psst, over here!

I can neither confirm nor deny, that I have been absent for some time. Well, I can, but I have been listening to so many politicians rabbiting on during our election campaign that I can no longer think in real speak.

One daughter and her family living with us during their house renovations, and then other daughter arrived with Peppercorn for a visit, so for the Flamingo Dancer nest has been brimming. As Son works in IT  and works from home, we have and the entire family minus one son-in-law home for a period. Happy chaos.

As most of the extended family had not met Peppercorn we had a parade of relatives marching through the door. We also took Peppercorn to visit with her Great Grandmother Flaming Dancer. Peppercorn has two great grandmothers, but the other lives in New Zealand and not is great health, so she may not get to meet her, but one great granny is a pretty good start. We posed for a four generation photo with all my girls.

Tomorrow I am attending an educational technology conference in Brisbane, and I am so excited it is ridiculous. I just love attending a good conference, where bright minds share. As well, I am overnighting in a motel in the inner city, so I shall pretend I am a high flyer for a day or two!

Wednesday it will be back to the real world and the classroom. We are into assessment period again, with just four weeks of semester left (yay for small mercies).

So despair not, I have not vanished, but family always trumps blogging. You need me, I know…

was I there?

Mr FD talked about making breakfast, but I made breakfast.

Mr FD talked about making dinner, but I made breakfast.

Mr FD talked about the pact we had that he would do all the cooking on Father’s Day.

I don’t remember any pact…and I am not holding my breath.

 

He does however, get to do the dishwasher.

 

Night Tales

Just before dawn, a sleeping Mr FD announced mournfully, “I don’t have any wings left.”

Had he used up his personal supply of wings?

Was he retailing them and had a sudden rush on wings?

Had the fairies called and found his cupboard bare?

Another one of life’s mysteries.

education shouldn’t be about the next election, or how to peck teachers to death

Today is a public holiday in our ever warm state of Queensland. It is May Day, or Labour Day. Last year it was moved to November, because of the political machinations of the previous anti-worker state government. New government and it has been moved back to its rightful place, but the Queen’s Birthday holiday which was in June (despite her birthday being in April) has been moved to November. I gather it was Business who wanted the change as we have all our public holidays in the first half of the year and none in the second half.

Australia is facing a federal election in the next few weeks, so education and teachers are being  used as a political football, as usual. If only the politicians would leave education alone. I am becoming so angry that I feel like becoming an activist, but I have no intention of ruining my own life! Everyone has an opinion about education, but as Professor John Hattie argues, everything works to a degree, even what politicians suggest, but it doesn’t all work with the students or the teachers for the long term good.

Politicians don’t listen to educators, they are just running with the media, and the parents they have panicked, or miseducated in the first place. Teachers want the best for their students, leave education to the experts not the politicians. I know, they won’t listen – never have, never will.

The issue is, no one will want to be in education if everyone keeps picking on the teachers. Stop bullying teachers! Performance pay when you can’t select the students you teach? As though students should have a dollar value over the heads! Teachers forced to teach a curriculum they know is too crowded and too shallow for real learning, that doesn’t equip students for the world they will be living in, and yet we are to be punished if everything fails. No wonder the average career in education is five years (this is my 7th!).

I guess, I am asking that when we hear about testing and standards and performance pay, that we stop and think, and wonder what type of world we want for our children. I don’t think it is this one, and we all need to let our politicians know this. If the “little people” don’t speak up, then they will continue – it is up to us to state our needs and wants, and not let the politicians tell us what we want.

Of course, you could always let me tell you want you need or want!

not being able to see the trees for the trees

When my blood pressure sank to 90 over 60, I sat on the kitchen floor and waited to black out, but I didn’t and eventually made it to my bed. I have struggled with high blood pressure for years and in recent weeks    I have been prescribed a new medication regime. Obviously, it worked too well!

I am going through one of those health episodes where lots of niggling issues come together to make life less jolly and more uncomfortable. A shoulder issue means if I raise or stretch my arm too much I experience crushing pain; blood pressure out of control. Sigh.

The last few days of the working week witnessed me absent from the workplace and journeying back and forth to my doctor. I am not sure how much rest I am getting, with a three year old in the house, and tree loppers working in the yard to remove a number of trees.

The tree men, are back today, removing a number of ugly palm trees that are too much work with their habit of dropping fronds continually. Palm fronds are too fibrous to mulch and so have to be carted away, more money. Disappointing also, because when we lopped the native trees we were able to keep the wood for our fire and mulch everything else to put back into the garden. I try to salve my decision to remover the trees with the knowledge that we will be planting more suitable native trees, smaller trees, in their wake.  Any garden requires regular maintenance and renewal.

We are also trying to remove issues that will become problems as we age, so that we can stay here as long as possible. We learnt from our parents lives that it is vitally important to plan ahead, and to prepare our home for when we are old, if we want to stay independent as long as possible.  Eventually, we will need to move back to the city, to a unit or townhouse, closer to our children, but not for a long, long time, we hope. Though a number of our adult children are resident with us, so that is a bit of a reverse issue right now!

Lately, I seem to be writing a lot about age and age related issues, but that is the cycle of life and smart people accept it, work with it, and I hope I am wise enough to remember that.

On the other hand, I am going out to select wood cuts from the trees already felled, to create fairy houses for my two precious granddaughters. I am sure, I will not be tempted to play fairies at all..never ever.