His Dark Materials...

I totally stole this from Making it up (http://liveotherwise.co.uk/makingitup/)

Philip Pullman

Are such things done on Albion’s shore?

The image of this nation that haunts me most powerfully is that of the sleeping giant Albion in William Blake’s prophetic books. Sleep, profound and inveterate slumber: that is the condition of Britain today.

We do not know what is happening to us. In the world outside, great events take place, great figures move and act, great matters unfold, and this nation of Albion murmurs and stirs while malevolent voices whisper in the darkness - the voices of the new laws that are silently strangling the old freedoms the nation still dreams it enjoys.

We are so fast asleep that we don’t know who we are any more. Are we English? Scottish? Welsh? British? More than one of them? One but not another? Are we a Christian nation - after all we have an Established Church - or are we something post-Christian? Are we a secular state? Are we a multifaith state? Are we anything we can all agree on and feel proud of?

The new laws whisper:
You don’t know who you are
You’re mistaken about yourself
We know better than you do what you consist of, what labels apply to you, which facts about you are important and which are worthless
We do not believe you can be trusted to know these things, so we shall know them for you
And if we take against you, we shall remove from your possession the only proof we shall allow to be recognised

The sleeping nation dreams it has the freedom to speak its mind. It fantasises about making tyrants cringe with the bluff bold vigour of its ancient right to express its opinions in the street.

This is what the new laws say about that:
Expressing an opinion is a dangerous activity
Whatever your opinions are, we don’t want to hear them
So if you threaten us or our friends with your opinions we shall treat you like the rabble you are
And we do not want to hear you arguing about it
So hold your tongue and forget about protesting
What we want from you is acquiescence

The nation dreams it is a democratic state where the laws were made by freely elected representatives who were answerable to the people. It used to be such a nation once, it dreams, so it must be that nation still. It is a sweet dream.

You are not to be trusted with laws
So we shall put ourselves out of your reach
We shall put ourselves beyond your amendment or abolition
You do not need to argue about any changes we make, or to debate them, or to send your representatives to vote against them
You do not need to hold us to account
You think you will get what you want from an inquiry?
Who do you think you are?
What sort of fools do you think we are?

The nation’s dreams are troubled, sometimes; dim rumours reach our sleeping ears, rumours that all is not well in the administration of justice; but an ancient spell murmurs through our somnolence, and we remember that the courts are bound to seek the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and we turn over and sleep soundly again.

And the new laws whisper:
We do not want to hear you talking about truth
Truth is a friend of yours, not a friend of ours
We have a better friend called hearsay, who is a witness we can always rely on
We do not want to hear you talking about innocence
Innocent means guilty of things not yet done
We do not want to hear you talking about the right to silence
You need to be told what silence means: it means guilt
We do not want to hear you talking about justice
Justice is whatever we want to do to you
And nothing else

Are we conscious of being watched, as we sleep? Are we aware of an ever-open eye at the corner of every street, of a watching presence in the very keyboards we type our messages on? The new laws don’t mind if we are. They don’t think we care about it.

We want to watch you day and night
We think you are abject enough to feel safe when we watch you
We can see you have lost all sense of what is proper to a free people
We can see you have abandoned modesty
Some of our friends have seen to that
They have arranged for you to find modesty contemptible
In a thousand ways they have led you to think that whoever does not want to be watched must have something shameful to hide
We want you to feel that solitude is frightening and unnatural
We want you to feel that being watched is the natural state of things

One of the pleasant fantasies that consoles us in our sleep is that we are a sovereign nation, and safe within our borders. This is what the new laws say about that:

We know who our friends are
And when our friends want to have words with one of you
We shall make it easy for them to take you away to a country where you will learn that you have more fingernails than you need
It will be no use bleating that you know of no offence you have committed under British law
It is for us to know what your offence is
Angering our friends is an offence
It is inconceivable to me that a waking nation in the full consciousness of its freedom would have allowed its government to pass such laws as the Protection from Harassment Act (1997), the Crime and Disorder Act (1998), the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000), the Terrorism Act (2000), the Criminal Justice and Police Act (2001), the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (2001), the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Extension Act (2002), the Criminal Justice Act (2003), the Extradition Act (2003), the Anti-Social Behaviour Act (2003), the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004), the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), the Prevention of Terrorism Act (2005), the Inquiries Act (2005), the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005), not to mention a host of pending legislation such as the Identity Cards Bill, the Coroners and Justice Bill, and the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill.

Inconceivable.

And those laws say:
Sleep, you stinking cowards
Sweating as you dream of rights and freedoms
Freedom is too hard for you
We shall decide what freedom is
Sleep, you vermin
Sleep, you scum.

Philip Pullman will deliver a keynote speech at the Convention on Modern Liberty at the Institute of Education in London tomorrow.

Get up, stand up!

We're off to see our MP.

Vijay Patel of the NSPCC should offer a public apology and resign - people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

Copying from Telcha Wood's facebook message:

Due to comments quoted in todays independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/is-the-government-right-to-be-concerned-about-homeschooling-1631969.html

from Mr Vijay Patel of the NSPCC, linking Victoria Climbie with home education, we are calling for a public apology and the resignation of Mr Patel.

His own organisation was heavily implicated in Victoria's death, she was not home educated, was known to be at risk.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1781399.stm

We are asking all members to set their status to:"Vijay Patel of the NSPCC should offer a public apology and resign - people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones - see posted link."and to post a link to your profile to the two pieces contained within this email.

We would also ask you to email the NSPCC demanding a public apologySupporterCare@NSPCC.org.ukor write on their facebook wall.

To write on the NSPCC wall you will need to become a *fan* but once you have written you can remove yourself again. http://www.facebook.com/pages/NSPCC/10114144851?ref=mf#/pages/NSPCC/10114144851?ref=mf

You might also like to email the DCSF demanding that the review be scrapped:elizabeth.green@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Odds and ends, odds and ends, lost time is not found again...

Fluff has suddenly become DEEPLY interested in colouring. I don't mean the usual scribble pictures he's often engaged in on occasion, I mean intent concentration, drawing shapes, attempts at letters, being very careful that he's holding the pen 'properly', and colouring pictures very carefully in all the lines. Erm, is that normal for 3?!

Come to that, is it normal for a child of 5 (Wig) to make up a nunchuku kata which not only looks good (utilising distinctive kicks from a kata many belts above his and his brother's) but is consistently the same each time he does it? And is it normal for him to recall the bostaff kata he had ONE session on at the end of last year, and be able to do all the moves (some of which adults struggled with at this special seminar)? Never mind be able to read.

Oh, did I not mention that before? I think that was because I wondered if maybe I was kidding myself... And I didn't want to jinx it! He's powered his way through - with great enjoyment - my old Peter and Janes and the Star Wars DK readers Papacrow got him for Christmas every time he can badger me to sit down and have him read to me 'properly, mummy'.

Our 'literacy plan'? The usual five point one you see on home schooling blogs occasionally - '1, Read to them. 2, Read to them. 3, Read to them. 4 Read to them. 5 Read to them.' Also have bought him word magnet sets he's wanted, allowed him access to the library and our books (including his special love, graphic novels, which we do vet a little as some are more adult than others, as it were), written out words for him to trace at his request, and let him keep playing with the letter fridge magnets (which we've had since Saurus was a baby). Really haven't had time to do a 'literacy hour' daily or anything like that (never mind that I'm allergic to such things.)

He knew his alphabet from tiny because we sing non stop round here and everyone likes 'ABC' songs, and he loved looking at the phonetic alphabet book Roo brought home from infants once (a home made creation intended for Roo to keep, I hasten to add!). Really we've done very little with him. Or rather, we've done very little - if anything - FORCED with him. Which is probably why he's gone straight from the usual early signs at 3/4 to reading at 5, rather than stuttering to a halt and painfully picking his way through at 6/7 like Roo and Saurus. Who can tell.

And Saurus... Today, we got the paints out again today, as we usually do on a Sunday - 'proper' acrylics (i.e. cheap from Sainsburys) and really very nice proper acrylic paper. They all enjoyed it, then everyone ran off to play - except Saurus, who remained there for a good 20 minutes further, if not 40, experimenting, tweaking, trying out an idea he saw once on Mr Maker at Grandma's or something.

This is Saurus we're talking about. The child who, before attending school, did colour and draw though it wasn't his first choice of occupation, who as he progressed through infants never drew. coloured or even painted by choice, who as he progressed through juniors was approaching phobic about it all, because, as it turned out, he thought he was 'rubbish'. It's true his drawing is of a standard below his average age standard (far below), I think partly because it's not his first love or a big talent, partly because obviously did very little practice/play at it and partly (maybe) due to other background issues he has (slight emotional immaturity, particularly at processing emotions, and some suspect hyperactivity issues - not hyper running around type stuff, but not always being able to put the brakes on properly stuff).

When we started upping the input at home, and then when we progressed to removing them from school, one of our goals for him was with art - NOT for him to improve his standard, technique, anything, but to discover or rediscover the enjoyment that can be had...

We're getting there I feel :)

Oh, and Roo... now, aren't computer games supposed to stifle creativeness? We've been playing Spore a fair bit this month (seeing as the monthly topic is Evolution), and it has stimulated Roo to produce MASSES of colourful drawings, detailed diagrams, etc etc (by the way, always go the extra and get the expensive Berol felt tips - worth every penny, and you can get them cheaper on ebay anyhow).

Oh and Petal has evidently decided crawling is for babies, and exclusively walks everywhere now, even OUTDOORS!!! Except when climbing :( She's taken to carrying the little kitchen stool everywhere so she can reach stuff - like the toothpaste, or her brother's baskets :o and I heard a terrifying rumour she can open doors now (closed ones I mean)... I haven't caught her in the act though, yet....

So 'normal' service has been resumed...

Picture Tag from Kelly...

The idea is open the 6th picture folder on your computer and from that, open up and post the 6th picture... Well I'm on the laptop, not the computer, so not a lot to choose from, but here goes...



Tag - oh heck, anyone who fancies it!

I Agree with Allie...

Thoughts on arranged marriage

There was a very interesting interview on Radio 2 this morning with a survivor of forced arranged marriage. I listened diligently, and from that and other things I've seen and read I've come up with the following points.

Victims of forced arranged marriages are more likely to be female.

They have usually been in the school system from initial entry (i.e. four or five).

They are removed (seemingly to me with little explanation) either to be sent away for marriage or to be confined until they consent to the marriage.

This most often happens in their mid to late teens.

They also most often have at least one parent of Asian origin or culture.

They are often sent abroad for the marriage.

Therefore I see the group at high risk of being forced into arranged marriage as being the following (I must stress, extremely roughly analysed) - Asian girls of 14 upwards currently in the school system, and you could think about including the factor of having been abroad before at least once, or having a current passport.

Would parents planning to force their daughter into an arranged marriage potentially use 'Home Education' as an explanation as to why they have removed her from the education system? Possibly.

Do I think that children who are being home educated are under increased risk of being forced into arranged marriage? No. They are in a completely different group.

Lets look a my kids - or at least, the three that are 5 years and up, and who would therefore be in the school system if we had not chosen to home educate.

For a start they are male. They are also English, Caucasian, and have no direct family link to Asian culture. The eldest was removed from the system when he was 11, the next when he was 7, and the youngest of the three never entered it. None have ever been abroad and none have a current passport.

They are not confined to the house, in fact as well as regularly attending local home education groups, a local Karate Club, and having swimming lessons at the local pool, they have all been present for a visit from the LEA Flexible Learning Visitor, and the Health Visitor, Practice Nurse and GP are practically old family friends. Not to mention that most of the staff of the local Library know them all on first name basis.

I therefore fail to see how they in any way fit into the profile of a person with high risk of being forced into an arranged marriage.

The Rhythm of Life...

We're having fun with evolution at the moment.

I just wanted to mention that - I just wanted to mention ANYTHING so that the most recent post on my blog is about happily home educating...

Not worrying about having to break out the penknives to defend it, or planning how to emigrate.

OH MY GOD!!!

http://sometimesitsprudent.blogspot.com/2009/02/prudence-is-criminal-and-will-be.html

read it. read it now.

Just one more thing...

So my children are more at risk of child abuse because they are homeschooled, and with one or other of their parents all of the time.

Are children in a family where both parents work, and use breakfast clubs, after school clubs etc, more at risk of neglect?

In the light of rising crime committed by children in unsupervised gangs of ages getting progressively younger, why is the government not also asking this question? Or are they too busy creating the clubs in the first place and getting mums out to work because otherwise they're 'a drain on the economy' and a 'waste of their education'?

Of course, I'm saving the government thirty thousand odd pounds (or whatever it is) times 5 as my children aren't using their allotted state education funded place. And I'm raising the next generation of responsible citizens - why oh why is that a job better suited to mass trained strangers?

I want to make one thing clear. I am NOT pointing the finger at families who send their children to school, use the aforementioned clubs, or have both parent's working - that's their choice.

Because, I was given to understand - by my father who fought in the second world war - that we lived in a free country. A freedom he was willing to defend with his life.

Surely that must mean that we have a choice?

I'm not naive to truly believe that there has never or will never be a case where home schooling is used as a cover for wrong doing, but these hypothetical people would be a tiny minority in a group that is itself a tiny minority.

Homeschoolers are as much a visible part of the community as families who send their children to school, more so in fact.

Abusers will be secretive and devious no matter what their education choices, or how often they choose to move... People that are determined on a particular course of action, however evil, will find a way.

People who attend karate clubs, swimming lessons, churches, groups, go to the supermarket, etc etc (with the kids in tow I hasten to add) are probably less likely to be seriously abusing their children, as it would be picked up.

Mind you, several cases have shown lately that even if it IS picked up, that doesn't necessarily mean anyone does anything about it. You know the most awful thing about the Victoria Climbe case? It wasn't a lack of system or procedures being in place - they were - they weren't followed.

At the end of the day, can't we all just get along?! Personally, we've been happy to use both the Health Visiting service and the LEA Flexible Learning support service. We've been lucky in both cases to end up with great, sensible, lovely people who are interested in what we do and have lots of useful experience and tips when we might need them.

But even if we opted out of these services, so what? It's this patriarchal authoritative model isn't it, like in medicine... You know, I don't even HAVE to register a pregnancy with my GP. I have done in each case, because I want to take the benefits from the anti-natal service. But I don't HAVE to. (Am awaiting comments telling me otherwise with interest!)

You know, I don't even HAVE to register the birth... I do if I want that child to be able to claim NHS treatment - or anything else... But I don't HAVE to... I know there are regulations about registering the birth within a certain time scale and so on, but I'm not aware of any regulations about it being definitely illegal not to? I'd be interested if anyone knows otherwise...

Anyway, to conclude this rambling - choices, freedom - my bone to pick is - yes I accept that people have the right to express their opinion that home schooling children maybe more at risk of abuse. But I therefore also have the right to express my opinion, right?

You see, it's that last thing that I'm beginning, ever so slightly, to doubt... Not when it comes to individuals - which, when it comes down to it, is how and is with whom our daily life is conducted with - but in the big picture...

The big picture doesn't worry me very often. We're too busy just getting on with life... I just hope that attitude doesn't come back to bite me!

And I promise you, that's positively my LAST words on the subject. Honest!

A Day in the life...

I recently filled up the note book I was using for our daily home schooling diary... So I've opened it randomly, and here's what we did on...

Thursday 28th October 2008

Slow get up, much reading and discussion of day and of wheetabix at breakfast (we haven't had it in a while). Saurus and Roo did their diary entries and book reviews, Wig did his diary entry (he dictates it to me, I write it in pencil, we read it back together and he traces over it with felt tip) and some of the maths work book he got me to buy for him.

A quick tidy up, getting dressed, making beds etc and played a bit, while I sorted the kitchen. Then off to Nana's house (my mum, is an ex primary school teacher). A lovely morning - talking about pro-life organisations (pros and cons), New Zealand birds and all sorts of sciency bits and pieces - Nana was very impressed when Fluff told her (while playing with her and Wig with the magnets on the fridge) that magnets don't work (i.e. stick) on wood. Nice chats about learning techniques and Wig's literacy progress.

The boys did jigsaws, played with trains and numerous other bits, talked to Nana about stuff around the house (e.g. bird painting) and played snap and pairs. We briefly went over the road to the park there, but it was far too cold and windy for the minis (Fluff and Petal) so we headed back to the car, after chat with men up ladders painting bits of Nana's block of flats.

Headed home, watched the men across our street up scaffolding - Fluff was very interested in their pulley, maybe we can rig one up? Lots of different lunches for all, all helped in preparing it, and we had lots of reading again.

Fluff is playing with his Bob the Builder toys a lot, tons of imaginative play and referring to the picture we did together which is hanging up. We listened to Nana's New Zealand bird CD and spent some time looking at pictures in the accompanying booklet, we also had a good look at the great poster charts of animals, birds, trees etc she gave us - very very cool.

Tapes and Dr Who cds for quiet time, Aunty C (my sister) round with the veg and she brought one of the puppies with her! Lots of discussion and observation about that!

We had many interesting debates during the day, but sadly I failed to record them at the
time :-(

Wig experimenting with the stretchy monkey a lot, Roo joining in, and joke making and punning still going on. I need to introduce board games and chess again. All did lots of helpful errands cheerfully, and helped look after Petal.

All went to Grandma's (Papacrow's mum) late afternoon, Roo especially looking forward to playing with L (cousin) on Spore, the evolutionary game - I must sort out the laptop and graphics card situation. (I did!)

I did the veg deliveries, less of them. Interesting Radio 4, got back at dinner time. Boys got back, we watched a bit of Take Two (it was Strictly Come Dancing season!), had nice leisurely baths and Papacrow and I did one on one time with 'em all, particularly for the younger ones.

Read Turf Cutter's Donkey and Nogin the Nog to Wig - he was a bit resistant at first for some reason (because it wasn't Iron Man probably) but ended up begging for more! They also did some folding. Saurus needs more exercise, some one on one attention and some new interesting challenges - like making a Harry Potter board game, as mentioned once or twice ages ago?

Gave Autumn Watch a miss tonight in the interests of an early night. Interesting listening to and talking about the news today - Saurus especially ready with an opinion on all sorts of things, not just football but also the Jonathon Ross/Russell Brand scandal - good social awareness, topical discussion stuff.

Lots of experiments with clothes pegs lately - Roo's been 'Roo peg hands' and Fluff's been investigating leverage and force etc.


Of course, there's no such thing as a representative day, and this day dosn't show tennis, swimming, more sit down stuff etc etc... But still, an interesting exercise!

So how do you get enough P.E.?

Thank you Urban Shadows!

Beth's non meme...

I tagged myself for this : http://www.sothefishsaid.com/2009/02/the_beth_is_very_ashamed_of_he.html

1. Remember the movie Brewster's Millions? That happens to you, except on a smaller scale. You receive a million dollars that you must spend in 30 days. However, you cannot have any assets to show for the money at the end of the month (and you can't buy something and then destroy it), you cannot waste the money, you cannot give it away, and you cannot tell anyone what you are doing. How do you ditch the dough in a month or less?

Well I thought - driving lessons for Papacrow, swimming lessons, lots of horse riding, loads of holidays, and lots of days out to expensive and interesting places - a show in London, lots of visits to the Darwin exhibition... No one really knows what we're up to anyway, that part is ok...

Papacrow had a far more elegant solution. Book four tickets (£250000 each) on the Virgin Space Shuttle.

2. You are locked in a toy store overnight, with no way out until it reopens in the morning. What do you play with all night?

EVERYTHING! WEEEEEEEE!

3. If you could have a dinner party with any three famous people, living or dead, you would be wasting your supernatural powers on hosting dinner parties. What would you do instead?

Learn to to play the guitar really really well. Hey, think of all those dead rock stars! Then I can be on OTHER people's lists of who they'd invite to dinner parties!

Papacrow would change the laws of physics so that when you farted it was purple.

4. What's the best thing since sliced bread? Now, sliced bread ain't all that impressive, so what's the best mediocre, hum-drum improvement or advancement that has made modern life just ever so slightly more convenient for humanity, along the lines of saving yourself five seconds every time you want a piece of bread.

Well I want to say the dryer, but I think this is way too amazing to be humdrum enough. Papacrow suggests the stapler, which is pretty good.

5. What's your best quality? The response to this question must be a simple declarative statement. You may elaborate on that statement, provided that your elaboration does not include the words "but," "however," or "although," or any other hedging, equivocating, back-sliding, gerrymandering (which is not at all appropriate in this context, but I think it should be, don't you?) or any other type of backing down from the simple declarative statement with which you began your response.

After much thought (because I have so many best qualities to choose from), my best quality is my bounce-back-ability. No matter how many times I get squashed, I'll bounce back and try a different way, a different route, or just put up with being squashed till I'm through. Yup, I'm tenacious.

Papacrow says: My best quality is my mind numbing ability to be childish.

Yeah, he's pretty good at that....

Go on, tag yourself, let me know so I can read them!

Walking in a winter wonderland...

What happened today? It SNOWED!

It snowed ALL day, hardly stopping - I can't REMEMBER the last time that happened. As usual, the rest of the county is far worse hit than us, here in our cosy little hollow!

So, knowing that it will soon be gone, we wrapped up well and headed out to have fun...

All hail the Mitchilin girl! You know, it's just as well it hasn't waited till April to snow, like it did last year. That snow suit (as you can see) only JUST fit... If she sat down accidentally she rolled and couldn't get up again! :D

Fluff attached himself to a random girl and helped her build a snow rabbit...

And there is LOTS to show and tell about what we've all been up to, TONS of progress here, and a round up of our January project, and all we've started to do for February (Evolution and Darwin)... Soon! We've just bought SPORE and it's incredibly addictive!