#British education system

[marlinspirkhall]

Your post on dyslexia is so interesting and informative. I used to teach kids with dyslexia, so wanted to know if you received any services in school. If you did, what seemed to help the most. Thanks! From a fellow spirk fan

I'm trying really hard to keep this short and relevant, but to be blunt, I'm not sure anything helped. Any help I received was usually incidental. We did a ton of things which are supposed to help teachers spot learning difficulties in kids- word searches come to mind (I couldn't do them at all when I was a kid)- but for whatever reason it never got spotted. I was always behind on my maths and concerns were never raised about it. It was super weird, but apparently my primary school had a bad reputation when it came to teaching maths anyway, so I guess it makes sense in retrospect.

I think what would have been most helpful when I was very young was not being traumatized by my teachers when I was 5 (to the point where I was terrified to get a maths question wrong. I'm sure too many people can relate to that).

I can remember two separate teachers calling me stupid when I was 6 (I think one of them called me stupid and another one yelled at me for blurting the (correct) answer out in maths class. (I had my hand up but she wasn't picking me and I could tell from her gaze she was going to pick one of the kids who always answered correctly in class, and I was just excited to finally have a correct answer). It feels so petty to bring it up almost 2 decades later, but idk man, it's also a petty thing to get annoyed at a literal child* for /lh).

*I couldn't even hit her with an “Ummm I am literally neurodivergent and a minor?”, because unfortunately it was 2005 and that phrase hadn't been invented yet.

It occured to me recently that I did receive a couple of instances of extra support in primary school, though for some reason it was only when I was 10 and was about to move up to middle school anyway.

The first instance was a group of 6 of us who were all given extra math tutoring before our SATS exams. After our SATS I was taken out of lessons to have one-on-one maths lessons with a student teacher. This was 13 years ago so I only remember it vaguely, but I think she was scheduled in once a week for about 6 weeks for half an hour at a time, and I'm pretty sure we spent the last 5 weeks finishing off a short story with a friend I'd started in English lessons, being supervised by the teacher the whole time.

I was tested for dyslexia as a 5 year old on my mum's request, but we didn't know I had it until 12 years later when I did another in-school test when I was 17. I've heard people mention this happening to other neurodivergent people, too (especially ADHD and autistic people)

I know when I was first learning to read my teachers provided me with "view-finders" or windowfinders (pieces of cardboard with small windows cut into them) so I could focus on individual words. When I was eventually diagnosed by the learning support at my high school, they did something similar and had me try out various pieces of cellophane to lay over the page so I could read it better.

The ironic thing is, I'd considered going to the learning support room years earlier, when I first got to high school, but I couldn't find it. Which makes sense in retrospect, because I'm not the best with directions, I just find it extremely ironic, because there were regular announcements that "the learning support room is always open. You can find it behind the lifts** on the ground floor", but every time I walked past the lifts, I thought there was a blank wall behind it. Turns out (as I only learned because the learning support teacher met me in music class one day and led me there herself) there's a very narrow corridor beside the lift, and you can only see the doorway once you're inside it.

**(elevators)

TL;DR, I could have been diagnosed with dyslexia much sooner but the teacher I had when I was 5 was hostile, and by the time I'd begun to suspect I had learning difficulties, dyslexia/inattention/executive functioning prevented me from finding my way to get help 🥹 but overall school was okay, the rest of my teachers were supportive! I remember when I was 14 & 15, I really appreciated my chemistry teacher. He used to write with yellow on a dark blue background (and a sans serif font) because he said he'd read that it was easier to read for dyslexic people.

I could rant for days about how the school system in general is broken and learning support is only slapping a bandaid on an industry industry which is built on institutional ableism (and every other ism too), but ultimately as long as kids make it out of school alive, you've done your job as a teacher.

[dr-george-ordell]

SNIPPET OF CH 2 - "Hold Your Horses, It Only Gets Worse!"

[jaideepkhanduja]

The Decline of the Indian Vedic Education System: How Foreign Invaders Contributed to Its Demise

It is important to note that the question of how G.W. Luther and Thomas Munro destroyed the ancient Indian Vedic education system is a complex and contested issue. However, there are some historical accounts that shed light on their actions and their impact on the Indian education system. G.W. Luther was a Christian missionary who arrived in India in the early 19th century. He was known for his…

[jjxkiaraxpopexcleoxjohnbxsarah]

When a British writer writes an American fic:

[eddieintheocean]

I decided to ask around on all the fish/ocean blogs I follow: how do you learn more about the ocean?? I love the ocean and I really wanna learn more about my favorite sea creatures and beyond but I have no idea how to get started. Are there documentaries or shows your recommend? Books? How do you go about doing research for fun (the American school system has failed me, go figure)? How do you even remember it all? I crave to learn but where I could possibly start is as vast as the ocean itself.

i think i replied to this ask on someone elses answer too, but ill repeat what i said

i usually go looking on wikipedia for something that seems interesting, or google scholar

and then what you do, after finding something that seems interesting, is go either to the reference list, or the "cited by" and you can go on an endless rabbithole of similar papers about one or two topics

as to remembering it all. uh. the answer is i dont really

i often have to refer back to notes and things, i dont really know any scientific names or anything past the ones i put effort into and made flashcards for

most academics are generally focused on one niche topic, its very very hard to Know Everything about Everything. if you find one or two topics you find interesting to begin with, you might start absorbing knowledge

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The British Columbia government is opening to all ages its tuition waiver for those who were in foster care in the province.

The program was launched in 2017, waiving fees for people who had been in care from the ages of 19 to 26, but starting next August, that restriction will be eliminated.

To be eligible for the program, students must be studying full or part time at an undergraduate level at a B.C. public post-secondary institution, the Native Education College or one of 10 approved trades-training providers.

It also allows for as much as $3,500 a year to cover educational expenses such as textbooks, internet costs and computers. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[hussyknee]

Not given: "I'm Scottish/ Irish/ Welsh and want to dig that motherfucker up again so we get to kill him too."

(Saw a USAmerican scientist on Twitter who only just found out who Oliver Cromwell was and baffled that everybody else knew. I'm boggled at the US's insularity from the rest of the English-speaking world.)

Please reblog.

[lonelylesbian2]

I remember when I was younger people would ALWAYS make fun of me when I talked about my family because of what I called them. My family is Indian (punjabi to be exact) so I was subject to LOADS of mockery anyway. But when we did family trees in primary school I got laughed at so badly and so many people told me I had the 'wrong' names because my maternal uncle wasn't called 'mama', that was what my mother was called. When I tried to explain that that's what I called them in my culture I got told I was wrong. 8 year old me thought that my family tree was supposed to be filled with my family. What they were called to me. 8 year old me got told I was wrong. My teachers gave me sheets to fill out with 'uncle' and 'aunt' and 'grandma'. I grew up like that and when I was 10 years old we went to go and visit my mums family in Delhi. I called my mothers mum grandma. Now, when I visit I'm older, now I call my mother sister 'mausi', I call people who aren't related to me closely but are still very close 'mausi'. Because that's my culture. I am an only child but I have people I call 'didi', I have people who call me 'didi'. My older relatives call me 'beta'. I am not their daughter, but that is our culture. Now, I don't let anyone tell me what I can and can't call my family. Because they are mine. Now when people ask who's visiting, i tell them my 'chacha'.

I hate that I ever let anyone tell me my culture was wrong, that I had to leave my blood and roots behind in favour of what other people knew. But I was young and that was the reality of it. Everyday, my heart goes out to the little 8 year old girl sitting at the dining table, wishing she could change the colour of her skin and the blood in her veins.

[pupyuj]

I MISS YOU 😞😞

WE MISS YOU TOO OUR FAVORITE LOSER 💔💔 come back to us soon bitch goon central is in shambles sugar is losing her mind, jade’s crying every second, v’s personality did a 180, i’m as pretty and cute as the day you left us, keer’s getting even more violent as minutes go by-

[laurenfoxmakesthings]

So, I've started reading the first book in Adam Diment's spy series. I mean, after hearing about the author's story, I was pretty damn curious. And, well...very 'everyone's felt that before, right?'.

[impossiblyizzy]

‘I can speak fourteen languages, as long as they’re English’ I am SCREAMING

[aggressiveguitarnoises]

i have media studies exam (although mock so its fine) that i didnt study for so im gonna force myself to practice by applying barthes narrative theory to season 1 hannibal (vaguely tbh cuz its the whole seasom but ok)

hermeneutic codes(how do u even pronounce this omfg) :

enigma codes, they are def crucial to this show as each episode raises more and more unanswered questions as the audience continues watching the show, questions like who is commiting the crimes, is will ok, does he know how fucked up his clocks are, is crawford fucking stupid, is abigail ok, what the hell is hannibal doing, why are they using cat guts for strings, are the dogs gonna live oh my god please can the dogs be okay for once

usually done by leaving cliffhangers for each episode

it drives the audience forward and interests them so they continue watching the show to find out the answers to their questions

its also a convention to use hermeneutic codes for horror crime shows like hannibal

Proairetic codes:

action codes, the actions done to drive the narrative forward, previous events drive other events into action. ngl this one is fucking stupid to apply i dont get if i ever apply it correctly

in hannibal, proairetic codes tie a lot with hermeneutic codes as the actions of the characters raise questions for the audience questioning their choices and makes the audience wonder what will happen next. the action creates tension and makes the audience wonder how the created problem(if there is one) will be resolved. for example when hannibal lecter called abigails father to inform him that "they know" and that fbi is on the way. this drives the narrative forward as then the audience wonders how the characters will react and wonder how the actions will affect the story. this action ended up with abigail becoming an orphan and their suspect dead, creating a few side plots and introducing new characters. this constant tension created by each action drives the narrative forward and engages the audience to continue watching the show

semantic codes:

connotations, things associated with something, the deeper level meaning of a symbol. this one is hard yet so easy cuz theres literally SO many of them

they basically give insight into the plot and characters, building personalities and maybe even starting the deep questions the audience will have

for example, for hannibal, hes quite sophisticated, the semantic codes for that would be how he wears suits all the time, his overall style and his acquired taste. those things connote sophistication, wealth and even control and power (especially the suit and his high respected position as a psychiatrist)

but another thing that can be derived from things like how hes always careful, always has a cloth that doesn't leave any fabric fibres, how he doesn't use anything digital, only physical things like journals to leave no traces, the fact that hes literally eating his evidence lmao, his knowledge and experience of human anatomy and mind connote that hes a careful, experienced, ambitious man and prob(definitely) is a serial killer

symbolic codes:

it has such an easy concept that its literally confusing to understand. its basically symbols, binaries, a thematic/structural device, but it's basically about themes and contrary signs specifically, which is ig why its kind of difficult to understand since its specifically binary symbols

some symbolic codes in hannibal would be life vs death, clearly a reoccurring theme with all of the crimes happening, good vs bad, murderers and their victims, health? both physical and mental? stability? work vs personal life? idk its so hard to pin point it even tho its so easy and common idk

a better example woukd be the bad vs good binary used in star wars with ghe colours of light sabers

Cultural codes:

literally cultural and social conventions, knowledge that comes from the outside world of the text, specific connotations used

example, FBI for crimes and america, religion and faith, the whole fbi units especially medical, even Christmas is a cultural code as its a celebrated event of certain social and cultural and religious conventions

bruv i cant think of any more examples even tho i know theres so many

hope yall enjoyed my silly analysis of hannibal as my media studies application practice if u read it all xx

[victorluvsalice]

VITD Sims Lookbook: Victor

All right, we've seen Smiler -- time to move onto the group's beloved Whisper, Victor!

First up, a perfect everyday casual outfit for Victor once he ditches his parents and moves in with Smiler and Alice -- look at that nice red waistcoat! :D This Realm of Magic top actually looks something like what you might see if the Victor in the movie took off his tie and his jacket -- yeah, okay, it's more brightly colored, but poor Victor deserves to have a bit of color in his life, damn it. XD

For bedtime, we have some lovely blue pajamas for my boy. I went for a slightly-mismatched look between the solid blue top and the striped pants, but I think it works for him. (Besides, most of my own pajamas are like that.)

For those sort-of-formal party situations (or any situation where Victor might want a nice jacket), I decided Victor had to have this particular Realm of Magic jacket because it has a little silver moth pin on it! :D That is very much in keeping with Victor's aesthetic. Though looking at the pants again, not sold on those thick cuffs -- I think they make poor Victor's feet look even smaller.

And for those times when Victor has to go full formal, here we have him showing off the Authoritative Aristocrat's Suit from History Lover's Sims Blog! (Paired, of course, with a Simmer of the Dawn top hat.) This looked like a good "fancy" outfit for Victor, even if he is "new money" rather than an aristocrat. XD Feels, again, like something he might actually wear in the movie if we ever saw him at his actual wedding, or going to a fancy party.

As for when Victor needs to get athletic -- okay, I know this is one of the teen High School Years sports team outfits, but I really liked it on Victor as it felt like he was throwing on his old "private school" gym kit for working out. XD It just fits him! (Though I guess this does imply that private schools exist in my Valicer In The Dark AU -- maybe as part of the universities? *shrug* I shall have to update my worldbuilding!)

And finally, Victor gets his own comfy sweater to hang out in for those nippy days around Duskwall! Part of me wonders if the undershirt is a bit too casual for Victor, but I really like the sweater itself -- and he's supposed to reject his nouveau riche upbringing and become at least a little bit less of an anxious mess during his time with the Three Pillars, so hell with it. Victor can have proper casual looks. :p

[vilesbian]

Some of you read about a harmful practice or legacy and instead of engaging critically on how it can be addressed you just go "okay x thing and all related versions at all levels bad ✅️"

[sspookyspoonss]

Legit got told that I need to go less college work at my parents evening tonight.

I have done it.

I have surpassed academic weapon, I have reached academic nuclear bomb… My creators wish they could go back, alas they cannot, all they can do is watch the fire of academics consume my life.

[bottlesandbarricades]

GCSE results once again showing massive disparity between the grades in the north and the south. A growing disparity.

And there are twats in this country who still want to pretend the north/south divide is a fiction made up by moaning northerners.

Leveling up my arse.