Wednesday 1 January 2014

The great charity shop debate!! ;-)








Now here is a massive one for debate ... and I mean massive!!

You need to read this article, above, carefully!


Firstly, it begs these questions: 

1.Are charity shops there to make as much money as they can for their charities? 

2.Are charity shops there to help the local poor and needy in that particular area?

3.Are charity shops there to aid ebayers/vintage sellers etc to make as much profit as possible?

Secondly, just look at that headline!! 
If that’s not persuasive journalism, I don’t know what is!!

Bearing in mind the original idea of a charity shop, I don’t see that the charity shop
is any more greedy than the customer! Why should someone come along, grab a bargain
and then make a massive profit when they go away and resell it?
Why shouldn’t the charity shop benefit too? Have we forgotten the meaning
of the word ‘charity’?!

It makes me laugh because any of us who do vintage fairs can often be heard
complaining when customers try to get something at a lower price... 
yet here we are, on the other side of the fence, grumbling about charity shop prices.
Charity shops are a business, fighting for profits, just as we do. 

The fact is, that it all comes down to greed; greed on both sides, I think!

However, the ‘vintage thing’ has a lot to answer for, doesn’t it?!

I wonder how many of us, who frequent charity shops, actually look at the name
above the door as we enter or leave the shop and think about which charity
we have just helped? 
I bet there are many of us who never stop to look because we are quickly considering
what a bargain we’ve just found and what profit we can make on it! 
Rubbing our hands in glee, so to speak!!!

I think the debate re charity shops is a huge one! 

Many say that they are way too many shops in our towns. (Newton Abbot has plenty!)
Many say that they fill a space that would otherwise remain an empty shop space. 
Many say that enough of the money doesn’t filter through to the charity concerned
and that managing directors of charities are vastly overpaid.

Me? What do I think? Well, exactly as I have said above. I can see both sides
 of the argument but meanwhile, as I am contemplating further....

I reckon there’s nothing like a good old fashioned jumble sale!!
When I was teaching in Exeter, the jumble sale was a feature of the school calendar!! Every term!
Way hay!! I will never forget it!!
Our classrooms were in pairs and we had the choice...
to 'man' the jumble sale OR teach TWO classes for the afternoon!

I'll leave you to decide what I did! ;-)

The jumble sale! Bring it back! Umbrellas at the ready, let the battle commence!!

;-)


Tuesday 31 December 2013

A Happy New Year to you all! ;-)



Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!

This beautiful painting is by artist Steven Bewsher.

;-) xxx

Monday 30 December 2013

Back to work!!




I'm back to work, today!

And it's no hardship to be going to my place of work as I love my environment,

where so much learning takes place.








For a smallish room, I have always tried to provide something for everyone

to enjoy and feel inspired. I know that I feel inspired, 

which in turn makes me a better teacher; I am certain of that!

Anyway, I love my workplace, I've had a good 'tidy up' and I am raring to go!







In my room there is a good mixture of old and new because that's

 what I believe in and that's how I work, picking what I think is the best

from today and yesterday.






You can read 'Swallows and Amazons' and any of the books in that wonderful series.

You can read Enid Blyton because she was and still is a valuable

 part of children's literature.

You can read Harry Potter; Holes; War Horse and an endless amount of Roald Dahl!

You can enjoy poetry and even a smattering of history!

I have Ladybird books alongside Anthony Horowitz  and 

I have Horrible Histories alongside Michael Morpurgo,

Malorie Blackman and Rupert Bear!







As you can see, on the chair above, I even have a school inspector breathing down my neck...

but no more about that apart from to say that I remember my very first encounter

with a school inspector in Surrey. A very nice man he was too!!

He oversaw my probationary year in teaching and the most important words he said to me

(and I remember them well) were, ' If you can truly justify what you are doing

in the classroom, then that's fine by me.'

So that's what I always try to do. I am also constantly questioning

what I do. I talk to myself rather a lot!!

Enough said!!

;-)







So ... welcome to my working world!!




  
And please enjoy a browse!




If you ever come for lessons, this is where you'll sit!!;-)





My other chairs are usually covered with books or games!












Have you noticed, 'Moonfleet'?

One of the best stories written, I was delighted to see the television

adaptation!  Books like this live on and on!

Superb writing!













I have 'War Horse', alongside 'The Little Wooden Horse'!

I love reading these with children.










Slates, satchels and an old university scarf (my dad's)...

all part of the fantastic history of education in our country.






And here I sit, waiting patiently for my first pupil!






You can find me here: