football matches, participate in charity events and visit wineries.
I don't condone any of those claims.
The weddings are probably a little awkward. You're getting married? You feel bound to invite the boss, in this case the leader of the party. He or she feels bound to attend because the media will make much of it if they are not there. It is also an opportunity to do some "networking". But yes, it is an expense you have to wear as leader of the pack.
Funerals? A former Prime Minister or Governor-General? Mmm... possibly reasonable to expect some minimal taxpayer assistance. Try and tie it in with something else so that things get done. Anyone else - unless you are representing the country abroad pay for it yourself.
Birthday parties? (That one was for a once leader of the pack.) Definitely not.
Football matches? Why on earth should the taxpayer fund your leisure activities? No, I don't care if Aussie Rules is loved by thousands - even worshipped. Send the team an e-mail if you must.
I would rather you actually played football with the local kids.
Mmm....yes those "charity" events. On balance you should probably be paying to participate in those too. There may be circumstances when you attend such an event in your role as a politician. If it can be genuinely classified as "work" then perhaps there are some expenses that can be claimed but it is a grey area. Great caution is needed.
And then we come to the visits to wineries. I think this might come into the "building of a duck house" class. Nothing can justify those. They were for personal pleasure. They should have been paid for by you.
The whole business of who pays for what with respect to politicians has become ridiculous. Questions need to be asked. "Is it part of my duty to my electorate?" "Will my electorate benefit?" "Is it part of my wider duties to the parliament?"
There has been more than one blog post recently about the way authors do not get adequately paid for both writing and activities related to writing and earning an income from writing. It seems to me that, if we can pay politicians to visit wineries or go to birthday parties, then we should be able to pay writers to do their job. What is more we should be able to pay them well.
Reading the latest ridiculous claims and counter claims has further depressed me. I just cannot understand how so many of these claims are justified. There might actually be more money around to fund new writing or writing from new authors if we stopped paying politicians not to do their job.
Thursday, 17 October 2013
It seems we are going to be invaded
by ice cream. Yes, ice cream
Now even I have heard of a certain brand of ice cream from the United States. It comes with a certain philosophy and a mind boggling array of flavours. If someone is prepared to put up almost half a million dollars then a single shop will open here in our fair city. Hmmm - or should that be "mmm"? I am not sure. I suppose people will buy it.
When I was merely a kitten there was just one flavour of ice cream to be had, if ice cream was to be had at all. It was just too bad if you did not like vanilla or chocolate coated vanilla. The chocolate coated vanilla came wrapped in silver foil and it was available when you went to the pictures if you lived in the city.
We lived in "the bush", the rural areas of the state. Ice cream? Well you needed electricity to keep it from melting didn't you? It was a rare, very rare, treat.
My mother would make it occasionally, usually for the occasion of my sister's birthday in October. (The rest of us have our birthdays over the summer when we were usually in the city.) She would make it from milk, condensed milk, powdered milk and sugar I think. There were no eggs in the recipe so it was not custard based ice cream at all. I know she mixed it, semi-froze it, beat more air into it and then re-froze it. The resultant mix was a slightly grainy textured frozen mixture that we actually liked. It was, after all, ice cream of a sort.
If we happened to go to "the Show" (our Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society Show) in September there would be the other treat...honey flavoured ice cream. It came from the mid-north of the state. People would line up for scoops of this rare treat. We would save our pocket money for that single scoop and savour it. Honey flavoured ice cream only appeared at that event.
If you went hunting there was an "ice-cream cake" made by another firm. It consisted of vanilla, ersatz strawberry and chocolate swirled together and decorated with "hundreds and thousands". I can remember seeing these but we never had one.
There must have been other ice cream type treats around but we never saw them in the country. It took a long time before the other fancy things appeared.
Now I can prowl along the frozen food section and find honey, boysenberry, vanilla, chocolate, lime, pistachio, chocolate chip, strawberry (still ersatz) and other flavours. There is also "frozen yoghurt" and "gelato" and "low fat" and "no-fat" and "soy" and yet other variations on the ice cream theme. There are ice cream treats on sticks, in cones and between biscuits. There is ice cream which is, to put it mildly, very expensive. There are "adult" flavours and ice cream intended for children. There are now mini ice creams intended to be a guilt free treat for those who are on diets but want to indulge occasionally.
And yes, there is still vanilla ice cream. It sits there in plastic containers or cardboard plastic coated containers of various shapes and sizes. It comes from at least a half a dozen different sources. Even then it is not just plain vanilla. There is also "French vanilla" and "some-thing else vanilla".
The Senior Cat likes ice cream. I do too. We try not to eat it too often. Ice cream is to be treated with respect. I explore the flavours available. I reject the most expensive brands. They rarely live up to the extravagant promises they make.
I wonder, if it comes, what the new place will be like? There are a number of "ice-cream" places around now. Some of have lasted longer than others. It is no longer a seasonal treat. I am told it is easy to flavour a basic recipe so flavours can come and go. But, comfortingly, vanilla is still there.
My paw reaches out for the familiar vanilla from the familiar maker - or perhaps today it will be the honey flavour. I'll ask the Senior Cat before I do the shopping.
Now even I have heard of a certain brand of ice cream from the United States. It comes with a certain philosophy and a mind boggling array of flavours. If someone is prepared to put up almost half a million dollars then a single shop will open here in our fair city. Hmmm - or should that be "mmm"? I am not sure. I suppose people will buy it.
When I was merely a kitten there was just one flavour of ice cream to be had, if ice cream was to be had at all. It was just too bad if you did not like vanilla or chocolate coated vanilla. The chocolate coated vanilla came wrapped in silver foil and it was available when you went to the pictures if you lived in the city.
We lived in "the bush", the rural areas of the state. Ice cream? Well you needed electricity to keep it from melting didn't you? It was a rare, very rare, treat.
My mother would make it occasionally, usually for the occasion of my sister's birthday in October. (The rest of us have our birthdays over the summer when we were usually in the city.) She would make it from milk, condensed milk, powdered milk and sugar I think. There were no eggs in the recipe so it was not custard based ice cream at all. I know she mixed it, semi-froze it, beat more air into it and then re-froze it. The resultant mix was a slightly grainy textured frozen mixture that we actually liked. It was, after all, ice cream of a sort.
If we happened to go to "the Show" (our Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society Show) in September there would be the other treat...honey flavoured ice cream. It came from the mid-north of the state. People would line up for scoops of this rare treat. We would save our pocket money for that single scoop and savour it. Honey flavoured ice cream only appeared at that event.
If you went hunting there was an "ice-cream cake" made by another firm. It consisted of vanilla, ersatz strawberry and chocolate swirled together and decorated with "hundreds and thousands". I can remember seeing these but we never had one.
There must have been other ice cream type treats around but we never saw them in the country. It took a long time before the other fancy things appeared.
Now I can prowl along the frozen food section and find honey, boysenberry, vanilla, chocolate, lime, pistachio, chocolate chip, strawberry (still ersatz) and other flavours. There is also "frozen yoghurt" and "gelato" and "low fat" and "no-fat" and "soy" and yet other variations on the ice cream theme. There are ice cream treats on sticks, in cones and between biscuits. There is ice cream which is, to put it mildly, very expensive. There are "adult" flavours and ice cream intended for children. There are now mini ice creams intended to be a guilt free treat for those who are on diets but want to indulge occasionally.
And yes, there is still vanilla ice cream. It sits there in plastic containers or cardboard plastic coated containers of various shapes and sizes. It comes from at least a half a dozen different sources. Even then it is not just plain vanilla. There is also "French vanilla" and "some-thing else vanilla".
The Senior Cat likes ice cream. I do too. We try not to eat it too often. Ice cream is to be treated with respect. I explore the flavours available. I reject the most expensive brands. They rarely live up to the extravagant promises they make.
I wonder, if it comes, what the new place will be like? There are a number of "ice-cream" places around now. Some of have lasted longer than others. It is no longer a seasonal treat. I am told it is easy to flavour a basic recipe so flavours can come and go. But, comfortingly, vanilla is still there.
My paw reaches out for the familiar vanilla from the familiar maker - or perhaps today it will be the honey flavour. I'll ask the Senior Cat before I do the shopping.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
It is AAC Awareness Month
which, for those of you who do not know, means it is Augmentative and Alternative Communication Month....a time to give special attention to the needs of people with communication disabilities.
Now, as my fellow cats will tell you, I miaou far too much and far too often - and probably far too loudly. I like to be heard - if I have something to say. I also engage in everyday social mewsings or chat.
I consider myself fortunate in the extreme to be able to do this. The friend who had a stroke just before Christmas last year now has great difficulty in getting out more than two or three words. Sometimes they are inappropriate and sound ridiculous in the context but can actually be related to what she is trying to tell you. As an example the other day she said "Periscope hurts". What she was trying to say was that she had a headache in the region behind her eyes.
Her younger cousin actually sorted that out and understood it. It took a while and a few more questions. When she was finally understood appropriate action was taken by the staff and, quite possibly, another migraine was avoided.
But, it took time and time is often what the staff in a nursing home do not have. They don't have the training or the knowledge to deal with issues of communication. It is faster and easier to do what they think is right, rather than finding out if it is actually what the patient wants or needs.
I remember when I was teaching in a school for children with profound physical and (supposedly) intellectual disabilities. There was one child who had been placed there by accident. He had come from a home where English was not spoken. Assumptions had been made about his ability to understand because how do you understand English when you have never had a chance to learn it?
He was in my group. He had been in school two years by then. I was puzzled by his alert, eager face and his obvious curiosity. Compared with the other children he was all too obviously, to me, taking in a great deal even though he could only communicate by looking up for "yes" and down for "no". Oh yes, it took a while but we found other ways to communicate. He went on to learn to read (a huge challenge for both of us ) and was transferred to another school where the education was much more appropriate to his obvious intellectual capacity.
It still takes time to communicate with him. He has a complex communication board of 516 symbols in two languages - the maximum number we could "eye-code" for. His family manage it well. Strangers don't always get it right. Sometimes I don't get it right because I don't often see him now.
There was a "chat" on Twitter last night. Some of those who joined in are users of AAC but they have a far greater physical capacity than he does. One of them mentioned that she does not engage in everyday "social chat". It takes time and effort if you are a user of AAC. He does not engage in that sort of casual conversation either.
But, I thought, watch his expression, "listen" to his eyes. His family don't ignore him in social settings but many people do.
If you meet someone who cannot communicate in the normal way give them time, allow them to engage in a little "social" chat as well. It's part of being human.
Now, as my fellow cats will tell you, I miaou far too much and far too often - and probably far too loudly. I like to be heard - if I have something to say. I also engage in everyday social mewsings or chat.
I consider myself fortunate in the extreme to be able to do this. The friend who had a stroke just before Christmas last year now has great difficulty in getting out more than two or three words. Sometimes they are inappropriate and sound ridiculous in the context but can actually be related to what she is trying to tell you. As an example the other day she said "Periscope hurts". What she was trying to say was that she had a headache in the region behind her eyes.
Her younger cousin actually sorted that out and understood it. It took a while and a few more questions. When she was finally understood appropriate action was taken by the staff and, quite possibly, another migraine was avoided.
But, it took time and time is often what the staff in a nursing home do not have. They don't have the training or the knowledge to deal with issues of communication. It is faster and easier to do what they think is right, rather than finding out if it is actually what the patient wants or needs.
I remember when I was teaching in a school for children with profound physical and (supposedly) intellectual disabilities. There was one child who had been placed there by accident. He had come from a home where English was not spoken. Assumptions had been made about his ability to understand because how do you understand English when you have never had a chance to learn it?
He was in my group. He had been in school two years by then. I was puzzled by his alert, eager face and his obvious curiosity. Compared with the other children he was all too obviously, to me, taking in a great deal even though he could only communicate by looking up for "yes" and down for "no". Oh yes, it took a while but we found other ways to communicate. He went on to learn to read (a huge challenge for both of us ) and was transferred to another school where the education was much more appropriate to his obvious intellectual capacity.
It still takes time to communicate with him. He has a complex communication board of 516 symbols in two languages - the maximum number we could "eye-code" for. His family manage it well. Strangers don't always get it right. Sometimes I don't get it right because I don't often see him now.
There was a "chat" on Twitter last night. Some of those who joined in are users of AAC but they have a far greater physical capacity than he does. One of them mentioned that she does not engage in everyday "social chat". It takes time and effort if you are a user of AAC. He does not engage in that sort of casual conversation either.
But, I thought, watch his expression, "listen" to his eyes. His family don't ignore him in social settings but many people do.
If you meet someone who cannot communicate in the normal way give them time, allow them to engage in a little "social" chat as well. It's part of being human.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Year twelve examinations
start this week with the oral examinations in various languages. After that there will be written examinations.
One of the local church halls is used as a venue. There are already notices up warning people of the fact that examinations are being held there and asking them to be particularly quiet. Does it make a difference? I don't know.
My experience with externally moderated examinations started at the end of my primary school years. We did an examination a bit like the English "11 plus" which decided what sort of secondary school we would attend. Of course in some places there was no choice but it still decided whether you went into the "PEB" or "Area" stream.
PEB stood for the Public Examinations Board stream and Area meant the rural-agricultural/commercial stream. The PEB stream led to university, teacher training college etc.
We did a series of external exams. The first lot came at the end of our third year in secondary school. As country students we did our exams in our own school but thousands of city students had to go to the Showgrounds where they sat in the big halls. It was often hot, very hot. I hate to think what sort of effect the heat and the surroundings had on the performance of some students.
There were just three hours to show what you had managed to learn (or not learn) during the year. Rural students were often at a serious disadvantage. Their teachers had not been able to benefit from the meetings their city colleagues had to discuss what might be in the papers and what they should be concentrating on. I remember one occasion on which a physics paper had an entire section which had not been covered by rural schools at all. My father made frantic phone calls to the head office to find out what was going on. In the nick of time he had instructions for the students to ignore that section and do something else. It was, as he put it later, entirely unfair on the students.
The Whirlwind will soon have exams as well. Her school is sufficiently old-fashioned to believe that having them is still a good preparation for having to face them at year 12 and post-secondary level.
Although she does extremely well she does not like exams. I fear I have not been much help in that respect. I hated exams. I went on hating them right up to and including the last one I did. I had nightmares for years afterwards that I had failed that exam in Constitutional Law. (No, I passed.)
Despite that I have been looking at old exam papers and "practice answers" for several students recently. Some of it seems so simple now.
"Compare and contrast...." "Discuss..." "Outline the reasons for...." "Show how..." The instructions tell you what to do.
But then I remember my teenage self with all the doubts and anxieties (compounded by problems of getting it down on paper in my case) and I can only sympathise madly with these students. It doesn't matter how well you know your work or how much work you have put in there is always the fear of misreading the question, of not dividing your time up etc.
Perhaps exams are rather like democracy - we just have not yet invented a better way of doing things.
One of the local church halls is used as a venue. There are already notices up warning people of the fact that examinations are being held there and asking them to be particularly quiet. Does it make a difference? I don't know.
My experience with externally moderated examinations started at the end of my primary school years. We did an examination a bit like the English "11 plus" which decided what sort of secondary school we would attend. Of course in some places there was no choice but it still decided whether you went into the "PEB" or "Area" stream.
PEB stood for the Public Examinations Board stream and Area meant the rural-agricultural/commercial stream. The PEB stream led to university, teacher training college etc.
We did a series of external exams. The first lot came at the end of our third year in secondary school. As country students we did our exams in our own school but thousands of city students had to go to the Showgrounds where they sat in the big halls. It was often hot, very hot. I hate to think what sort of effect the heat and the surroundings had on the performance of some students.
There were just three hours to show what you had managed to learn (or not learn) during the year. Rural students were often at a serious disadvantage. Their teachers had not been able to benefit from the meetings their city colleagues had to discuss what might be in the papers and what they should be concentrating on. I remember one occasion on which a physics paper had an entire section which had not been covered by rural schools at all. My father made frantic phone calls to the head office to find out what was going on. In the nick of time he had instructions for the students to ignore that section and do something else. It was, as he put it later, entirely unfair on the students.
The Whirlwind will soon have exams as well. Her school is sufficiently old-fashioned to believe that having them is still a good preparation for having to face them at year 12 and post-secondary level.
Although she does extremely well she does not like exams. I fear I have not been much help in that respect. I hated exams. I went on hating them right up to and including the last one I did. I had nightmares for years afterwards that I had failed that exam in Constitutional Law. (No, I passed.)
Despite that I have been looking at old exam papers and "practice answers" for several students recently. Some of it seems so simple now.
"Compare and contrast...." "Discuss..." "Outline the reasons for...." "Show how..." The instructions tell you what to do.
But then I remember my teenage self with all the doubts and anxieties (compounded by problems of getting it down on paper in my case) and I can only sympathise madly with these students. It doesn't matter how well you know your work or how much work you have put in there is always the fear of misreading the question, of not dividing your time up etc.
Perhaps exams are rather like democracy - we just have not yet invented a better way of doing things.
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