Children failing in Maths

Hot off the press is the news today that students who were in the top ten per cent in Maths in primary school under perform in Secondary School when compared to students in Australia, Scotland, Slovenia and Norway. The 2009 Programme for International Student  Assessment (PSA) showed that overall pupils in English Schools came 28^th for maths out of five countries.  The Institute of Education also states that the highest achieving students appeared to make less progress relative to their overseas peers particularly those in East Asian countries between the ages of 10 and 16. 

It cannot be argued that the current Government’s emphasis on raising standards and implementing changes to achieve this, is commendable.  However, having taught in the Primary and Secondary Sectors (Independent and Public) I conclude that what is MOST worrying is the clear cultural shift in how education is valued across the board.  Now whilst this is a generalised statement as my experience is based in London only, it’s NOT a shift that’s just occurred and the evidence appears the same in many other areas in the UK (particularly urban areas).  This decline, which I’ve witnessed first hand has been seeping into our culture for over thirty years. 

Many students in our Schools are disenchanted with a system that values success statistics over individual nurturing and motivation.  Many students in our Schools lack confidence.  Many students in our Schools (particularly in the Secondary Sector) believe that education is no longer the key to their success so the temptation of celebrity and beauty, reliance on the State System or crime becomes more attractive and appealing. 

 

We MUST BE WORRIED when groups of failing students make the statement:  

                             “What’s the point?”

There is clearly no one answer to such a complex subject but I'd suggest we're being asked to look more closely at what we perceive to be not only the failing students, but the failing teachers, the failing graduates, the failing business owners, the failing parents, the failing governments, the failing economy…..the failing…..the failing.....

Maybe the first step is to understand who or what might be causing the underlying problem.  I suggest this because we might be successful in fast tracking a small portion of our students to excel in maths and keep us up with international statistics but that still leaves us with the same problem that’s been incubating and is now fully fledged in our culture.   

What about the rest who continue to fail and are still shouting:   

What’s the point!?   

These youngsters are now the future of our society and they CANNOT be ignored, even if we think they can.

Follow my blogs if you’d like to find out my suggestions or read my Power of Self book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AYIJAEA to discover where you might stand. 

LB xxx

www.lbbacchus.com 

Help I'm Pregnant! -The First Baby Bump Scan

Hi, welcome back to the second blog in this series:  The First Baby Bump Scan.

Ok so we’ve survived the initial hormonal onslaught and changes.  The mammary glands have settled down or we’ve been so accustomed to the incessant ache and growth that we hardly notice, and then it’s time to attend the first scan filled with excitement or trepidation or both.

The excitement:     Ooooh I can’t wait to see MY baby!

The panic:              Is the baby still there? 

                               Is the baby ok?

                               What if the scan shows it has two heads and no limbs???!!!!

We wait in an overflowing waiting room shocked that the whole world seems to be having babies at the same time and then your name’s called incorrectly (unless of course you’re called Jane Smith). 

Undressed and donning the most unflattering piece of cloth the hospital tries to pretty up with flowers that lost their colour in millions of washes, we lie prostrate on the hardest padded bed trying not to rip the white paper.  The Sonographer then applies lashings of freezing jelly by squirting it onto the bump and an equally freezing monitor is pressed onto you (often far too hard for comfort) and voila….there it is…. baby in all its black and white, distorted glory. 

It’s now that we’re secretly grateful that the picture’s explained because the head could easily be mistaken to be the bum particularly when different sides are shown.   Then to put our worried minds at rest the heartbeat’s shown.  Now this thumping mass is beating so fast you’d think the baby had just done a Zumba dance class, which immediately causes panic again until eased by the words of the professional stating “It’s a healthy heart beat.”  Phew!

Armed with the black and white photo of the oversize headed, squashed limbed stranger with pouting lips we’re gripped with the reality that a real, live someone has taken official, unquestionable residence in our body and for most of us it feels goooood! 

This picture which if we’re really honest is virtually identical to the millions of other baby scan pictures somehow has an identity that only a parent and those closely connected to the parent can attest to.  

This is My Baby yet to be given its birth name as the first scan can’t usually detect the gender.  So baby My is forced into the faces of anyone who moves, yet stood or sat still enough to be subjected to the glory of the inside of our womb and we’re satisfied.  Now the evidence exists, we are parents.  It’s real!  We have the proof!  Baby My is there and we can’t wait to meet him or her, but for now baby My’s scan picture and the growing lump in your tummy will suffice.

Let’s meet again on the: I’m about to have the baby blog.

LB xxx

www.lbbacchus.com

HELP I'm pregnant!

If you know me BREATHE!!!....I’m NOT pregnant...now!!! A miracle hasn’t occurred (highly unlikely anyway as it would have to be another immaculate conception!)  Rest assured folks I remain WAY beyond the baby making stage as Melanie Menopause has been my pal for the last 6 years and she’s not gonna allow any pesky eggs to encroach her space!!!! 

This, is the first of a series of blogs which will track the journey of parenting from conception to the time when you're strumming your fingers on the dining room table as you face a fully grown adult who's making all the choices you hate, yet defiantly reminds you they're grown even though they still behave like they're two when the mood takes them.

This blog is:  YIPPEE I'm having a baby" and "OH NO, I'm having a baby!" (for those caught off guard, or those of us depressed at changing roles from free young thing, to responsible mature thing!)

Now I was lucky!!

Whilst not in the 'I can't wait to have a baby, dream camp' commencing as soon as puberty hit, I wasn't averse to welcoming a mini me/him into the world.  The thought of cute baby clothes, cuddly toys and the most gorgeous creature cooing up at me, was a thrill.  This delightful thing would bond me like glue to my husband as we shared our mutual self-satisfaction of creating another human being (hopefully in one of our images).  The bond that would grow with love and satisfaction at seeing our little miracle grow.  Oh the delight, the sheer bliss, the ecstasy...

Then the REALITY!!!!

REALITY 1

sick   nausea    sick    nausea    sick    nausea    sick   nausea    and more    sick!!!

It hits you like a silent Creeper from nowhere.  The Creeper's called the Creeper because you never know when it's coming.  It does however, have an irritating knack of coming at the most inappropriate times:  In a queue, on the bus, at work, in the middle of a conversation with the next door neighbour...ANYWHERE!  Some people call the Creeper, Morning Sickness!  They're WRONG...'cos mornings can stretch into the entire day and afternoon and night!  At this stage you become more familiar with the toilet bowl than with any other person you know, and if you're really, really sick, you prefer the toilet!

REALITY 2

Even if you’re lucky to stay stick thin, your raging, changing, hip-hopping hormones make you feel like you ate an elephant (vomit), look like an elephant (in your mind only) and your mammary glands become so painful you’d love to donate to someone else because you don’t want them!  And all of this from the get-go when baby is less than an inch big and looks like a mutant alien from a Science Fiction film.

REALITY 3

As if the metamorphosis from my body, to my body shared or stolen wasn’t enough there are the inevitable panics…..
Panic 1-Child birth pain!
Solution???...It's called: 'One born every minute' or any other child birth programme we can find!  This compulsion to watch keeps us glued to the screen to witness pregnant mums screaming and groaning because of the tremendous pain they can't stand.  The women cursing at their partner 'cos for once they can!  The emergencies where mum or baby nearly die!....That's what we need....A good dose of reality!

Panic 2-Will it be healthy?
Will the baby have the right number of toes and fingers?
Will it have a nose?!
Panic 3-Will I be a good parent?
Will I make enough money to live comfortably?
Will I want to leave baby and return to work?
Panic 4-Which school will he/she go to?
Which Uni?
Which area to live in?

Panic 5-Success
S'pose she can't sing and dance like Beyonce?
S'pose she can't squeeze into lycra like Kim Kardashian?
S'pose he won't make the Sport Squad?

And all of this from the get-go when baby is less than an inch big and looks like a mutant alien from a Science Fiction film.  Anything sound familiar?


Stay tuned for: Mothering-The first Baby Bump Scan.  The ride gets bumpier (pardon the pun)!

LB  xxx

 www.lbbacchus.com

Book writing for the novice. No. 2

TIPS ON HOW TO START WRITING A FICTIONAL STORY

Ok,

You have a great idea and you want to share it with the world, where do you begin?

Do you want to write free hand on a pad?

PRO:  You can write anywhere.

CON:  You have to transfer your work in typed form.

Do you want to use a word document on a computer?

PRO:  You can see your document in typed form.  You can edit, spell-check, delete etc. 

CON:  You could be encumbered if your typing skills aren't good.

Do you want to dictate into a Dictaphone?

PRO:  You can talk your own thoughts without interrupting your flow.

CON:  You still have to go back to the typing/editing stage.

Once you've decided on how you'll record your story, the next step is brainstorming (your own brain).  To do this, identify words or sentences that will remind you of salient points you might want to use.  At this stage don't worry about grammar/spelling and don't worry if you never use anything from your list because one thing's guaranteed, your story will evolve and change.  Go with the flow and allow your ideas to come without your interference.

What's the title of your book going to be?
Once you've decided, and again your title might change.  (Each of my books: Theft of Hearts, Scaredy Cat or Mountain Lion and The Secrets of Stress started life as other names.) 

Think of your book as a sandwich.  You have two slices of bread and the filler in the middle.

The top slice is the introduction of main characters and plots.  This is where you spread the butter (as thickly as you can) because from here the filler will sit comfortably!

The filler is the main focus of the story. (The main point of the book)

The bottom slice is the conclusion. (How the story ends-what happens to the main characters etc.)

Now the above is a simplification of a basic structure because within each category, new characters/settings/plots emerge and you'll discover that as the story develops.  You might also find that the beginning, middle and end merge a bit, but that doesn't matter provided the key elements are in place.

Here's a rough idea of how to develop your story.  (Remember at this stage, jot down words or notes to prompt you later.  Enjoy allowing your imagination to run free, you can gather it all together later.

Names of primary characters.

What they look like, their ages, ethnicity, temperament etc...

What will be the initial setting for your story?

Words to describe the setting

How will you introduce the first plot/issue/leader for the main story?

What will the main part be about

Other characters and any other sub-plots/issues etc.

Describe roughly

What's the ending going to be?

Sad, triumphant, cliff hanger etc...?

This preliminary stage to writing your story should help you to indentify your enthusiasm for the project and you might want to start writing your story straight away.  If you do, go for it!  If you don't let time be your friend.

My final tips are:

DON'T EXPECT PERFECTION because you're bound to be disappointed.

ENJOY the wonders of your imagination.  If you don't, who will!

BELIEVE you can create a wonderful story and you will no matter how long it takes!

ASSUME your readers will be aliens and won't know anything you're talking about, so describe, describe, describe.  Unless of course, you don't want to!

HAVE FUN!!!

LB xxx

www.lbbacchus.com 

It's scary being left all alone

Finding ourselves alone for whatever reason can be scary.   Many of us face this at some time in our lives.  Here’s my video take.  

Want to discover if you’re a Scaredy Cat or Mountain Lion?   

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AYIJAEA