Teaching Double Standards

Inset days.
Strike days.
Sports days.
Toy days for charity.
Trips to Blackpool, Alton Tower, etc.
End of November and the three weeks in December written off to rehearse the school play.

All the above are almost guaranteed throughout the school year and is hardly conducive to a child's education yet this is the excuse we are given when we want to take kids out of school for a family holiday. Yes, selfishly, parents would save hundreds of pounds (usually over £1k) but I'd argue a holiday abroad IS educational. If you're still reading, I'll explain why.

Geography
Finding the location on a map and seeing how far away from home it is. Looking at the local area and working out how to get to places such as the beach or marina.

Maths
Dealing with foreign currency and working out how much things cost in pounds.

History
Walking around the 'old town' and seeing old churches or castles.

Physical Education
Lots of walking and swimming.

Second Language
Hardly fluent in any language (some would argue that includes English) but we'd always say 'please', 'thank you' and 'good morning' in the native language.

Art and craft / DT
Building sand castles :-D

I'm sure there are other educational benefits but this will do to be going on with.

Before any teachers have a go, I'm not blaming them (they just happened to be in the firing line). It's the hypocrisy and double standards of the Education System I'm having a go at and it has to change.

Thanks to another walk out by teachers, I'm WORKING FROM HOME today which is far from ideal. I should be grateful only one out of my four are affected!

Sir Kenny or not Sir Kenny?

Like many people, I have been calling for Kenny Dalglish to be Knighted for a number of years. I wrote to LFC Magazine in 2003 for an article they were running and wrote about it again here “SIR Kenny Dalglish?”

I now believe this honour will never be given out. Not because he doesn't deserve it, we all know he does, but because of the man he is.

Before an honour is given out, the potential recipient is contacted to see if this would be accepted. This saves any embarrassment should it be declined. It is my personal belief that Kenny Dalglish has refused the top award. Although he was awarded an MBE in 1984, times have changed since then.

During the time of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, the period after that and no doubt the time before that, the whole UK establishment was corrupt. Politicians, the Government, media moguls who had (have!) too much power and senior Police Officers all looked after themselves and each other. Nobody in their right minds would be associated with them.

I contacted a Merseyside MP last year about him submitting an official request to get Kenny Knighted and was told he had already done it.

The fact we haven’t heard anything can only be one of two reasons. One, they think he doesn't deserve it (HIGHLY unlikely). Two. he has refused it.

The Honours Committee are not going to broadcast who has declined the honours as this defeats the object of contacting the potential recipients beforehand.

Kenny wouldn't broadcast the fact as he is modest and has real integrity.

I think Liverpool should honour Kenny in its own way.

The new Main Stand at Anfield is almost complete and for his services to the club and for what he did after Hillsborough, I think this should be named after him. Whether it should be called the ‘Sir’ Kenny Dalglish stand, ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish stand or simply the Kenny Dalglish stand, I’ll let LFC decide.

For his charity work, again what he did after Hillsborough (which affected the whole City) and for generally being a true adopted Scouser, there should be a statue in a prominent position.

There’s one for Ken Dodd at Lime Street train station and now they should make room for Ken Dalglish!