Bloghttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/2013-01-27T15:11:00ZEnjoy your trip?russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Enjoy-your-trip/4733336<content:encoded><p>My previous posting received 2000 individual views and for that I am immensely proud thank you. You may like to hear that the snow I was deprived of came later than expected but it came with a vengeance.</p><p><p>The following is a little British school based but stick with it and let me know what happens where you are no matter what country you live in.</p><p><p>It is the term that I normally dread as a teacher, I love Christmas and Summer terms as the children really enjoy being at school but this middle term for me has all the annoying bits of winter and none of the fun of Summer. However for the past few years that has changed all due to a few days within this term….the days of my classes residential break. </p><p><p>This is, in honesty, 3 solid days of half paid work for me and my other staff and perhaps the most tiring 3 days since I had infant children but they are still 3 of the best. The fact for that is simple the children love it and gain so much from it that it is almost a priceless educational resource. But that is where the crux of this blog posting lies, the price of these excursions. Fuel and insurance alone have increased this trip by almost 25% in 4 years and that in itself can be too much for schools and parents to swallow.</p><p><p>We as a school are using charitable donations and pupil premium to gather up the slack but that in itself is not enough. I do not work in a particularly deprived area; they are good working class people with honest working class values who strive hard to provide for their families. It is understandable; therefore when any ask by school for money is met with concern, speculation and questions.</p><p><p>My school provide a wide range of opportunities for children to go on trips and residentials and parents pay approx. 70% of the total cost. However invaluable that these trips are the facts are simple, the majority of schools cannot continue to assume parents have deep pockets. Furthermore schools budgets cannot stretch much further anymore. </p><p><p>We provide four trips over four years and the total cost of all four stands at approx. £600 and rising. If, like some parents at my school, you have 3 children in KS2 it can cost £450 a years for 3 years. That to be fair is not really acceptable for 3 days of experience is it? We have seen a massive decline in parent’s interest in these trips and even have muted the possibility of cancelling one due to low uptake, but this was met with concern by teachers, children and parents alike.</p><p><p>One of the local schools in year 7 does a European skiing trip which, without clothing and equipment, costs in excess of £700 per child for 4 nights. This is surely not sustainable in times of austerity is it? Plus it either pushes parents into unnecessary debt or creates two levels of children, those who can and those who can’t. Creating a class system within the one establishment that those levels should be avoided altogether. Now I am not saying trips should be financially elitist or cancelled altogether I am just saying now may be the time to “cut our cloth accordingly”.</p><p><p>Now before I get hundreds of my teacher followers telling me the benefits far outweigh the costs I completely agree but the facts are simple. My classroom budget for consumable basics and all other resources is less than £100 per year that is for the other 38 weeks of the year. Yes the residential is invaluable for the children, yes they have memories that last for a long time, but would we achieve more by putting all of that additional funding that schools have to subsidise for these trips back into the classroom and plan more low budget trips than something which sucks on the budget and parents pockets and goodwill alike?</p><p><p>I know this is a rather teacher based blog this week but it is something that has been nagging at me for a number of weeks now and the majority of followers are either educationalist or parents, or both. I would like your viewpoint on this and what you feel would be a suitable balance for KS2.</p><p><p>Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon.</p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2013-01-27T15:10:00Z2013-01-27T15:11:00ZSnow Fair!russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Snow-Fair/4654709<content:encoded><p>I am back!!! </p><p><p>Just a short one as I get back in the swing of this blogging thing again.</p><p><p>I have had a crazy few months and have at last managed to release my new book Poppy's Planet which used the superb talents of Jamie Cosley who saw my style and vision straight away! I will be using his fine penmanship again.</p><p><p>I am writing this two weeks into a new term with Ofsted looming and the over-hang of a year 6 residential on the cards. It is never my favourite time of year as I always get after Christmasitis and get a little more miserable than normal. The thought of dark mornings and early dark nights are rubbish, so imagine my joy when over the horizon, riding on its white horse, was a saviour of the natural variety. The weather reports nodded to the fact that on Friday morning I would wake to the kind of magical winter wonderland that would put Lapland to shame.</p><p><p>I went to work on Thursday with an emergency contingency plan of what I would do if I couldn't get to work on Friday and we would declare a snow day. If truth be told I was a little excited when I went to bed and felt even more of a thrill in those split seconds when I drew back the curtains to find my whole town ..... devoid of snow!!!</p><p><p>I felt the disappoint that I think every child in my vicinity felt, we had yet again been built up by the media that a storm of "day after tomorrow" proportions was coming and we would have hot chocolate and rosy cheeks for days to come. But nothing, not one flake, the only visible flakes where from my head, as in my haste to see the snow I had forgotten my daily head and shoulders regime.</p><p><p>The disappointment has been almost tangible made even worse by my social media chums updating status’ about snow days, snow men and snow angels. They can all snow to hell! :)</p><p><p>I am jealous no other word for it.</p><p><p> I deserve an unexpected break and a snow day would have been perfect. I live in one of the wettest areas of the country we suffer cold summers and miserable winters and this would have been a silvery white lining that my grey winter cloud needed.</p><p><p>So in the words of Irelands greatest export B*witched I blame it on the weatherman!</p><p><p>Needless to say Mr. Thomas Cook has today received a great deal of my hard earned cash as I have some fun in the sun to look forward to.</p><p><p>If you have the snow, enjoy!</p><p><p>If you don’t get holiday shopping!</p><p><p>Thanks for reading and leave me a comment </p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2013-01-19T17:39:00Z2013-01-19T17:39:00ZThe Olympic Legacy And The Common Manrussbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/The-Olympic-Legacy-And-The-Common-Man/3116281<content:encoded><p><p>Hi again,</p><p> </p><p>Can I just thank you all for joining me on another blog posting and for having over 3000 individual visitors this week. My blogs have now been published on a book based website and although I do talk about writing dear reader, I also write about the things in life that I come across daily and want to gripe about!</p><p><p> I have decided to blog today about the Olympics and its legacy to the common man. </p><p><p>Seven years ago I like many other British people, waited with bated breath as the decision for host nation for 2012 was announced. I remember vividly being genuinely excited by the prospect of it being in Great Britain. That was a surprise to me. Because, if I was honest, the Olympics have always been something of a sporting footnote in my life, exciting at the time, but not as worthy as a football world cup. My wife on the other hand, a gymnast of some note in the past, thinks the Olympics is a sporting Valhalla which should be embraced with vigour.</p><p><p>So I was not surprised by the level of excitement that built in our household, as the summer approached. We considered taking part in the ticket lottery, considered travelling to the capital and also began planning holiday time around certain events. </p><p><p>I could say that this excitement continued until the glorious opening ceremony, I could but it didn’t.</p><p>Very quickly I began to realise that these events highlighted the class difference between those at the top and those who genuinely make the country tick. Britain without question is in a period of change or chaos. We are led by a group of people who were not actually voted in, who hark back to a 1950’s British utopia which did not exist even in the 1950’s. We are broke and losing money fast we have massive immigration and inner city problems which where only too clearly highlighted in last year’s riots. We have corrupt journalists who have been proven to stoop to depths which would make the average Bond villain shudder and to top it all off the people the average man trusts with their hard earned money betrayed us massively on more than one occasion.</p><p><p>So the games could have been a celebration of all things British, should have been a showcase for how we can rebuild our nation much like we did in the early 1950’s. We could have but we didn’t.</p><p><p>I will start simply with the tickets, thousands upon thousands of tickets were available or so we thought. Actually, one third of the tickets where already ear-marked for corporate junkets. This led to a ridiculous scramble for tickets which meant even competitors struggled to get tickets for their own families. To add insult to injury what have we seen in the first days of the games? Row upon row of empty seats. The corporate prawn sandwich lot obviously don’t want to watch the opening rounds of handball or tennis, but you can bet your bottom dollar those seats will be full on the 100m final. But what should the organisers have done? They should have released stand by tickets for a nominal fee for those waiting around the Olympic park. It took the organisers 3 days to come up with this idea. Not really embracing the Olympic spirit of sport for all.</p><p><p>Then we move on to the cost, I was told that the price of the games was the equivalent of approx. £500 for every adult in the country and what will the majority actually get out of it? The answer is simple: nothing. We hear every day about the legacy of the games, but what did the games do for Greece? In short it helped to the countries current financial crisis and its fall into bankruptcy there was no business boom in Greece because of the Olympics, in fact trade and tourism decreased during the games. The same has happened in London, the streets are no busier than other times of year, the hotels are not full to bursting like predicted, people who don’t have tickets have simply stayed away. This means financially the games could be a fiscal white elephant that we may be paying off for generations.</p><p><p>My scepticism was altered dramatically however, on the opening ceremony, this was a thing of theatrical beauty the opening of idyllic 1800’s countryside of Constable being transformed before our eyes into the industrial mill towns of the Victorian era, without the aid of CGI was a visual spectacle I was glad to witness, add to that elements of humour, literary figures, the fantastic eclectic musical roots of the country and a parachuting monarch then we did our nation proud. We showed the world we are the slightly strange but funny relative who has history unbounded but doesn’t quite know where it fits in the modern world. The strange uncle who was a superb rock n roll dancer, who now in his 70’s looks rather strange still, sporting an silver grey Elvis quiff.</p><p><p>The final point is of course the athletes, those who make the Olympics what they are, the peoples event, whereby everyday individuals can compete in sometimes down-right bizarre sporting events, I mean come on, Handball? BMXing? Windsurfing? The opening ceremony finished with the parade of athletes, many of whom jumped about, held out their mobile phones or twittered about the experience as they were walking around! Not really the respectful beginning you would expect. So it’s London it’s the opening ceremony, and the British team looks a little thin, why? Because the majority of the team where at a training camp……in Portugal!</p><p><p> Again this showed to me the cracks of the games beginning to show.</p><p><p>Our athletes where tipped for great things this year, on home soil rebounding from a superb Olympics in Beijing, but we are now 4 days in and we are actually doing pretty much as we always have done. We are the also ran squad, the team that tries but doesn’t quite make it . The journalist and presenter Piers Morgan tweeted today “Might help concentrate TeamGB’s minds if we stopped going crazy over their ‘heroic’ silver and bronze medals. Sport is about winning.” And I think he has a point. The Americans and Chinese win because they fight to the bitter end the concept of defeat is alien to them they work and work hard. We cannot say we no longer have the resources to compete because for the last 7 years at least we have. Lottery money, again from the pocket of the average person, has poured in and out of the Olympic fund and through our swimmers, gymnasts and cyclists we should have something to show for it, finishing 4th is simply nothing to celebrate. </p><p><p>So all in all, 4 days into London 2012 we have seen tantrums, cheats, bad sportsmanship and a salute to all things eccentrically British, we have spent a fortune, will probably regain little of it back, our medals haul at the moment is significantly smaller than one would have hoped for, but I’m proud we are the host nation. That excitement we felt 7 years ago is building yes it is a wash out summer with regards to the weather, yes the awful G4S security nearly scuppered the games before they started, yes Steve Redgrave is a champion Olympian but he should also realise allowing the next generation to light the flame was a genius idea, yes it’s ridiculous that we are now Team GB and not the Great Britain Team, yes the corporate idiots should not have been allowed to leave seats empty and yes the games mean nothing to the majority of the population, but when the national anthem plays and you see that gold medal go round a youthful Brit with a beaming face full of hope it makes all that whinging worthwhile. Go for gold and do yourselves proud as nobody remembers you if you come second.</p><p><p>Thanks for joining me on this marathon, not a sprint,(see what I did there) blog and I would appreciate any comments.</p><p><p>Best wishes and thanks for reading</p><p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2012-08-01T14:59:00Z2012-08-01T18:17:00ZIs this what women fought for?russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Is-this-what-women-fought-for/3049428<content:encoded><p>Ok it has been nearly 10 months since my previous blog that is ridiculous, so much has happened and so much to talk about including, new dog, new puppies, new book, my youngest starting school, my new place of work, the massive roller coaster sucess that was Daisy the Donkey in the winter of 2011, the relevance of the olympics to me, to name a few.</p><p><p>I have a feeling the following rant may divide you but here goes :).</p><p><p>As the Summer holidays begin in earnest for me, one strange almost hysterical wave has crashed on the shores of my life. That is a certain book which is directed at ladies. This is without question going to be a rant so feel free dear reader to look away now. </p><p><p>The book in question is a fair read and possess the qualities of a trashy summer pulp publication of the past, it certainly has its place and anything that gets the nation reading is surely a good thing.</p><p>The issue I have is that those who have read it (me included) feel that they can discuss and pick it apart in mixed company and openly address it on social networking sites including telling the whole world they are taking it in the bath or to bed.</p><p><p> I am no prude and certainly none of the contents of these books has shocked or disgusted me but I do feel that women now feel they can get away with smut or perversion as just a little bit of sexual titillation.</p><p>Speaking as a man I know for a fact that in my place of work if I spoke in mixed company about an erotic based piece of fiction in as much detail as the conversations I have experienced I would be facing some kind of disciplinary action or be subjected to a medical review of my personality.</p><p><p> So how has this sexual inequality shifted so much since the womens liberation? Women are without question allowed equality in absolutely everything as far as I am concerned but equality is exactly that. The ability to make things equal. So how have the lines of equality suddenly become blurred? As a man I am still expected to hold doors for women, help to change tyres, offer to carry heavy boxes and generally do all the things my parents told me were polite to do. </p><p><p>However I work in a predominatly female based environment and I have been repremanded for asking could someone make me a cup of tea or even told "Im not weak and pathetic you know!" when asking would a lady require help moving a heavy item. </p><p><p>So equality has shifted so severly that I question its future. How is it possible that working mothers are allowed to indefinately have part-time work but working fathers struggle to get time off to see school plays? When men go to a strip club it is seen as disgusting and shameful but a woman going to see male strippers or holding a sex toy based party is "just a bit of fun"? And how is a trashy piece of erotic fiction suddenly ok to discuss in mixed company?</p><p><p> We have always enjoyed erotic fiction but somehow it was more refined, surely this is not were those years of fighting for equality have got women of the 21st century? This book is entertaining in the loosest sense of the word but I cant help feeling that it is directed at the lowest common denominator of people, this cannot be the piece of literature which defines 2012. </p><p><p>A friend recently told me that she thinks its popularity is from those children who grew up reading Harry Potter, then on to the Twilight saga and now are looking for something else to fill that gap, (for want of a better phrase).</p><p><p>This is a huge best seller and definately has made some people a lot of money but I cant help but think that this is the Lady Chatterley's for the Jeremy Kyle generation.</p><p><p>Ladies, enjoy your works of fiction but remember that equality works both ways and dont be offended by dirty jokes, strippers or top shelf magazines ever again or that will make you a hypocrite.</p><p><p>Ok rant over and back asap to normality.</p><p>Let me know if you disagree or agree we are after all, all equal here :)</p><p>Russ</p>
</content:encoded>2012-07-25T14:33:00Z2012-07-25T14:33:00ZMake it an appropriate half term "horror"day!russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Make-it-an-appropriate-half-term-horror-day/270281<content:encoded><p>I am writing this blog posting from a strange place, not physically but mentally. As most of you know I get the majority of my readers through social media and over 2500 readers of the last post showed that I am hitting the correct note with most of you. However I have had one person state that I over post on my feeds and blog and that I do not have anything constructive to say. I therefore took onboard all that this person said sat down and wrote a blog post, :) if they don't like what I say they don't have to read it simples! So here goes....</p><p><p>I'm not a misery and children enjoying themselves, is the reason I love teaching, I like the idea that the children I teach learn safely and in a fashion which is suitable to their age. So it is with some trepidation that this time of year has come around again. I am not religious and do not worry too much about the faith based logic behind Halloween because to be honest I see it as a children’s celebration similar to the day of the dead in Mexico and other European countries. But I cannot say I completely feel comfortable with the UK interpretation of Halloween, I enjoy the idea of children dressing up and families going door to door in appropriate costumes and eating sweets and bobbing for apples but my experience is moving further and further away from that image.</p><p><p>The all-American tradition of Halloween is a great one and appears to work well for my friends over the pond. I have been in America in the Halloween season and it is run with perfection, Trick or Treating is timed and allows parents and children to have fun in the manner in which it is accustomed with toilet papering perhaps the worst thing to happen.</p><p><p>Also if you believe all of the red-topped UK newspapers then you would be led to think that in the UK it is now ok for gangs of teens to be given free licence to terrorise our streets for one night and basically do whatever they like. I know this happens because if it did not then the Police would not spend this time every year reminding Primary aged children about what is expected of them and to tell them to “ignore” any bad behaviour they see from older children.</p><p><p>It does appear the celebration has taken a somewhat more sinister turn. The costumes are gorier and contain much more adult based characters in sizes for children, surely that should ring alarm bells, but it does mean that those costumes must sell. There is also the idea of buying costumes, most children expect a new, better than the year before, costume the days of creating a ghost costume out of a white sheet are long gone! I also question the validity of Trick or Treating over here. I have heard children clearly state that they expect money rather than sweets and if the house owner doesn’t give them it they will egg or flour their house! Is this not demanding with menaces? </p><p><p>I love the tradition of Halloween and enjoy the concepts of children being given the streets back with parental support. Add to that the excitement of being out in the dark, wearing a creepy or creative costume and getting sweets is the stuff that many children dream about. We live in a world whereby parents are often scared of letting their children out, we often don’t know the names of our closest neighbours and see fear around every corner, but for one night a year we should allow the children to be scared and create good memories.</p><p><p>I think here in the UK Halloween only doesn’t work properly because of lazy parents, go out with your children, go door to door with them, dress up for them and enjoy yourself just a little bit. If more and more of us did this then surely it would rapidly become uncool for the older children to do and so the celebration would return to what it was originally planned to be a night where we eat that many sweets we get belly ache!</p><p><p>Thanks for reading and enjoy Halloween!</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-10-23T12:01:00Z2011-10-23T12:18:00ZThey have discovered something they shouldn't!russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/They-have-discovered-something-they-shouldn't/231204<content:encoded><p>Hello Readers,</p><p><p>It has been far too long since my last blog and a dear friend prompted me into “pulling my finger out” and putting finger to keypad, so here goes hope you enjoy it!</p><p><p>My two daughters are preparing a show of dancing as I type this to entertain us in the front room as clearly the 800+ sky channels do not provide us with enough entertainment. The song they have chosen to use is Mike Posner’s “cooler than me” and the line “….it’s probably cos you think you’re cooler than me” is being sung loudly and rather pointedly at me. Perhaps my very young children have already discovered something that has taken me years to accept, I am simply not that cool.</p><p><p>This is not a good admission because unlike me, my father is very cool, he is of the Frank Sinatra generation, the type of bloke who makes an instant impression of someone who has experience and exudes the essence of being cool. Any amount of suit wearing and listening to big band music will not make me appear this way.</p><p><p>As a teacher I always feel I have my finger on the pulse of what is considered to be the latest fad or trend and more importantly I feel, I can often tell you what is number one in the download charts and also what television programmes and films are good to be watched by any self- respecting 3-11 year old. However I know this will shock you dear reader but I have not always been the vision of coolness who taps away at his netbook, whilst tweeting, conference skypeing and sipping a skinny latte. (Ok you caught me out I struggle to do all of these individually let alone simultaneously)</p><p><p>But in all honesty I was not a cool kid, never really fitted into any group, particularly at secondary school and was far too theatrical to be part of the sports groups and far too sarcastic to be part of the cool group. I was therefore in a kind of limbo. </p><p><p>I decided that once I went to University I would change myself for good and pass on the best parts of my childhood to children I taught.</p><p><p>I can remember when I first started teaching that I planned to never ever be like the teachers I had, you remember the sort, greasy hair, body odour issues, bad breath, poor dress sense and uncontrollable facial hair, (and that was only the women!) I set out to be a cool teacher, one who was respected and looked up to, a focal figure of the class, the fount of all knowledge, an educational oracle I genuinely thought that was the way to be.</p><p><p>I fear however that in truth that lasted approximately 30 minutes into my first class when I could not tell the class what my favourite Spice Girls song was (dated myself there I feel!) I could almost feel my coolness being melted away by the fiery glares of those year 5 children. I could see the dawning realisation that they were all thinking, He may look young and trendy, but he will be wearing a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches by Christmas!</p><p><p>I like to think; I dress appropriately and generally have got control of good personal hygiene. But apart from that I reckon my ability to be cool ends about there.</p><p><p>It has taken me approximately 15 years to come to the conclusion that it is the children who teach me daily, they tell me what is socially modern to do, say and most importantly, perhaps, how to tackle life as a child in these modern times. The children of today do appear to grow up too fast and wear inappropriate clothing, say far too mature things, watch television which my mother would have turned off and generally shock all of us who are parents to these feral creatures. But do you know, I think that I was probably doing exactly the same at their age. ok it may not have been quite as crazy but generally and I know it’s difficult to hear friends, but we may not be as cool as we hope we are.</p><p><p>Thanks for reading and keep the lovely comments coming.</p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-10-14T18:17:00Z2011-10-14T19:45:00ZFallen for foul language?russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Fallen-for-foul-language/210871<content:encoded><p>Hi thanks for joining me on yet another posting it’s lovely to get to know my readers so feel free to leave me a comment.</p><p><p>Now I’m no snob in fact I’m far from it, I was brought up working class and by no stretch of the imagination will I or can I change, however I think perhaps I have higher standards than some.</p><p><p>I recently celebrated my daughter’s birthday and part of our celebrations involved a day out in a very famous northern seaside town. My memories of this place are great; I remember rock, fish and chips rides on the pier and playing on the fair. However it was with some trepidation that I agreed to take her. The reason for this feeling was simple; I knew that this particular resort had taken to making its money in the hen and stag weekend trade.</p><p><p>I was therefore quite prepared for the worst, or so I thought. The worst was far from what I actually experienced. It was genuinely like something from another planet, the cross section of people varied dramatically as you could expect, however those with poor morals and self-belief far out-weighed those who had gone with families to experience some traditional fun. </p><p><p>I can enjoy myself like the next person but I was also brought up right, I know that you can swear and drink if that’s your thing but that should not be thrown at absolutely everyone you come into contact with. I hate the fact that these types of people seem to be granted gratis to do whatever they like without the thought of how they offend or ruin the day for everyone else. </p><p><p>I experienced families sat on the beach with children younger than mine whose every sentence contained an expletive. I don’t need or want my children to hear that but unfortunately what choice did I have? I was of a generation where swearing was something that happened in groups of adults and men checked if women or children where about before those words were uttered. My children are not that lucky, how has it suddenly become acceptable for children to be exposed to this kind of language?</p><p><p>The truth is it isn’t but it has for some at least, become a way of life and an almost a status symbol. A tag of how tough you are, or, how tough your life has been. Language is something I love; my children are exposed to it in depth daily, they read books are talked to, have great teachers and experience the highs of great language usage. It was therefore a complete assault to their senses and my parenting that the hordes of people who crushed themselves into this filthy and rotting seaside town, thought they could converse in this way and perhaps it was the only way they knew how. </p><p><p>I was once in a conversation with a famous university scholar about this exact subject and he stated that the use of swearing was not a sign of unintelligence but a choice and should be embraced as the normal language of the future. I cannot and will not conform to this belief I may be a parenting dinosaur but I stand by a saying that my mother always used to say “there are hundreds of thousands of words in the dictionary, don’t be stupid enough to use one that offends” I stand by that thought in fact I may use it as my mantra.</p><p><p>As for that seaside town, in my opinion this visit was for me, the death knell, the final nail in the coffin for it . Those with dirty and decaying language are perhaps better suited in a dirty and decaying environment. Therefore perhaps it was me who was in the wrong place; one thing is for sure I for one shall not be giving it a second visit.</p><p><p>Thanks once again for visiting me and leave me a note to say Hi, </p><p>Russ.</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-10-02T16:48:00Z2011-10-03T06:03:00ZIts all a matter of......russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Its-all-a-matter-of....../201366<content:encoded><p>It has been a few days now since I have put finger to keyboard and blogged. My last post did not reach my usual standard and I thought best to not just churn them out but have a think about it, over 4000 individual readers have read my postings and I would hate to think I was short changing you. </p><p><p>I like to think that people can see these postings as an insight into my mind and what goes on for a stereo-typical, nearly middle-aged man in this day and age. I like to think I provide a service you can trust………</p><p><p>It was at this point that the theme for today’s posting hit me. Trust it’s a word in my profession I use all too often, I trust my class to behave when my back is turned or they are in for yet another rainy break time. I trust that the children are listening and I trust that they want to constantly seek to improve themselves. I trust the government has the children’s future at heart with every educational decision they make, and I trust those in education to stop and think of how important our role really is.</p><p><p>I have never truly however, seen myself as a trust-worthy person, that may shock you but I really don’t, I would never wittingly do something to upset or hurt people but I often feel I am one of those people whose concentration span is so small that people think twice before genuinely trusting me to do anything.</p><p><p>I in turn trust the majority of people without a second thought, that I suppose, is just how life works and what makes the world tick. As Billy Joel once wrote I guess it’s “always been a matter of trust”</p><p><p>So I think my chosen profession came as something of a shock to my parents, my dependable trust-worthy brother had already made the transition into teaching and I just think my parents thought I was following suit.</p><p><p>I do think however, that as time has progressed that I have genuinely matured and now stand as the trust-worthy(ish) figure you see before you. </p><p><p>Upon re-assessing my blog theme it struck me as quite amazing just how much I am trusted, every day 30 + children wander into a room and they and their parents trust me to do the best I can possibly do to motivate, teach and develop them for later life. Do you know I do that without even thinking about it. To be honest I do it pretty well.</p><p><p> Alongside that, my wife trusts me to safely and securely transport my children to and from destinations daily without fear that I will get distracted and end up somewhere else. She also trusts me to healthily feed us all without daily visits to the local hospital. Again this is something that thankfully I like to think, I do pretty well too.</p><p><p>Perhaps I am probably most trusted by my children, everyday these young people have 100% trust that we will care, feed, look after, teach and emotionally provide for them. This trust was summed up today with my eldest who, upon riding her bike for the first time in ages, looked up at us and said “I know you wouldn’t do anything that would hurt me” if that is all you need to do to truly be a trust-worthy person then I reckon most people become that as soon as they become parents.</p><p><p>Ok so that’s it a re-edited and completely thought out blog posting which I hope is back to my best. I trust you enjoyed it……….You see, there’s that word again!</p><p><p>keep the comments coming, thanks for reading</p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-25T16:08:00Z2011-09-25T16:08:00ZSeen them somewhere before?russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Seen-them-somewhere-before/197193<content:encoded><p>As a teacher, I often think about and look at the young role models around for children at the moment. My children are of that impressionable age and as stated many a time are bordering on obsessive as far as anything Disney based is concerned. This has resulted in them becoming die-hard Disney channel fans.</p><p><p>I don’t see anything wrong in this and to be honest a lot of the light-hearted programs and humour are aimed at my kid’s mentality and they love them. On watching a number of these programs I began to see a pattern. Disney seems to have their own band of child actors who they use over and over in various situations.</p><p><p>Nothing new in that I hear you say, for years, theatres have used a base troupe to develop their work. It is only when you start to notice how often that the actors are used that you see just how hard these actors are worked. I first noticed this during my children’s fixation period of all things High School Musical. One character in particular has been in all three films, starred as a major character in a regular series and voices a character in a major cartoon series you can also add to this at least two spin –off direct to dvd movies and you realise just how much this person has worked in the last few years.</p><p><p>Now unlike what you may think I do not think these actors are exploited in any way. As many of them are much older than the characters they play. But what did raise some alarm with me is the pressure and expectation that is placed on these young people’s shoulders. I have noticed that all major characters in current programs have in the last 3 years been part of fairly high profile movie releases. In order for that much money to be invested then the production company must expect something in return and I suppose maximum exposure is the result.</p><p><p>Even though I am certain that these actors and representatives undertake their fame with enthusiasm and their eyes wide open. Plus current laws forbid any over-working, I am in some ways reminded of the dance marathon of the novel “They shoot horses don’t they?” These actors are given limelight almost constantly for maybe 3 or 4 years when they are able to play likable characters, but what happens after that?</p><p><p>You only need to see the current breakdowns and very public lows of three major female actors from these shows to justify my feelings. </p><p><p>However, as stated previously my children aspire to be like the characters on these shows and if honest, I don’t think I would have to think very carefully if they were ever offered the opportunity to portray them on the screen.</p><p><p>The reason for this is simple, I was a child actor I worked hard, I loved the limelight and I would be lying if I didn’t say just like my kids I love the Disney Channel!</p><p><p>Thanks for joining me yet again</p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-22T16:46:00Z2011-09-22T16:46:00ZThe Cut-Price Of Fame?russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/The-Cut-Price-Of-Fame/190814<content:encoded><p>Hello again, thanks for visiting. </p><p><p>So we are back in the realms of winter television on a Saturday night, nearly 3 months of reality celebrity making shows will dominate my weekends.</p><p><p>I use celebrity, very loosely, as to be perfectly honest, very few of these mass produced sound-a-like individuals ever really cut it long term.</p><p><p>Before you start thinking this is going to be a Simon Cowell PR machine bashing blog, it isn’t. I appreciate the want for these programs but simply fail to see the need.</p><p><p>I can talk from a point of experience as; in my youth I worked for a rather high profile theatre troupe and know the highs and lows of working in the entertainment industry. I never expected stardom, never actively thought I was the next big thing, I knew I was privileged to be in the situation I was in at the time and knew I had to absorb and learn from those more experienced around me.</p><p><p>I worked from the ground up, understood that I would not get major parts instantly, knew I would have to take lessons and be the understudy more often than not. I did this and was lucky enough to get a steady job working with a troupe and occasionally working with an array of the theatrical elite.</p><p><p> As time progressed, I saw the need to give myself another iron to my fire and decided that I should go to university to become a teacher. Again through determination and hard work I landed a job working again with a theatre group, this time predominately backstage, in a very high profile theatre. Again I was often understudy and had to work hard to juggle this and my teacher studies. </p><p><p>I love the theatre and I love the entertainment business, I met my wife while both of us were in leotards on stage (she must have liked what she saw ;)) I love the connection between cast and the audience and feel that teaching is in some way just an extension of acting. For a while I had my theatre fix by taking part in amateur dramatics, it was here that I saw I was not the only talented one. Two people in particular stick in my mind, one who is a superb singer and as a child could show adults how to do it and another who had a stage presence as a child that you knew she would go on to better things. These two are now no longer children, one has made the giant leap to theatre school and has a growing theatrical portfolio and the other has taken my route and become a very accomplished teacher, she also still sings beautifully. Neither of them is scared of the hard work involved.</p><p><p>I genuinely fear for my children and those I teach as they honestly believe stardom on these reality “talent” shows is something that is achievable and will bring them unlimited fame and fortune with the output of little or no talent to speak of. Add to that the complete lack of hard work to achieve their goal.</p><p><p>Who can blame them though when in the UK we have people who are famous for simply being famous, one former, “glamour model” springs to mind who I am sure would sell her grandmother for the front page of a national newspaper. I was going to say she would sell her soul, however I fear that is long since gone.</p><p><p>I have had to suspend my disbelief when a recent group of children I worked with told me they were perfecting their “sob-story” so when they appeared on the audition stages of these programs they would get more air-time! Unbelievable but unfortunately true.</p><p><p>I have experienced the horror of the awful audition and the sharp tongue of nasty directors, none of it was for the benefit of millions it was just their opinion and the fact that at that time I “was not what they were looking for at that moment.” I never saw it as my as my only chance, I was fairly grounded and knew that if the time was right my opportunity would come……</p><p><p>However I’m still waiting. </p><p><p>Thanks for reading and please leave a comment when you can to let me know you have visited.</p><p>Be safe</p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-18T17:52:00Z2011-09-18T17:53:00ZIzzy the new Gizmo.russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Izzy-the-new-Gizmo./188249<content:encoded><p>Welcome to another wander through the cloudy, confusing world that is the inside of my mind; my last post had 1200 views in one day so I must be making someone smile. Thanks for reading:</p><p><p>My dog is crazy, no other word to use for it Izzy is a cross breed, a poodle and cocker spaniel to be precise which gives her the somewhat unfortunate title of being a cockerpoo. </p><p><p>Now as I have already told in a previous blog Izzy was a gorgeous tiny puppy, genuinely a pup that could have been on a television advert.</p><p><p>However just like Gizmo from the movie Gremlins over the past few months she has transformed into something slightly more…..well loopy. Now she is nearly 18 months old and certainly has a character, during the day she is the most laid back creature you could meet. As I leave for work early in the morning she gives me the look of a leave me in my bed teenager, she is the children’s best playmate; my eldest is forever picking her up, dressing her up and even at times, sneaking her onto the sofa. This is wonderful and one of the major reasons for buying a dog was so that the children could have something they could respect and take responsibility for and for them Izzy is perfect.</p><p><p>The issue with Izzy is when the children go to bed and she is left to her own devices, this is the gremlins equivalent of feeding her after midnight. She follows a routine in order to get out for a walk and we fall for it every time. It all begins simply enough she will walk towards me and nudge my feet with her head then if ignored she will start clawing or biting at your feet or hem of your trousers, getting gradually more and more erratic. I not talking simple dragging I have seen her remove both of my socks and put a 2 inch hole in to the base of a pair of jeans! As soon as you move she bounces at you like a kangaroo on a trampoline, as though saying, “Are you taking me out yet?” </p><p><p> The evening then takes a familiar turn she will bring her ball or rag toy to one of us drop it at our feet and gives us a look of “go on you know you want to.” Picking up that item at this point is done so at your peril, you then become Izzys walk partner for the evening, yesterday night while watching the football I inadvertently picked up her rag toy and allowed her to play tug of war with me for a while. Big mistake!</p><p><p>40 minutes into the football and Izzy was whirling around the room like a mini tornado my school work, laptop, cup of coffee all ended up thrown about the room as she continuously ran around in a figure of 8 barking at me as I still had hold of the rag toy. I decided enough was enough and thought what she needed was a walk, (yeah right Izzy had known this over an hour ago).</p><p><p> Now she is quite good on a lead and enjoys wandering the streets of my town, but is usually at this point she does another final thing that makes here ever so slightly… well odd.</p><p> </p><p>She will stop sniff the air and randomly bark into the ether. It is the dogs take on the person talking to himself on the bus and we all know we should not sit next to them. On reflection I think this is Izzys way of doing exactly that she is not tough and does not ever like confrontations with other dogs and I think playing the mad, talking to yourself card works for Izzy to avoid other dogs from coming too close.</p><p><p>Thinking about it I have had something of an epiphany perhaps she isn’t crazy after all, every evening without fail, her crazy behaviour gets her exactly what she wants, in fact it would not surprise me if she had the most intelligence in our entire household. </p><p><p>Thanks again for joining me let me know what you think using the comments link</p><p>Best wishes and stay safe </p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-16T20:24:00Z2011-09-16T20:24:00ZThe perfectly preserved plaything.russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/The-perfectly-preserved-plaything./184876<content:encoded><p>Yet again I cannot thank you enough for reading my wandering blogs, I am so glad that the last one had around 1000 views but please leave a comment and let me know what you think, that way I wont feel like I'm talking to myself! :)</p><p><p>As one of my children’s birthdays approaches the talk has turned to gifts and in particular toys. </p><p><p>My children quite rightly, are toy obsessed and I for one advocate that. My children may require a good 60 minutes of Disney channel a day but that does not stop the rest of their time being filled with games of hospitals, babysitting, or the current favourite, arranging and re-arranging the almost palatial dolls house. I ask you, how many pieces of furniture and clothes does one doll need? </p><p><p>They love toys so much in fact, that the youngest one has asked, as her birthday treat, that we pay a visit to one of her” happiest places on earth” Toys R Us.</p><p><p>As children, growing up, my brother and I were always told to look after everything we were given, particularly when it came to toys. Our Dad was always eager to tell us that one of his biggest regrets in life was when his Mum had given away a selection of toys he had lovingly kept as a child, to a close family relative, who systematically destroyed every one of them.</p><p><p>I think this must have had a rather detrimental effect on my father who virtually obsessively, insisted that every new toy we had, we would have to retain the box and place it back in after playing with it. </p><p><p>At the time, I saw no point in this at all. But now as a Dad myself I can see his point. It made me realise that every box in my cupboard contained a new delight and every time I played with my toys it was like a birthday or Christmas all over again. It made all of my toys magical and in some way I think more special.</p><p><p>I think toys are a rite of passage for children; I had a very happy childhood filled with Action man, Subbuteo, Scalextric and my own personal favourite Star Wars toys. One of my lifelong favourite memories will be a Christmas in which my parents had bought us a child’s entire collection of Action Man figures and equipment (Notice I don’t call them dolls, because dolls were for girls!) second-hand, out of the local newspaper.</p><p><p>I could not care less that they had belonged to someone else before me because to me and my brother it provided us with a collection that our frugal pocket money would ever had afforded in our lifetime. Plus we had no boxes to put any of it in to, so a huge plastic basket was bought and the collection dumped in at the end of every glorious day. However as time went on, piece by piece of that collection was lost in the garden or eaten by the dog. Now we have very little to show that it even existed.</p><p><p>All that aside, something has clearly been learnt from my Dad as my attic is now full to bursting with empty store fresh boxes of Slyvanian Families and Barbie toys. </p><p><p>There is good reason for this, my Dad was not obsessive or even a little retentive, he was a genius. If it was not for him, my brother and I would not have a loft full of pristine boxed vintage Star Wars toys which at some point in the distant future we will sell them online and hopefully retire a few months earlier on the profits.</p><p><p>The person who buys them can do whatever they like with the boxes.</p><p><p>Thank you for joining me yet again, I truely value you reading my ramblings. Take care and be safe.</p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-14T17:25:00Z2011-09-14T17:25:00ZA new addition to the family.russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/A-new-addition-to-the-family./180002<content:encoded><p>Hello again, </p><p><p>Before I start I would just like to say that today my thoughts are with my friends in the US on this the anniversary of 9/11. Be safe.</p><p><p>It is Sunday and I thought this blog post would not question the world, but will give you a further insight into my life. Please leave comments and like the page on facebook, 1000 + readers for the last post and I don't know who you are, and I would like to say Hi! Some people say they are struggling to leave comments let me know if you are. :)</p><p><p>Just over a year ago we were the typical family, house, car and perhaps most importantly two children. My children are good kids they do what we ask, are inquisitive and enjoy school and life in general. Most importantly they have reached that point where they sleep. Most nights we all can get at least a solid 7 hours and if I’m truthful the older I get the more I need it. </p><p><p>I was at that point where life was good and it was perhaps because of this that I was lulled into a false sense of security, when that day over a year ago, my wife said to me “Do you think it’s time we had a new addition to our family?” </p><p><p>Initially dramatically taken aback, with the dreaded thought of nappies, names and sleepless nights, I hated the thought. So it was a great relief when it was pointed out to me that no not a child, but a small black bundle had caught her eye. I must admit the photographs showed what could only be described as a ball of black fluff with two jet black eyes. I could see the appeal. I have always had dogs, never seen the point in a cat, and this pup did tick the cute box and the children’s necessity to own a pet.</p><p><p>Without almost a second thought, I agreed and just one email click later we now became five.</p><p><p>The drive to collect the puppy was an exciting affair, the children knew what we were doing, the house was prepared, and the collection of newly named “Izzy” went without a hitch. This tiny teddy bear travelled home in great spirits, sleeping and occasionally peeking out of the window to watch the world flash by.</p><p><p>By the time we reached home, the honeymoon period was over. The first night we had tears from us and Izzy. I think for the next 3 months most of us got about 3 hours sleep per night and no shoe or cuddly toy was left Izzy free. </p><p><p>As she has grown so has her crazy behaviour, she genuinely thinks she is human, I know that’s said by most animal owners, but it is really true about Izzy, she will race you to a chair will sit in your place at the dining table and let you know when it’s time to walk. All with an air of saying “know your place man”. </p><p><p>Now only yesterday, Izzy was in need of a cut her Bob Marley style hair-do was doing her no good at all and the clumps of hair left in every room told us it was time for her to be groomed. </p><p><p>Due to the credit crunch and my penny pinching ways, I cut my own hair, obviously I hear you cry…we can see your picture, but it took us a lot of deliberating to decide that we should trim Izzys hair.</p><p><p>Now this sounds easier said than done. Izzy sat still for approximately a minute at a time and I held on tight to her as my determined wife set to it with my newly bought hair clippers.</p><p><p>Nearly 4 hours later a freshly shaved Izzy wandered through our house, ok she had some clumps of hair here and there and her feet look like she is wearing1970’s flared trousers, but she looked more like that ball of fluff I had seen that day on the internet. I had fallen for her all over again.</p><p><p>I never thought I would be one for walking, a poodle cross “girly dog” on a purple lead and full poo bags around the streets of my town but do you know I do and do so without a second thought.</p><p>For all the destroying of my trainers, damaging of letters, barking at passers-by and general untidiness that she brings.</p><p><p> Izzy now makes us five and I’m rather pleased about that.</p><p><p>Thanks for reading and let me know you dropped by by leaving a comment.</p><p><p>Best wishes from me and Izzy</p><p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-11T09:57:00Z2011-09-11T13:35:00ZComes with full inkstructions.russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Comes-with-full-inkstructions./176608<content:encoded><p>Welcome back to yet another snap shot of what is going on in my mind.</p><p><p>At a ridiculously early time this morning on the way to work, I heard a story on the radio about a plucky 82 year old woman. This pensioner had, had a tattoo put on her chest. Nothing too outrageous in this day and age I hear you say; it was more what the tattoo actually said.</p><p><p>Blazoned across her chest in clear bold lettering is the statement “do not resuscitate”.</p><p><p>Plucky….yes, tacky…perhaps, but her intentions are clear, she is definite in her inking.</p><p> </p><p>This got me thinking, imagine if it was a prerequisite of all of us from birth to death to have permanent markings which told all of our important information which could be updated over time. Many science fiction novels have toyed with the idea of “barcoding” people, but with the increase of technology and the complete overwhelming sense of fear in the world some would see it as a plausible option.</p><p><p>Just imagine all of your important life facts and figures could be held on your person. Without too much intrusion a tattooed inch square could have access to you name, age, medical information, criminal history, travelling abroad would be simple as you constantly held your passport, in fact, it could almost hold infinitely more. </p><p><p>This is an interesting thought, perhaps terrifying but also almost stupidly useful, if used correctly. That is where the crux of this idea/theory fails. It is almost without question that in the space of the first willing people to have their tattoos inked that someone, somewhere would devise a strategy to manipulate its uses for something far more sinister.</p><p><p>People would also question the “big brotherness” of it all and see an Orwellian world of those in charge knowing where we are and what we are doing at all times.</p><p><p>The truth of the matter is this; we already live in that world.</p><p><p>The majority of the Western world carry a mobile phone with permanent GPS, companies on the internet know your date of birth, names, addresses, mother’s maiden name (some even know my inside leg measurement) and our income and shopping habits. Social media sites know all of our friends, family and where we are and where we are going!</p><p><p>The world needs plucky tattooed pensioners who, even if incapable, still get their beliefs and point across. But they should only do it through choice.</p><p><p>Would the idea of everyone in the world being given a set of inkstructions (see what I did there?) that could be scanned and read intrigue me? Yes. </p><p><p>Would I volunteer to get it done myself? Definitely not.</p><p> </p><p>Thanks for following and let me know what you think :)</p><p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-08T18:26:00Z2011-09-08T19:49:00ZWiping the slate clean.russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Wiping-the-slate-clean./173568<content:encoded><p>So work with my new class starts tomorrow and as I look out the window you would be forgiven if you thought it was a late, rather than early autumnal day. The wind is howling, rain lashing and people are wrapped up as though on a polar expedition rather than just a quick jaunt to the co-op.</p><p><p>Even my faithful hound is crossing it legs rather than leave the warmth of her bed. Please do not switch off just yet this is not going to be yet another weather blog posting it simply got me thinking.</p><p><p>Although, according to the calendar the new- year starts in January, my body clock has always taken September as the real start of the year. It is an opportunity for children to wipe the slate clean and start again. The naughty child can make an effort, the shy child make friends, the jaded and weather beaten teacher may actually still like their job by Christmas……..well maybe two out of three isn’t bad!</p><p><p> I can use years of experience to tell me the lessons that worked, but I like to think that nothing I do will be old, stale and re-hashed, instead I will tackle all subjects anew. The start of the new school year brings with it a new sense of focus and many if not all of us, involved in the education profession, children and teachers alike, make a subconscious resolution to improve.</p><p><p>Teachers, start the year this way, they have great plans to ensure that all of the bad habits they fell into the year before will be ironed out. However, normally by first break we are drinking our 3rd coffee of the day and hitting the chocolate biscuits hard! </p><p><p>Teachers know that they are not creating boxes, that children will not end the year all exactly the same and that’s what makes this part of the year so exciting. It’s the start of the marathon before the starters gun, we all know that it will be a long hard journey, which will include lots of hard work and nearly kill us, but at the end of the race we will have done something we are truly proud of. Plus as a year 6 teacher I get to give out the medals of SATs results and leavers assemblies.</p><p><p>I know it sounds like a lie, but I actually love my job, trust me most teachers wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t for love. I love that fact that tomorrow I will have row upon row of fresh faced children all neat, tidy and for the majority,happy to be there and most importantly, perhaps, willing to learn (at least until the end of the week!).</p><p><p>This is theirs, and my opportunity to change..... just like the weather.</p><p><p>Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoyed it and left a comment.</p><p>Russ</p><p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-06T17:26:00Z2011-09-06T17:26:00ZBack to the chalkfacerussbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/Back-to-the-chalkface/69625<content:encoded><p>Work begins for teachers next week, and I for one am a bit gutted. You know that old joke of </p><p><p>"Mum I dont want to go to school. You can't make me!" </p><p>"You have to you're the head teacher!"</p><p><p>I think that when my alarm goes off on that first morning, most if not all teachers will be feeling that way.</p><p><p>Don't get me wrong if my job consisted of simply teaching I would be a happy guy, I love the element of my job that I was actually trained to do. What tends to get my guts rolling is the fact that I will be faced with yet another new government based initative. These tend to take the form of "new" planning schemes, "new" ways of making children read, "new" styles of tackling the end of year SATs papers. In truth none of them are new, none of them cut work rate and very very few of them actually work in practice. </p><p><p>Now before you start thinking that this is a government blasting blog its genuinely not I have taught over 14 years through lots of governments and they are all exactly the same! </p><p><p>This year a new decision has been made to allow people, rightly or wrongly, to be in charge of their own schools. These new "free" schools are let loose with the curriculum and are out of the governments control. We shall see what the future brings.</p><p><p>Now this got me thinking, what about if the children were put in charge of their schools? We all say to children that they are the happiest days of their lives but lets be honest, they are not are they. So surely given the reins of what they learn and how they learn it could be passed back to the children.</p><p> Now I'm not talking about allowing them to play x-box games all day or text their mates or buy stuff off ebay but surely passing basic things back to them gives them more sense of ownership, something we as children were never ever given at school.</p><p><p>I thought I could create a school utopia, a place where children could learn history at their own pace and through their own choices, understand fractions and decimals in a practical setting. Understand the use of verbs and pronouns in a simplistic way. Children would come to my school with a skip in their step and a smile on their faces.</p><p><p>So I set about asking my own children this.</p><p>The general consensus was to allow them to wear their own clothes, have their mobiles or ipods in class, be given more paint time, longer break times, more sugary snacks allowed and everyone given a electrical shops worth of gagets to play on. Oh and at least an hour a day to watch the disney channel, told you before they are obsessed! </p><p><p>So ok maybe just maybe I might have got this one wrong. </p><p><p>I might have got this one wrong.</p><p><p>I have said this twice as I'm fairly certain it doesn't happen very often! :)</p><p><p>It's a short one today as it is Saturday and I'm doing my planning for the term ahead, thanks for joining me again and think about me when that alarm goes off at 6.00 am next week.</p><p><p>Russ</p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-03T17:24:00Z2011-09-04T16:51:00ZTHE END OF HOLIDAY BLOW OUT!russbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/THE-END-OF-HOLIDAY-BLOW-OUT/66748<content:encoded><p>Ok so the previous posting was very well recieved so I thought I would give it a second go. I, as you know am about to go back to work after nearly 6 glorious, albeit miserable weather lashed (see previous post) weeks off. During this "holiday" I have been given the unenviable task of caring and more importantly, entertaining my children. As the holidays are drawing to an end, the house was looking, how can I put this... a little worse for wear. So this morning it was decided upon that I should start to collect and bin all of the accumulation of our ahem... craft activities.</p><p><p>This sounded easy enough, go through the house, room to room and black bag the spoon people, peg dolls, paper plate pictures, dreamcatchers, paintings, clay pots and friendship bracelets, (told you I was a teacher ) that the children had causually disposed of when their attention had been consumed by something on the Disney Channel.</p><p><p>This was easy, and to be fair to my children, they were more than happy to help and the job was done fairly swiftly, the issue came that when this task had been completed the house still looked......well, the same. Yeah the children's junk had been moved but if im honest, my six weeks in the house had taken its toll more than the childrens! So the Disney Channel claimed its victims again and I set out to clear out my stuff. It started out simple enough, junk mail, scribblings and general lazy mans junk, but once the motivation took over I was binning clothes I had not worn for, well a number of years, half full after shaves, books I had half-read, never watched "bargain" dvd's and c.ds I had never listened to. </p><p><p>Once this self cleansing had commenced I set about sorting the stuff into charity, recycling and just plain junk and loaded it all into the car with two children grumpily in tow, going cold turkey from the Disney Channel is apparently very difficult. We arrived at the local recycling point AKA "The Tip" and watched as my car boot was pawed over by those slightly creepy guys who hang around the tip looking for things to sell at the next local carboot sale. Now some of you may think this practice is ok, recycling in it rawest form, but to me something about it sticks in my craw, yes they are doing a service by selling on my junk that may well end up in landfill but there appears no rules to their ability to sniff out something of any value. I am sure if I had not stopped one of them he would have made off with my cars spare tyre. </p><p><p>But the scary practice of the Tip Rat aside I left the depot with a new sense of freedom and it was at this point I had an almost religiously, devine, moment I suddenly had a revelation..... I needed nothing, would want for nothing, I could wander the earth with just the shirt on my back doing good deeds. </p><p><p>This feeling of inner serenity did not last long. On the way home my consumerism overtook me and to cheer up those shivering and moaning about missing Selina Gomez in the back, we visited the golden arches, possibly the complete opposite of my momentary epiphany.</p><p><p>The idea of my life as a good deed giving Nomad was a good one......</p><p><p>Good in theory, and I completely respect ,sincerely, those people whose life calling is to do just that. But unfortunately and possibly selfishly thats just not me. I like my junk food, like my gadgets and unnecessary whims and things that I deem essential at that exact second. I am a slave to consumerism, probably always will be. I am happy to recycle, donate to charity and generally help my neighbour but a Nomads life is not the life for me.</p><p><p> I am already counting down the weeks till my next Tip visit. </p><p><p>Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think.</p><p><p>Russ </p>
</content:encoded>2011-09-01T12:37:00Z2011-09-02T19:15:00ZTHE "SUMMER" HOLIDAYSrussbrownauthorhttp://www.russbrownauthor.co.uk/blog/4554796826/THE-SUMMER-HOLIDAYS/64267<content:encoded><p>This is my very first attempt at a blog entry so please bear with me. I will chat to you about anything and everything please feel free to leave me messages and have this as a two way conversation between people who frequent this site. I have decided to blog today about something close to every British persons heart and our default in built conversation starter ..... the weather.</p><p> As most of you know I am a Primary School teacher and without a shadow of a doubt the best time of the school year are the last weeks of July and all of August. The worst are the dark first weeks of September and the even darker first weeks of January.</p><p>Now as a child, I loved the summer holidays and the endless hot days are without question seen through rose coloured glasses. But they were certainly something that attracted me to the teaching profession in the first place. </p><p>People all to often say to me , "oh you teachers don't know your born. Finish at 3 and 6 weeks off in the summer." these people often fail to see that in my school we start at 8 which means I get to work at 7, the children do indeed leave at 3 but all too often we have after school clubs and teachers often dont start marking books for the next day till 4.30. It is therefore not unheard of for me to walk through the door to my own primary aged children at 6.30 when the youngest is going to bed. This hard work however, is in some way compensated with the glorious, never ending 6 weeks break. Work can be paced to my own rather meandering speed.</p><p>This year however has seemed somewhat different, as a northerner in England, in fact almost as far a northerner as you can get I am used to the weather being poor and cold and raining.....and windy. But this year has without exception been the most dull and miserable my bear with little brain head can remember. My children have been chopping at the bit to play in the paddling pool I foolishly bought on a whim in the B & Q sale in May. But alas even those people who break the ice in Hyde park in London to swim in the lake on Christmas day would have struggled to dip even their daintiest of toes in the water of our "pool".</p><p>Add to the cold the wind and the on off attitude of the rain and all in all this years summer holiday weather has been a bit of a wash out, pun intended. Which has resulted in me having to entertain the children in other ways but those anecdotes will wait for another blog entry.</p><p>As the rain lashed our house over the bank holiday weekend it got me reflecting on the poor choice I made when asked if should we visit our usual vacation place and I had said "no we will save the money and holiday from the house" never ever again!! </p><p>Just to add final insult to injury and perhaps the reason for the themeing of this blog was summed up in one split second this afternoon (the final days of August) when a Robin redbreast flew onto our paddling pool. The summer holidays are therefore officially over........if they ever truely began. </p><p>Thanks for joining me on my first blog leave comments and join me as often as you can because I don't like talking to myself.</p><p>Russ</p>
</content:encoded>2011-08-30T17:53:00Z2011-08-30T20:31:00Z