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About Me
- Susan Harwood
- It's one of those odd things . . . I live in my little house by the sea and listen to the radio and reckon I know best about more-or-less everything . . . as I keep telling the news-casters, the policiticians and all the experts interviewed there. I shout quite loud - but I'm beginning to suspect they can't hear! Sometimes, I write to my MP . . . but there's always more to say. So, here it is!
BOOK ON A BLOG
THE BRICKS IN THE CAVE - A full length children's adventure story by Susan Harwood - click on the book to read it.
ANOTHER BOOK ON A BLOG
TIMES RHYMES - For people who want to learn 'Times Tables' the easy way!
8 comments:
Hello Susan
I discovered your blog through a comment you left on a friend's blog and I have been fascinated by your posts and the comments they have solicited. I have set up a link from my own blog and will return.
Gareth
That is such a great comment from your son Susan. I think teachers need to learn that the 'formula' doesn't work for all kids, and that they will naturally grow out of their bad habits, without being held back because of them.
If you stopped your children walking because they fell over a lot, or didn't let them dress themselves because they got it wrong sometimes they would never progress.
Gareth . . . comments like this are so encouraging!
Dear Everyone
The text for this day's blog is a bit fluid because it is under constant negotiation with my nine year old son.
Eventually, it'll settle down into something clear, accurate, grammatical and succinct (I hope!).
But there may have to be some more changes before we arrive at a wording we are both happy with.
(Moral . . . I shouldn't have asked him!)
Yes.
I learned to hate Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield" because a teacher made us read it aloud in class - one person after another consecutively - and she did not want us reading it further by ourselves at home between these daily sessions in the classroom.
Thank heavens no-one spoiled Shakespeare for me! I still read some of his works from time to time, and marvel at the use of words and phrases.
David.
A stupid and horrible way to read anything. I agree!
My children have learnt to lead 'parallel lives'. When they were learning to read, they 'pointed' if the teacher demanded it . . . but didn't at home.
My daughter even had to learn how to count on her fingers, instead of in her head, specially so she could learn 'not to' again, at the teacher's behest!
One of the tricks of the trade used by my favourite primary school teacher Mrs Cameron was that she would dray a replica of a large clock on the blackboard and put the numbers 1 to 20 around it.
With her long wooden pointer she'd then smartly touch numbers at random, for us to add up in our heads. It was only one technique she used, but it was very effective.
When my stepson was about 15, in Auckland, New Zealand, I wondered about the methods being used in his college, after I'd been to a parents/teachers evening. So, one day I asked him to tell me what 10% of 100 was. Simple enough, eh?
He said "Hang on," and pulled his calculator out from his pocket. I said that he shouldn't need a calculator for this one. He got a bit flustered and said that they used calculators in class for all such questions. He actually had no idea of how to go about handling my question otherwise.
Boy, was I shocked!
David.
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