Life is riddled with a procession of minor impediments

[Trout]

Thanks for the thoughts on phonics, all. Rose is only in the crazily-named "ante-pre-school" year but I'll remember, and keep an eye on things.

We're lucky to live where we do, with lots of great little village schools nearby. But it can't hurt to get involved.

- Trout

[Paul faplad Finch]

I'd always suspected phonics was a bucket of old drivel, the experience of my nieces has only proved it. 

This crap isn't new though, my mum had taught me to read and my alphabet LONG before school started.  The teachers had a go at her because I was making the other children feel bad (making her life more difficult by forcing her to provide education tailored to kids who weren't just plopped in front of playschool all bloody day more like).  My mum naturally had a go right back and pointed out that the teacher's laziness shouldn't be her child's problem. 

As it turned out, it was.  I was promptly ignored for weeks. 

Ha, I had the exact same problem when I started school Except for the mothers involvment. I taught myself to read from cat/mat type books and watching sesame street and the like. ZEE instead of ZED caught me out a few times but otherwise...
and when I started school I was in all sorts of trouble for daring to actually be able to read before I was supposed to. Got no support from my mother though who was always, when she showed an interest at all, very dismissive of anything learning related.

[Mike Gloady]

That stinks, Fappers.  Truly. 

I wanted to smash in the rear windows of cars in the school car-park for years after that.  The smug window stickers that read "If you can read this - THANK A TEACHER" really piddled me off.  I'll thank a barmaid and a builder's foreman thanks.  They did more for me than any primary teacher.

Not hard to imagine kids failed by education in a more profound way turning "bad" and rebelling.  I learnt to hate school pretty early and pretty easily.

[Bouwel]

I had all the trendy early 1970's ideas about learning. As seems to be the case with many on here I taught myself to read (one of my early memories is my mother letting me read a comic and then some books during the early 70's power cuts. She held the torch for me for what must have been ages until the battery died).

In secondary school I was bit more lucky. The books we read for the final two years were interesting to me (Romeo and Juliet, Brave New World). It was frustrating to work through Brave New World at a snails pace as I'd already read it in one weekend. We also got to see some rather good local productions of Romeo and Juliet as well as the Zaffrelli film (nudity, in school time no less!).

I would like to thank two of my teachers though; Mr. Whitley and Mr. Thomas. Two teachers of the very old school who taught me a great deal. The newly passed trendy teachers that taught me can all burn in the afterlife of their choice.

-Bouwel-

[Mike Gloady]

Good work Bouwel, I concur.  The GOOD teachers I had were gold, more than making up for the more numerous BAD ones who were made of a substance far stickier and darker than gold.

Thanks Mr Mantio (for diagnosing the dyslexia) and Mr O'Brien for the support.  Oh, and Mr Francis from Middle School who got me interested in stuff under the mud before Indy had a chance to make that game look exciting (and Ms. Croft had a chance to make it look naughty).

Good teachers.  Hats off to 'em I say.

[TordelBack]

I taught myself to read from cat/mat type books and watching sesame street and the like... and when I started school I was in all sorts of trouble for daring to actually be able to read before I was supposed to.

Very similar to my own experience, especially Sesame Street and that difficult 'zee', although I'd have to credit my parents too.  Anyway, I was reading (if not writing) fluently when I got to school, and was promptly bored shitless.  However, my situation took a turn for the worse when far from being insensitive, my rather liberal primary school decided on this basis to bump me up from the first Junior Infants class to Senior Infants after Christmas of my first year.  Naturally my parents agreed, no doubt all a-glow with pride.  I lost all my nascent friends overnight (although bizarrely two lads I met that first year are still two of my closest friends, whereas I don't have one single friend, or even acquaintance, from my 'second' class), and went from being a bored smartypants to the smallest most backward guy in the class overnight.   I was all of 4 years old in a class of 5 and 6 year olds.  It was crap, and folks do not do it to your own kids.

[House of Usher]

Wow. Fascination abounds. Roman Catholic burial customs, bad schooling and Godpleton's head cold. Lots of stuff to mull over and absorb there.

I'm glad to say there was nothing discernably trendy about my schooling, which started in 1975. "Nip - the - dog - plays - with - the - ball. See - Nip - run." I went to school totally unable to read, but excitedly envious of my brother bringing books home from school. I wanted to be able to read the words in them too. I just about remember learning to read, and being able to express ideas orally far more lucidly than I could write them when I was 6. By the time I was 7 my writing was as good as my speaking, except that when I spoke my spelling was better.

[Roger Godpleton]

As a consequence of staying up until 5 am to finish an essay I spent most of my day off sleeping.

[Roger Godpleton]

I got something on my t-shirt.

[House of Usher]

Sorry to hear about the t-shirt. What are you writing essays for these days?

[Roger Godpleton]

It was the introductory module for the OU Social Science MA. I doubt that I'm going to continue.

[House of Usher]

It was the introductory module for the OU Social Science MA. I doubt that I'm going to continue.

Really? That bad? Rise above it. It should be a walk in the park for you. So long as it's worth whatever fees they're stinging you for.

[Roger Godpleton]

I tried to post a confession on the Kingsmill Confessions website but it got moderated. 

http://www.kingsmillbread.com/campaigns/kingsmill-confessions/fridge

[House of Usher]

What if the only thing keeping Margaret Thatcher alive is the champagne I'm keeping on ice for when she snuffs it, working like some sort of magic talisman?

[Mike Gloady]

OH HoU, don't upset me by making me think there's some sort of TIE KEEPING HER HERE. 

Drink it now.  Just in case, eh?  For me?