Sign of the times

These economic times are challening, no-one can deny that, this week I was led to this post in SecED and I have to say it summed up many of my feelings.
This is the link here but I am also going to paste the article in case the link expires.
http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/cgi-bin/go.pl/article/article.html?uid=90321;category_uid=115;section=Opinion;type_uid=7

SecEd: On Your Side: A teacher’s lament as the cuts hit hard - 08 Mar 2012

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Joanna Davies
Since last February, when I was informed of the decision to close three of the courses offered for PGCE secondary including the art and design course that I have led for nearly 10 years, I have I felt like Malificent the bad fairy at Sleeping Beauty’s christening – uninvited and irate.

What has concerned me more even than my own predicament has been the future of those who were due to start their teacher training last September and those who planned to do so in the future.

If the course had failed the students or if I had been inept, I could perhaps understand, but that isn’t true – Ofsted rated the course outstanding and I am proud of the record of student retention and the success of their achievement and recruitment into the teaching profession.

The course I ran, like many other arts courses, was endangered as a result of short-sighted thinking that calculates that these subjects are non-essential luxuries outside of the core of sciences, mathematics and languages.

Our current government has established its position through the EBacc and by slashing funding for arts courses in higher education, despite the undisputed reality that the creative industries in this country are as valuable and much more highly regarded than the financial sector.

In education, the arts have been the key to success for many young people and the schools they attend. If you lose those teachers of music, dance, art and drama whose subjects are usually their passion and whose rooms are open every lunchtime and after school to facilitate moments of rare pleasure, excitement and courage in performance and display that punctuate the endless cycle of modules, levels, revision and testing, testing, testing, imagine what might be left?

In truth, I am angry and sad – and rather scared. With the reality that what I do is not valued, I need to look ahead. I find myself having to reconfigure not just my career, but many other aspects of my life. Since my teens, I have been altruistic enough to do something of use to society, with enough stamina to work in some pretty challenging environments, going part-time when my children were babies to keep something of a career for the future. I have paid into pension pots and topped them up so that I am not dependent when I am older.

I have no wardrobe full of shoes or photo album full of pictures of exotic holidays and here I am, adjusting to working until my late 60s or longer for a significantly smaller pension because not only is my fund (along with all other public sector workers) being raided to help repay what the bankers gambled away, but instead of being rewarded for being a responsible working mother I am to be punished by having my pension averaged out over all those impoverished years of part-time work and the fact that I have achieved a certain standing in working life ignored, making choices between paying off a mortgage or helping my children not to accrue enormous debt should they decide to educate themselves beyond school level.

And what do I tell my daughters? It’s always been tough to be a girl and although there is the tiniest spark of fight in this generation of school-leavers, marching against the government, marching for the right to safety and dignity for women in a society that has moved on only in millimetres since my own teenage years in the 1970s, they stand to lose the most from the decisions of this government that no-one voted for or endorsed.

Why would girls pay as much as boys for an education that may lead to a career that, unless they are prepared to sacrifice the right and need to bear children, will be interrupted and curtailed, meaning that the cost of their qualifications is automatically higher and will take significantly longer to pay off? Why would girls bother to maintain a career (if they are lucky enough to have one) once they have a family when their pension is averaged out over its length meaning it will include maternity leave, part-time work and pauses – despite equal commitment to their family, community and to our society?

• Joanna Davies is a senior lecturer in art and design at Roehampton University. The editor of SecEd is Pete Henshaw. Email editor@sec-ed.co.uk

Happy New Year!

I can't believe I haven't posted in this blog since June!  That just about sums up how busy life is right now but events wise 2011 has been much quieter than 2010.  This year has mostly been about organising our life as working parents to two very individual children, we took two lovely holidays in Devon and Ireland and had weekends away in the Lake District, Dolgellau and Cardiff.  This year we added another Godchild to the special group of children who have special significance to us and who we are committed to praying for and supporting, Georgina Joanne was baptised in April, daughter to Jon and Lou and sister to Charlotte and we were delighted to share the special day with them all.  In May we gained a beautful baby niece Erin Hanna, daughter to Gav and Claire and sister to Ole.  Peter's nephew Tom got engaged to Amy and they will be married at Easter 2012 in London and we joined my extended family on Mum's side to celebrate the wedding of my cousin Marcus to Maxine joined with the christening of their son Harvey.  We have been fortunate in the last couple of years to spend time with old friends and meet new ones.  There have also been developments at home as we have gained new neighbours in the street after a period of having a number of empty properties around us so it is nice that we have started to get the feel of community again.

Olivia and Verity have continued to grow this year, Olivia is in Year 1 and takes part in French lessons, swimming twice a week and Saturday Singing Club, she is very sensible and a very caring older sister.  Verity has settled beautifully at nursery and is now in the toddlers building, she has proved to be as characterful there as she is at home and the range of her mobility for her age continues to astound us, she is also starting to talk now which is really lovely because she can communicate more fully with us although it is a little worrying that her favourite words at the moment are, 'No' and 'Mine!'  Both girls got scooters for Christmas and we are enjoying getting out in the fresh air to practice riding them and learning how to steer by balance.

So what for next year?  We are already looking forward to the wedding of Tom and Amy at Easter in London and a long weekend away in the Lake Disrict.  Dad's wife Barbara will celebrate her 60th at the end of Januray Verity will be 2 in February and Olivia 6 in August.  There is a strong possibility we may move house as there are plans to renovate the block we currently live in and the daily grind of work, commuting and managing the children with Peter working weekends and long hours will continue.  One of my ideals is to focus on doing what makes us as a family unit happy instead of pleasing others but I know I'm not very good at that, also to try and get a better work/life balance for Peter and I having the chance to spend nice times with the children.  We are thankful for all we have been blessed with in 2011, always thankful for 2 beautiful healthy children and hopeful for the future on the eve of 2012.
Happy New Year to you all!

Camping with the kids - tips and tricks to keep it fun

I'm not a natural camper and my husband certainly isn't.  Our decision to take up camping came about with the encouragement and persuasion of friends and family members who were campers and also a desire to allow our children to experience the great outdoors in a real way.  Many traditional, seasoned campers will think that my comments here are a long way from authentic DIY camping but for those who like a touch of comfort and sanity these are my thoughts on how to make a camping trip with kids fun.

Our first camping trip with Olivia aged 2, our set up has improved a lot since then.

Olivia aged 3 years 2 weeks in her camping gear

When you camp without children your tent is simply a place to lay your head, you can be spontaneous, adapt as the day or the weather changes and do things on a whim.  Whilst this is also true with little people, it is inevitable that with kids comes a element of routine and structure that might not be necessary in an all adult party.  The two key things that make a camping trip successful with kids are your kit and the way you organise yourselves.

1 Kit (This may seem an expensive list but you don't need to buy it all at once and there are lots of options for purchasing second hand camping gear or borrowing from friends/family/colleagues)

• A tent with a sewn in ground sheet and a reasonable hydrostatic head.  Having a sewn in groundsheet keeps the tent warmer and better insulated, it also reduces considerably the number of creepy crawlies that can get into your tent.  The hydrostatic head should be a minimum of 1500mm for the British weather, this is related to how waterproof the fabric is and an essential part of being weatherproof.
• Electric hook up cable.  Many sites now provide pitches that have electric hook up for tents.  Having access to electric with small people is a real bonus and one that we now consider essential.  We are able to camp with a small fridge, an electric light and in colder weather a small camping heater which is wonderful for taking the chill off while the children change into pyjamas or get dressed in the morning.
• Full set of lightweight waterproofs for each member of the family.  These keep everyone warm and dry and reduce the amount and smell of dirty washing in the tent
• A warm and comfortable bed.  Being outside all day in the fresh air is tiring and with children you need to be rested to face the next day with patience and enjoyment.  If you use an air mattress make sure it is insulated from underneath as well as what is on top of you, use layers of sheets, duvets and blankets to keep cosy and make sure your children are well wrapped up if you want them to sleep well.

Olivia at Silverdale September 2009

2 Organisation.  Planning will make your trip easier, being organised around key times in your trip will help you to stay calm and enjoy the trip.

• Plan your packing, there is a lot to pack into the car when going camping, make sure you have a system and if your children are young a safe place for them to be while you are packing the car.
• Plan your unpacking and time to set up camp.  This will depend on the age of your children, strategies we have used include, picnics in the car, portable DVD player in the car, windbreak garden small achievable tasks for them to help, camping with friends and taking it in turns to set up camp while you watch each others children.
• Plan mealtimes. Remember it can take longer to prepare a meal on a camping stove so if your children are young, say under 5, like ours are you need to make sure that meal times are planned in more detail than at home.
• Bathing and washing.  If you are going camping for longer than a weekend and you have children under 5 I would strongly recommend choosing a site where a: family bathrooms are available and also washing facilities are available.  Whilst it is possible to do without these, for the comfort of all involved it is worthwhile paying that bit extra for a site with these facilities.

Our set up summer 2010

We have camped with our children since they were very young, our eldest daughter was aged 2 on her first trip and our youngest 4 months.  With good kit and good organisation, camping is a fantastic way to spend time together, to bond as a family and to experience the great outdoors.  With poor kit and poor organisation, camping is stressful and bad for your health but it is also one of those things that improve with practice, even if your first trip doesn't go to plan, persevere and you may well find that with a bit of practice you will soon catch the bug.
Happy Camping!

Verity camping aged 4 months

Carry on camping

We've been away camping this weekend, it was wet and windy and cold but we loved it!  As we live in a city going camping is like an escape, we are transported to an oasis of nature and the children can play safely outside on grass in mud and puddles, it's great! 

This little family came to visit us at the tent, the girls thought it was fantastic.

Being in a group with friends and family and managing more than adequately with limited belongings is a reminder to me of how we fill our lives and our homes with so much 'stuff' my aim over summer is to cut back on some of that stuff and just enjoy the richness of life without the material interference.

Taxing times

New taxation laws were introduced today which will alter the thresholds that many families are taxed at but also at which they receive benefits.  It's been on my mind a lot today for my own family situation having two young children but also my wider network, the people around me in my daughters class at school or nursery, the children and families I have contact with through my work in education and parents everywhere who are trying to make ends meet and raise their children in the best way possible.

There are three major areas of concern to me:

1.  I believe that most cuts in benefits, e.g. child benefit and tax credits affect predominately women and children and will affect the standard and quality of life for these groups most.   
2. The changes will potentially stigmatise any kind of benefit/credit making hard working families feeling the pinch less likely to claim even when they are eligible
3. Policy wise: the target to eradicate child poverty by 2020 seems to be sidelined by successive governments when dealing with fiscal matters affecting families

How many women and children proportionately are making the decisions?  Many women I know are battling hard to have choices about their lives even in the post-feminist world we live.  On my own part, although I believe that the rights of women are central to a democratic soceity, in some ways we continue to enslave women by the opposites, that is, equality is not about being exactly the same, it is about having the same potential and the right to make a choice.  In my opinion women (and men) should have the right to work, equal rights to career progression, equal rights to pay and benefits for the equivalent job but they should also have the option to raise their children if they choose to, take some time out of work without financial penalty, be encouraged and supported in the first place when they choose to have a family and live in a society that values and respects the biological differences between male and female human beings.

Child Benefit is one area that I have never felt was a bad 'benefit' to be claiming, not that other benefits are bad but when through working hard, many families sit on the threshold or cut off points of other taxation and benefits policy, the view that every 'child' was entitled to that benefit was positive, the child focused element of the benefit not tax or earnings related made it palatable across the board, it's not emotive, person specific rather than subjective judgment on circumstance (and yes, I do accept the cost of that) children from every walk of life, every background, every parental circumstance got one thing that was exactly the same, one moment where government policy was largely irrelevant and for a brief moment they were seen as and treated as the same, neither rich or poor, black or white, religious or not, academic or not from the North or the South, no none of these, just children.  Personally I am desperately sad this model has gone and now parental income, class, education, opportunity even equality can evade our children at the most basic level.  I wrote to my MP on this very matter a few months ago and was disappointed by the response that I felt only understood a spreadsheet showing a negative when I long for a way of thinking that centres on real people, real lives.

The unfairness of applying one level to benefit classification nationally is obvious £42-43k in London compared with £42-43k in parts of the North of England is almost like dealing with a different currency, but how do we make it fair?  I don't know the answer and remember children are central here, what are the life chances of children groing up in each of the English regions and in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, they have to be considered alongside financial changes .

Finally what are the implications of todays changes on the commitments to eradicate child poverty by 2020?  Some children are going to be worse off, whether this puts them into a technically 'impoverished category' remains to be seen but a taxation system which is purley based on parental income takes no account of background, family levels of debt, compassion, priorities, self esteem.  It cannot be the only way, the terms are too limited  We must learn to think more widely, more collaboratively, we must put children at the heart of policy not pound signs we must learn that parental income is not the only measure of wealth and indeed can completely obscure the picture and take the long term view.

After pondering all this I am still left confused and grateful to not be a politicial in the troubling times we live in, it is hard to make decisions.  I am also left worried though, worried for the fututre of my own children and worried for all those families who will suffer, who may have to make sacrifices, who are but a statistic, a saving and yet they are not only this, families grow children and children are our future.

In search of a simpler Christmas

My children have chicken pox so I'm housebound at the moment, I don't like the fact that they are ill but to be honest I've been glad of the rest from the daily trudge to school especially as the snow has fallen this week.  I'm not able to get out to the shops while they are poorly and as a firm believer that preparations for Christmas should begin during advent I have yet to buy a single Christmas present.  This year will be our first Christmas with Verity, it's a very special time and one that we are thankful for and somehow I want Christmas to be simpler this year, less fussy and less materialistic somehow.

When my 4 year old is asked what she wants for Christmas her answer is either a torch or bubbles depending on how she is feeling at the time and many people are shocked at the answer, surely she must want 'something' I love the innocence in her little face it is a reminder to me and so many who strive to make Christmas happy by going beserk in the shops.  Do we teach our children to be greedy by showering them with expensive gifts thinking that it somehow replaces our need to love them unconditionally and spend time with them, I don't know?  I'm not saying that our children do not have nice things they will no doubt be showered with generous gifts from Grandparents and family and friends but I hope this year to teach them something of the story and true meaning of Christmas that is so much more meaningful.

I believe that traditions are important for children, (and adults,) they provide a marker along life's super highway, they are often times when we stop and think, times when we pause a moment and spend time with people we love, times where memories are made.  Looking back to when I was a child, I honestly cannot remember ALL the presents I got each year, I can remember some, but I do remember being at my Grandparents house with the open fire lit with my family, I can still smell that fire when I think about it.  I still remember the family tradition of going to Delamere Forest to choose a tree and again the memory is strong, I can smell that piney tree smell and even taste the burning hot soup we sometimes had afterwards to warm up, (it was gross by the way.)  They are the type of memories that are not made from money but through time, through love and through family.  They are the type of memories I want to create for my children so that as they grow older they have a bank of happy memories and loving times to use as a bunker when the world gets tough.

As a Christian I believe that Christmas is about the story of a baby who came to earth to be the face of God, born to a humble and ultimately suffering life.  This child changed the life of so many and his legacy has lasted for over two thousand years.  The messages of peace, of hope and of joy are the things that I want to help my children to understand and recreate, goodwill to all men and yes gifts are part of the Christmas story too, there will of course be presents but hopefully not at the cost of making memories, being family and sharing love.