EddieGubbins: Education

EddieGubbins: Education: I get angry when listening to the debate on education. It is too simple to blame the schools for the failure of the pupils....

Education

I get angry when listening to the debate on education. It is too simple to blame the schools for the failure of the pupils. Education is a co=operation between the schools, the teachers and the parents. In the present debate the role of the parents appears to be ignored. I know a few men who boat that they have never read a book in their life.  There are others who always claim that school is boring. If there are no books in a house and children never see their parents reading how can the children be helped to see the benefits from a good education. 

In my novel An Ordinary Life this question is discussed.

Jane got very angry. Not angry with Tom but angry with the education system. At the beginning of the school term Jane had been asked to become a volunteer parent. Whenever she was available, she agreed  to help the teachers supervise pupils when they left the school for out of school activities.

That afternoon she had helped Paul’s teacher take his class to the local church where the pupils were trying to trace the local history. This was now the subject of her wrath.

“ Mary is not going to that school!” It was the first time for ages that Tom had heard her so emphatic about something. “ There is nothing we can do about Mark but Mary is definitely not going to that school!”

Taken aback by her anger, Tom asked mildly, “ What happened this afternoon to bring this on?”

“ Tom you would not believe it,” Jane almost spluttered. “ All the boys joined in with various degrees of enthusiasm. I know there are always keen ones who want to learn  and others who follow along for a quiet life. But many of the girls sat at the back discussing boys, make up and going out. They had no intention of learning anything. When I asked them what they hoped to achieve by sitting there they gave me such a mouthful. They want nothing more than to get through school and then get a job. Tom it was dreadful.”

“ It cannot have been that bad surely. What about all the teachers?”

“ Tom, the teachers were only interested in two things. Those pupils who showed some interest and look as though they want to learn get all the attention. The teachers will go out of their way to help them. All the other pupils they just want to keep quiet. If those pupils sink beneath the academic waves, too bad.”

“ But Jane surely Mary will be one of the ones who will want to learn? Paul is doing OK and according to his teachers will do well when it comes to his A Levels. Mark is even more intelligent and will be OK. Why are you so worried about Mary?”

“ Paul and Mark are not only academic but are reasonably good at sports. They will both fit in no matter what the peer pressure. Mary will find it very difficult to resist the peer pressure if she goes to that school. Believe me. I was there today.”

“ What are you suggesting?”

“ There is only one answer as far as I am concerned. That is to send Mary to the Girls Grammar.”

“ But that is a private school and we both believe in State education. You must know how I feel about the question of paying for education.”

Jane put her arm round his shoulders. “ Tom, I know how you feel about private education. You must know that I have never been quite so closed to the idea of paying for education as you have. Lets face it. We have the money. A great many of our friends have made great sacrifices to send their children to private schools since the abolition of the Grammar Schools. It would not be a such a sacrifice for us.”

Tom frowned. Angrily he retorted. “ What you are asking is for me to compromise all the principles and living philosophy I have believed for most of my life. I never thought I would hear you advocating that we send one of our children to a private school.”

“ Tom, please don’t get angry with me. I have thought of nothing else but what we can do about Mary since coming home. It is not as though I do not know how you feel. I know what your principles are. You were not there.”

“ If you know how I feel, why do you ask me to think about this?”

“ If it was only a matter of principle, I would not ask. It is all very well you standing on your high horse and arguing for state education when it is theoretical. This is not theory, Tom. This is not some academic discussion like those you have in the staff common room at lunch time. This is your daughter’s education and subsequently her chances in life. Do you want her to slip below the standards we expect because of the girls she has to mix with?”

“ That is a very arrogant remark. All girls going to Paul’s school are not working class without ambition. They do send some girls to university surely?”

“ I must admit there are some but not as many as the boys.”

Tom looked lost and beaten. “ What do we have to do?”

Jane smiled. “ I phoned Sarah when I got home and she filled me in with the drill. Mary would have to take the entrance examination in two years time.  Sarah reckons we should find a private tutor who helps children get through the entrance exams. It is so competitive that most children who do not have a tutor fail.”

“ This is something I have never thought about. How do we find a good tutor?”

“ I will ask at work though most of the people I work with have children at university or babies.’

“ I’ll do the same.”

Tom lay in bed that night unable to sleep. He could feel Jane by his side breathing evenly, her body warm. It brought no comfort. Tom lay there far from sleep confronting the chance that he would have to overturn his principles. It had always been a pillar of his beliefs that education should be provided by the state and all children should be treated equally. Many a time at university he had argued long into the night with some privileged public school educated friend that their parents buying of privilege was wrong both morally and socially. Morally because in some cases it deprived the country of very intelligent and resourceful citizens because their education was lacking. Not only did private schools give education to the rich but they employed many of the best teachers. This was a handicap to those aspiring pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Oh, he had to admit that there was still a great deal of prejudice among the working class about education. He remembered Pat from all those years ago down in the recreation ground telling him that she had passed her eleven plus only for her dad to tell her that she was not going to grammar school. She was to leave school as soon as possible and get a job to bring money into the house. But surely, he told himself, things have changed for the better. It is the nineteen eighties and women are far more prominent in society. Even though he could not stand her or for the privilege she stood for, he had to admit that Mrs. Thatcher was a good example for women everywhere.

On the other hand, he knew from the experience of talking to people that this attitude still applied in many working peoples’ households. He had been occupied all his life to make the chance of a good education open to all. In this he was a big supporter of the comprehensive system. If we can only get every child in this country to reach their potential through education and training, he had often told people, this would be such a vibrant country. It had been hard work and there was still a great deal of nepotism from the so called upper classes.

Now all his beliefs were being questioned on the altar of convenience. He smiled to himself. Since that time in the Jack of Diamonds when you met Mr. Hunt, your life has been a compromise, he had to admit. If you can ignore the implications of what you are doing as a non executive director for Hunt Enterprises, surely you can compromise your principles for the sake of your wife and daughter? And then there is the other part of your life which you do not question. Edward is very good at his job, you say, never questioning the methods by which he produced such good returns on your investments. No, all of that is legitimate and does not involve my principles. On the other hand, sending my daughter to a private school goes against everything I have ever argued for.

The second edition of An Ordinary Life by Edmund Gubbins has been published by Createspace as a paperback.
It is available for purchase from www.createspace.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.com as a paperback.
As an ebook for downloading from www.amazon.co.uk, www.smashwords.com, www.amazon.com.

Nicola Sturgeon and the British election

What is Nicola Sturgeon doing taking part in the election debates? She is not putting up as a candidate for Westminster and should have no place to play in the debates. The SNP representative on the panel should be one of the candidates standing in the election. It is obvious that she does not care for the UK but is only interested in Scotland.She is like a child. Give in to her on one thing and she demands more. She wants the earth. Having lost the referendum on Scottish independence, she now wants to bring it in by the back door.
Mark Brookes, the hero of my novel A Ceremony of Innocence is like that in that he takes any opportunity regardless of the consequences. In the sequel Innocence Exploded he finds out the consequences of his life style.
Both novels available from Amazon and for down loading as ebooks from Kindle and www.smashwords.com

Sunday programme on Radio 4

I thought this programme content was a completely inappropriate for Easter Sunday morning. Though we might have sympathy for the Armenians to spend the whole programme on the Turkish genocide was not what the time should have been about.
Easter Sunday is all about the Resurrection and Gods love. The programme should have been about what the various Christian leaders had to say about Easter Sunday. There could have been the views of other religions.
It is a poor show from the BBC!

Church Attendance

Sitting looking round my church last Sunday I was once again struck by the age of the congregation. We have all grown old together in the main. There are a few younger ones but not many. Why is this?
Is it the message? Well, the message of love and caring for other is the same no matter what the church is called. This is true of the house churches and other non main stream christian gatherings. Do they keep the message and interpretation of that message as simple as possible? Are the main stream churches to hide bound in their theology that they make the message to complicated?
Is it the way services are conducted? We tend to follow a set pattern. Does this need to change with much more innovation and informality? Should we always emphasise the joy and positive uplift in following Jesus' teachings?
Is it the configuration of the church with immobile pews all facing the front and a pulpit? We have had endless discussions about this.
In my adult novel A CEREMONY OF INNOCENCE, Jim discusses this with his girlfriend Karen.

" I'll stay the night with you," Jim said his voice matter of fact. "I have to be up reasonably early so that I can get home in time to go to church with mum and dad."

" Do you still go to church when you are at home? " Karen asked as they climbed the stairs to her bedroom. " I can't recall you going to church while you have been at the university."

" Yes I still go sometimes when I am at home though I think it is more out of loyalty to mum and dad than out of any true conviction," Jim observed. " It is pleasant for us all to go together as a family."

He lent against the bedroom door frame for a moment lost in thought. "Actually, I suppose it is not only out of loyalty to my parents. There is something about going to church on a Sunday morning that attracts me as well. I can't really explain what I mean to anybody else. Let’s face it. Most of my friends would wince if they heard me talk like this. When I walk through the door of the church after shaking hands with the elder, a sense of peace descends a peace that has nothing to do with the people in the church or with the building. It is something to do with the atmosphere in the room. As the elders and the minister come into the church preceded by one of their number carrying the bible, a feeling of expectation fills the air. It is not the same excitement and expectation which fills a crowd at a football match but a sense of being part of something far more important than mere earthly problems. There is a joy in the hymn singing that does not accompany even the most popular songs. It is as though the congregation is uplifted by their singing and the music, as though they truly believe in the words they are singing. During the prayers, the silence is such that you could hear a pin drop. There is this feeling that all would be well in the world if only everybody would listen to the message. It is strange for an iconoclast like me but during the communion I have felt the presence of somebody else, inside but outside of me so to speak. I know most Christians are sinners during the week and saints on Sunday but they do attempt to follow their creeds. So you see it is not only out of a sense of loyalty to my parents which makes me go to church with them while I am at home."

Karen looked at Jim, her eyes wide with a sense of wonder. " I have never heard you talk like that about anything before."

A CEREMONY OF INNOCENCE an adult novel with explicit sex scenes can be purchased from www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk for downloading as an ebook for all electronic book readers.

ISIS

How can any civilised person in the world no matter their beliefs condone what ISIS is doing to our heritage? Who ordered the destruction of ancient artifacts and even buildings? What are they trying to prove?
In my fantasy novel The Prisoner of Parison the black elf Princess Daphne desires to kill all those who oppose her view that humans should be slaves. Edward Eastland opposes her and puts himself in danger.
The Rombuli Saga : Book 1 The Teacher of the Rombuli, Book 2 The Return of the Exiles, Book 3 The Prisoner of Parison available from createspace.com and Amazon as a paperback and from smashwords.com and Amazon Kindle for downloading as an ebook for electronic readers.

Enemies to allies

Does not the US government realise that as situations change so does ones enemies and allies. Iran is helping to push back Isis and in these circumstances the US should swallow their objections and make the best of a situation which is helping them. Throughout history there have been exmples of enemies becoming allies to fight a common threat.

In my fantasy novel PRINCESS DAPHNE Edward Eastland decides to help the Princess who is fighting an enemy more powerful than she is. This is despite them being bitter enemies in the trilogy The Rombuli Saga. In book 3 she kills Edwards ally the King of the Elves when he was defenceless. Edward almost kills her in cold blood before being stopped by Tag and Nelvask, the magician. The question Edward has to ask and answer is whether as his sworn enemy he should go and help Princess Daphne. Even though this entails making a breach in the space time line, he decides to help.What finally makes up his mind is the thought of a greater evil taking over the world than the black elves of Princess Daphne.

Princess Daphne a fantasy novel by Eddie Gubbins. Available from createspace.com as a paper back and amazon for downloading to ereaders from Amazon.
This novel follows the trilogy The Rombuli Saga.
Book 1  The Teacher of the Rombuli
Book 2  The Return of the Exiles
Book 3 The Prisoner of Parison

All are available from createspace.com and amazon as paperbacks.
From smashwords.com, Kindle store and amazon for downloading to ereaders.