Thoughts about lessons

 

Well we're still playing catch up here with being away but that was different this time as school was shut so no lessons in ancient measurements that I never use or worse still trying to calculate capacity, area and co to formulas I do understand but involving a whole batch of converting one unit within the same system to another.

When you have well documented difficulties with number work from birth it's expecting a lot for me to do that that especially as generally speaking the Metric system is all tens hundred and thousands and so on and noticably easier for me to use.

I suspect some people never really got over the changes and those in industries that hadn't seen much investment in new equipment tended to stick with old ways as even in the late 1980's City and Guilds were still doing vocational exams in Imperial even though as school leavers we were metricated. 

I much prefer English Literature and the Humanities to be honest especially when they can be combined with Field Trips which okay we have stuff to take in and worksheets you take around and complete it just seems more "real" to me.

May study weekend

I don't actually know where to put myself today as the weekends events have left me feeling very different about me (and some of this will go elsewhere), what I can do and really about my life so far in.

As well all know, the one big difference this year with the exception of days when I am truly too unwell to work or away on meets such as Camp, my weekends  are taken up with something deliberately challenging.

Two days of concentrated study where I pretty much have to work on just that, sat at a desk, in uniform with no distractions working from the study guides with just fixed recess periods with no dawdling, back chat or refusing to start being accepted.

Really.

This weekend has seen me work on my English looking at how people who write stories try to draw you into the character, getting you to think you were involved and learning how to compare and contrast different texts on the same subject by style, language, use of humour and summarize any differences effectively.

I had set questions to answer on it and I managed 90%.

Concentration is my main thing, I'm awful at it, often leap frogging from task to task often more around what I find interesting rather than what needs to be done and thinking about how  might get the thing finished.

Some days tend to be better compared to others but that's one of my problems apart from just forgetting tons and tons of things within minutes of been told that.

Perhaps getting back to more of this straightaway rather than leaving it a day or so and plenty of practise at making my own strategies for getting stuff done would help a lot more?

Return to Autumn term

As you read this it will be the August bank holiday which tends to mark the return of school over here and as it happens also is being marked by family fun days this weekend in churches and public houses where I live.

 Not unsurprisingly in the local newspapers and some national media too we are seeing the various promotions for such things around uniforms, where in the UK the majority of schools have one, stationery and equipment.

This is a good example of the sort of advertising we have, here for the Matalan discount store with photogenic models and needless to say the cardigans, socks setc are all available from the store too.
Being taken out to the local uniform shop in the last ten day or so of August is a ritual many of us remember well, being told we'll 'grow into' our clothes as you feel a bit like a scarecrow with everything being a bit big and baggy on you.

This lovely Panda Plush pencil case is a good example of the variety a regular stationery store such as W H Smiths over here stocks and yes things like Football one exist for boys too

 A decent geometry set helps for math and science and this is an example from W H Smith although you'd need to add a compass a 2hb pencil and rubber to it plus some decent colouring pencils and ballpoint/fountain pen with ink.
Personally I'm with fountain pens as a good broad nib often improves the flow of the least good handwriting which even if this an age when digital often prevails, still is worth cultivating.

Thoughts on reaction to Steven Hawking's death

As I'm laying resting my damp bones here it has been snowing hard so I thought I'd write a few thoughts up around disability in the light of Professor Steven Hawking's death not least reaction to that as much had been written not just around his intellectual and professional achievements being inspirational but also of his Motor Nurone disabling him.

 (Source: ITW)
One reason actually I've chosen this picture with Steven on the far left was it was taken in 1977 and like him I also used a BEC electric wheelchair which were made in the Black Country around the same era, showing him with his then wife and children, being a family.
Steven's condition left him with what I'd call an 'output problem', one in a differing context I share  where while he knew - and was very gifted intellectually - what he wanted to communicate, putting that over especially into words was hard going and required assistive technology.
In one sense I feel Steve's achievements showed physical disability by itself isn't a barrier to learning in an era when many physically disabled children received a sub-standard education taking no public examinations because of the attitude of "You won't be able to get on in life" and Steven himself received a Grammar School education prior to developing MND.
The otherside of some public reaction to seeing that is to argue every disabled person is capable of learning to the same degree which I'd say isn't true even if there is a lot of mileage in saying different ways of teaching do aid learning  and the traditional one whole learning style approach doesn't work making learning harder for those of us with learning difficulties.
The other area is that his achievements were aided by the support he received in studying and personal care tailored around his needs and the times he required that whereas many disabled people in education often receive little and those outside feel they spend more of their time on battling to get appropriate personal needs paid for and met. It's not unknown for disabled people to put to bed as early as 8PM because it suits the care system who provide home helps where you may wish to be out for longer.
Influence at least in this society does make a difference and the sort of family and social class does count for something not that I'm personally against using any connections to advance you or your families needs being recognized and he was in a better position than many in that respect.
That support can make or break your attempt to break out of the cycle of low achievement helping the individual  to make the most of their abilities including their academic and vocational ones  many disabled people through no fault of their own find themselves.
So to conclude like many I was inspired by Steven's achievements and ability beyond his very real disabilities, one should not forget not everyone is the same and not all have the support system advantages he was able to get (and rightly) that greatly aided it.

"We interupt this blog with a Newsflash"

Not the why are we waiting  edition but if you hadn't spotted I'm actually away which makes blogging more difficult as I can't go and place five links at various places and many people rely on social media for updates than tried and true systems like RSS and even 'Following'.

There are classes laid on during this period I'll be attending where I'll be doing some work -ones a bit vague but two are arts and crafts based which apart from being fun to do, putting me in a class really takes me into little space, feeling I'm back in school.
One difference from being in school in my day was we didn't have a half of the technology today's schoolboys and girls had not least that you have at hand as it were and some of issues associated with it. We passed notes and made paper airplanes in class.
Do you think I'll whip out my cellphone starting going through texts and missed calls when we're meant to be working?
I rather suspect if I did it would be dealt with cos apart from distracting others, disrespecting those who take time out to take the classes, it doesn't help me to learn to concentrate on the task in hand as I'm easily distracted.
Rules do have a purpose.

Pay attention Jo (yet another study weekend)

This was typed between bit of spare time this weekend where it was bright and sunny although not exactly warm here not that it stops his Gingerness from being out for hours at a time.

"Cheer up, Girls, it can't surely be that bad" is the thought that enters my mind looking at that picture and the desks we sat at one by one until my secondary education were similar for those of us brought up with rote learning and the notion the teacher delivering the lesson to the class.
This weekend I've been studying  with an English practice on an extract from Oscar Wilde's The Picture  of Dorian Gray which was more about how to answer questions long answers where there is not a clue in the question as the what in the extract you need to look at and where necessary quote from.
Not wishing to sound like I'm on repeat, but my reading age is barely in double digits so reading it for the gest of the story was very hard going but I managed 90% in this.
The other part of the study is my favourite subject  -NOT- Math looking at working out Areas, Circumferences, Diameters and Radius using formulas for squares, circles, rectangles and triangles (right angled and others) in addition to learning about Solids and Nets which involves having to use ordinary math.
Although part of the formula wasn't properly explained so I had to work it out for myself, I did actually get 100% on this unit which is pretty amazing.
I'd like to thank Papa Bear for his supporting me, he's a lovely, firm but fair guy who believes in me probably more I've done in the  past to be honest and everyone else who does helping me grow.

Weekend studying

Another weekend goes and can you imagine what I've been doing over two days in this cold and snowy time?

 Yes, I had double studying this weekend where I actually had just sit down and work my grey socks off rather than either being distracted by other stuff online or otherwise and actual get started on time as I have from now on...
Is that an offstage Ow you hear? (lol).
So on Saturday in English I was working on backing up points by using quotations and getting to grips with making sense of Shakespeare, being able to read extracts from plays and make out what really is happening to the point of being able to show I understood  what I had read.
Shakespeare isn't like me  just coming out with it even with a bit of diplomatic license, it's often wrapped around long poetic descriptions and anything but direct.
I did manage to get every question right this week as well as drawing neat boxes to make the tables to put some of the answers in.
During the week the Ks 3 Math study and workbook arrived which could mean one thing, that like it or not I had Math to work on  and was required to get myself a Geometry set and traditional exercise book to write my work in on Friday when it had been snowing.
Can you imagine it, a increasing number of exercise books with "Joanne, [Subject] Month/Year and Form: 1EB" written neatly on the front that I am to fill out over the year?
Sunday I had to tackle Math starting on what you'd call basic number work such as how you put numbers in order to express them as Math and in English as well as size before moving on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division featuring patterns, multiplying and dividing  in decimal units which cause my fears to multiply(!) as well how to multiply and divide numbers like 20, 300, 800 which I can't recall being shown not that being truthful I'd of paid that much attention to back in the day.
I'm also working through Multiples, Factors and odd, even, squared and cubed numbers too and it's all starting sink in as although this is hard for me, I did actually manage it, even going back over one calculation three times until I spotted where I was going wrong which was very good for me as I'd of thrown the pencil at you cursing until very recently.
In a way it really underscores where the work on my attitudes and behaviour slots in because it's not that this isn't hard  for me but it is something with support I can grasp but didn't want saying in effect "Too hard, why even try" which is why a very strict line has and is taken with me.
It actually shows that with a no-nonsense approach when it's coupled with support and guidance I am able to do things, that I have abilities I can use and from now on I'm to put a real effort into trying. 

I CAN DO MORE WITH THE RIGHT HELP WHEN I ALLOW OTHERS TO HELP ME
That is what being a responsible disabled adult middle is all about

Also my BFF checked in during the days to see how I was getting on, like actually getting started and I did the same for her which does seem to work well for both of us and she did well too.

At the chalk face

I've written a few bits around my education here before now  and thought I'd write about an important feature of every classroom in those pre IT days.
The chalkboard played a very important part of the education I had (the term "Blackboard" was effectively banned in my schools) being the main point where teachers would write parts of the lesson that was to be taught such as math going through worked examples, setting a written task or teaching handwriting and bugbare of a good number of us, cursive handwriting.
Later on at high school, we had rolling chalkboards  where the notes for a whole lesson were put on for you to copy down or not given I had difficulties in reading, writing and spelling so usually someone else wrote stuff down for me.
When as inevitable someone got in trouble it wasn't unknown for the chalk board to feature in part of the punishment you got by having to write out lines .

That one wasn't uncommon as talking in class when the lesson was in progress at least  was frowned on as was passing notes between desks.

Failure to heed that usually lead to rather strict punishment  as I found out a  few times!

Dedicated to all the Misses and would be Misses, That one one that often came up even though every school I went to had a homework diary where you wrote down the task and when it had to be in and in my last school you even were expected if you were a day late handing any in to find the teacher at recess and hand it in, owning up to being late with it.
"The dog ate it" wasn't considered a good enough reason not to.
As I found out there was a big price to pay for not attempting it at all.

This week I'll get my Homework done (shh)!

Jo life: Transitioning from education to employment

To gauge the extent of some of my difficulties  you need to look at why it was the transfer from the world of Education to Work did not happen when one left the former.
As in many countries, here it is a government responsibility through the schools careers service and government departments to assist the process actively working with you access contacts that are about getting interviews, looking at career options to ensure their is in place a plan for you.
When like me you have multiple disabilities  this is more so and can cover things such as assessments of needs and  abilities that can be developed to aid employability but due to a mis-mash between being educated out of district I wasn't seen as their responsibility and I wasn't seen as that of the district our school was in and each believed the other was dealing with it.
It also was the case as not for the first time in my education, my parents were wonderfully detached from taking an active interest in this that in most situations would of resulted in this being chased up.
Thanks to this I spent the best part of eleven months out of school and out of any meaningful assistance in making a start in employment until I got a referral to a employment rehabiliation centre where I spent four months being assessed for the type of work I might be capable of, what barriers there might be and a formal plan produced.
While there, my difficulties with Math and English were noticed and so I was sent for assessment by a specialist who diagnosed I was actually dyslexic with very poor special awareness. This as with most things about me was ignored although I had suggested as much in my last year in school and rejected by my parents as having gotten one set of conditions they couldn't accept another.
There was remedial teaching in math and english offered as a part of my assessment going through basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division plus spelling, grammar and punctuation. Although I suspect as an institution for school leavers and adults it probably wasn't meant to, like an number of school leavers there, I was smacked across the hand and given a clip around the ear  by the instructors who did treat us more like children which I guess was propably true at least for me cos I was still in a upper tween mindset.
It was the last institution I received any form of corporal punishment at.