You'll be pleased to hear that the 8 year old boy Puddlecote's class have finished reading Journey to Jo'burg.
They are now cracking on with The Peacock Garden.
Set in 1947 when India was partitioned, this is the story of Zuni, a young Muslim girl, whose family is caught up in the upheaval. Rather than fleeing Pakistan, as many other Muslim families did, Zuni's family seek refuge in the gardens of a local mosque.In other news, he is almost fully conversant with his times tables thanks to the after-school tutor I pay.
No such nonsense from the girl Puddlecote's school. They had a Big Green Tidy Up today ... or litter-picking, to you and me.
I think the caretaker had a day off.
And no, I am NOT making this shit up.
18 comments:
JFC Couldn't think of anything else to say except help let me out of here!!!
I buy my 5 year old daughter Ladybird books from the 1950's and 60's.
They are great - VERY non PC.
All the modern books she has from school are full of ethnic minority characters (not entirely but you know what I mean) and this is in Wales which has very few ethnic minority people.
Where has Shakespeare been hidden? As a Scot I had Shakespeare from the age of 7. Burns was never taught.
"Burns was never taught."
That's why you can spell properly. ;-)
When India got its independence in 1947 over 1,000,000 died in inter religious blood letting. It them split up into its constituent components, India, Pakistan, Burman and Bangladesh.
DP, did you notice on your link to the book on Amazon UK the single customer review was from someone going by 'Linda the teacher'.
Fantastic book, difficult to get hold of now but as a teacher it is classed as a recommended text so I was really pleased to be able to get hold of one.
The book is not a teacher, love, you are. I imagine what you're trying to say is that you are a teacher and the book is recommended but you've struggled to find one. It looks like it might well be out of print. Ever wondered why that could be? Because despite the recommendation of the commissars not enough people have been buying since it came out perhaps? And why might that be, Linda?
And WTF is a Muslim family fleeing Pakistan? Pakistan was created for the Muslims. And how does hiding in the mosque constitute fleeing anyway? Or did Amazon just stuff all that up?
DP, mate, you're already paying extra for private tuition so the younger Puddlecotes actually learn something useful, but if it was me I'd be very tempted to go the whole hog and find some way to make pulling them out of school entirely a possible option. I'm not even a parent but the thought of the next generation being programmed by the Righteous chills my soul.
"It looks like it might well be out of print. Ever wondered why that could be? Because despite the recommendation of the commissars not enough people have been buying since it came out perhaps? And why might that be, Linda?"
Well spotted!
And don't worry, AE, the way literacy is going, they'll be using 'Harry Potter' before long.
Or Harry Potter colouring books...
And don't worry, AE, the way literacy is going, they'll be using 'Harry Potter' before long.
It'd be better, wouldn't it? A - even critics agree that the popularity of HP books at least got a lot of kids reading again. B - an ordinary kid (albeit white and English and living in a middle class area when not at his magic boarding school) is an easier protagonist for most UK schoolchildren to identify with than some girl whose family are hiding in a mosque to get away from the violence of Partition (possibly because he's white, English and middle class) - see A. C - what fucknuts thought putting out of print or hard to find books on a recommended reading list was a good idea in the first place?
I'm not saying that kids shouldn't be taught about the history of other nations and cultures or that The Peacock Garden is unsuitable for kids. Make it part of history teaching (Explain how the massive fuck ups leading up to and after Partition still cause headaches today... hmm, maybe it's a good job I don't set exam questions) or if Eng Lit classes involve choosing your own book and doing an essay or a presentation on it afterwards TPG is as good as any other. But if I'm right in suspecting that it's more moulding of young minds into little PC clones of their right-on teachers then I'd like to see the person responsible stapled naked to a tree and generously covered in peacock food.
"what fucknuts thought putting out of print or hard to find books on a recommended reading list was a good idea in the first place?"
Very good point, AE, that does seem a tad daft.
As for pulling them out of school, I'm giving it till 11+, and if they can't get into the excellent grammar schools around here, I'll have to seriously consider it.
Angry Exile - "if it was me I'd be very tempted to go the whole hog and find some way to make pulling them out of school entirely a possible option". This is in fact a great option, there's tens of thousands of families home educating, with great success, although the DCSF are trying to push through legislation to introduce a licencing scheme, interview children alone, re-define what is a 'suitable' education, set up another database, spend hundreds of millions looking the wrong way and generally cock things up. Remember, school isn't compulsory, education is.
*steps down from soapbox*
Dick Puddlecote said...
That's why you can spell properly. ;-)
I can spell "properly", as well. It is the REST of the words I have problems with.
@ Barry the Jackal, yeah, I know. Renegade Parent and Three Degrees of Freedom are on my blogroll.
Dick, not sure if you're aware of this, but primary schools don't actually teach the things needed to pass the 11+.
They need to study these...
http://www.nelsonthornes.com/bond/index.html
All the best,
Bald headed John.
BHJ: Yes mate, I've got all the Bond books. ;-)
The baste layed plans o' mice n' men gangst aft awry.
Whenst a laddie metes a lassey a' goin' thwrough th' rye.
I thought Bobbie Burns spelt purrfectly fine whenst we a' stewdy'd 'em. 'A taught me whast I know today.
A'or, dos' the kids of today hav'nt the vocabulary, as' did we.
Actually, Burns speaks smoothly. Like 'em a lot, regardless of spelling.
"Wales ... has very few ethnic minority people."
The last time I was there it was full of them.
Anon: I got the last para, but you were breaking up a bit before that. Again? ;-)
I have happy memories of abridgments of Dickens' works. There were still plenty of twists and turns to capture the young imagination, but without too much depth.
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