On occasion this blog becomes my soap box ... today is one of those days.
Recently some of my family and I went out for the day for a picnic and sightseeing. Our picnic got off to a leisurely start, we enjoyed watching the seagulls fly, and just spending the time together.
However, close to the end of out picnic, the tranquillity was rudely interrupted by a large extended family.
So here are my thoughts on picnic etiquette:
1. Choose your spot where there is quite a bit of space between you and the next family/group.
This family stood less than a metre behind us loudly jabbering, then spread their picnic rug within 2 metres of ours even though there was a lot of space elsewhere throughout the park in both sun and shade.
2. Walk well away from where others are sitting.
The above mentioned group walked all around us with less than a metre to spare. They could have walked a lot further away. Plus if anyone had tripped on the uneven ground, they would have fallen on top of us. There was no reason to walk anywhere close to us as all amenities were in the opposite direction.
3. Stop your children from doing an activity that could endanger others.
Included in this family group were a number of preteen/early-teen boys. They opted to throw and kick very heavy pine cones (these were more like bricks in density and weight) and sticks at each other and at the shade trees, trying to knock down more pine cones. We were in the firing line and very concerned that we would be injured. The parents/grandparents did nothing to stop the boys or even get them to move away.
Needless to say, the rest of our picnic was not relaxed and we very quickly packed up and headed off. It really put a damper on what had been a lovely time.
Showing posts with label soap box. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soap box. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Why Geography Shoud Be Taught to EVERYONE!!
The other day I was in the staff room at work and heard a discussion about how humanities subjects were thought less of than maths and science. It was also suggested that geography and history should be combined.
Well, I have long believed that learning about geography has a value for everyone, in every occupation. So here are a few reasons why:
Structural Engineers need to know where and how rivers flow to best plan the location of bridges. They also need to know about rock formations and the type of soil in the area.
Taxi Drivers need to know the best roads to take and to know which roads will lead them to their passenger's desired destination. Paramedics, Firemen and Police Officers need to know the fastest routes to take.
Doctors need to know about where someone has travelled from because some diseases are only found in certain countries/regions.
Town Planners need to know about the population - where it is growing, how fast and what those people want and need in the way of infrastructure.
Surveyors need to know about the contours of the land - where there are hills and mountains, the paths of rivers, the locations of old mine shafts and other things.
Seismologists, Vulcanologists and Geologists need to know about landforms - how they change, how they looked in the past and what they look like know to be able to predict the effect earthquakes and volcanoes will have on the land.
Architects need to know about wind forces, landforms, population and a range of other things to make buildings safe and able to withstand everything that may possibly happen in the life of that building.
There are many other occupations that I could list, but these are just a few.
Finally, everyone needs to know how to get from "A" to "B" and what the weather will be.
All of these things are taught in Geography.
Well, I have long believed that learning about geography has a value for everyone, in every occupation. So here are a few reasons why:
Structural Engineers need to know where and how rivers flow to best plan the location of bridges. They also need to know about rock formations and the type of soil in the area.
Taxi Drivers need to know the best roads to take and to know which roads will lead them to their passenger's desired destination. Paramedics, Firemen and Police Officers need to know the fastest routes to take.
Doctors need to know about where someone has travelled from because some diseases are only found in certain countries/regions.
Town Planners need to know about the population - where it is growing, how fast and what those people want and need in the way of infrastructure.
Surveyors need to know about the contours of the land - where there are hills and mountains, the paths of rivers, the locations of old mine shafts and other things.
Seismologists, Vulcanologists and Geologists need to know about landforms - how they change, how they looked in the past and what they look like know to be able to predict the effect earthquakes and volcanoes will have on the land.
Architects need to know about wind forces, landforms, population and a range of other things to make buildings safe and able to withstand everything that may possibly happen in the life of that building.
There are many other occupations that I could list, but these are just a few.
Finally, everyone needs to know how to get from "A" to "B" and what the weather will be.
All of these things are taught in Geography.
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
On My Soap Box
I have just started studing Children's Services, but today I got really frustrated at what my teacher was saying.
We were talking about bias and how we need to educate the children in our care to be accepting and respectful of people from other cultures and include things from their culture in the activities we present for them to engage in.
One thing that came up was how prevelant gender bias or stereotypes are present in the books that we read. While this is true, and it is also true that these days it is not always the Dad who goes to work and the Mum stays home, that can still be part of our culture - it was certainly part of my culture as a child.
What I get frustrated about is that we are so mindful of being politically correct and tolerant of everyone else's culture, that we are not allowed to present the culture that we grew up in. This means that children aren't learning about our history and what it was like for us.
I'm concerned that if they don't learn about history, that our culture will be lost to political correctness and the meshing of all of the other cultures introduced to our country via imigrant families.
We were talking about bias and how we need to educate the children in our care to be accepting and respectful of people from other cultures and include things from their culture in the activities we present for them to engage in.
One thing that came up was how prevelant gender bias or stereotypes are present in the books that we read. While this is true, and it is also true that these days it is not always the Dad who goes to work and the Mum stays home, that can still be part of our culture - it was certainly part of my culture as a child.
What I get frustrated about is that we are so mindful of being politically correct and tolerant of everyone else's culture, that we are not allowed to present the culture that we grew up in. This means that children aren't learning about our history and what it was like for us.
I'm concerned that if they don't learn about history, that our culture will be lost to political correctness and the meshing of all of the other cultures introduced to our country via imigrant families.
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