Are inspiration and education mutually exclusive?

There are many things I thought I would want to be when I grew up, but don't panic I'm not going to list them all and I'm fairly certain none of them were the ones cited by the Pussycat Dolls.

I heard on the radio some weeks ago that recent surveys suggest that when posed the "what do you want to be when you grow up" question, most children answered "famous". Having never been famous, I cannot say whether that is a good or bad thing.

What amazed me though was that there was no requirement or intent to specify anything beyond being "famous". Not even saying footballer, fashion designer, musician, author or actor...

Dr Harold Shipman is famous - not exactly the best role model out there (that being said, he was a Leeds Uni graduate so he did something right!).

To clarify, I may well be being totally ignorant to the education sector in the remainder of this post. However these are my views as an outsider and I welcome any and all feedback on where I'm wrong!

Does the modern education framework allow for creativity? Are kids coached out of it? 

Modern education takes its roots from the industrial revolution. All work items are specialised and partitioned. Children are input into the education factory (school) to generate an output: teenagers with qualifications to benefit them as the enter the wider world and become more economically active. 

Obviously one could argue a certain level of education is mandatory and protects society's interests. However once that level is achieved (or during its attainment) should the focus then shift to inspiration? Is it even possible to do both simultaneously in the current framework?

I think politics has shaped education much more than anything else in recent history. In my lifetime, qualifications have been re-branded and re-parametered whilst budgets and curriculums have suffered cuts and restrictions. 

No education minister can come in, undo it all and start afresh which is a real shame but a fact of life I suppose.

The fact you hear the phrase "exam coaching" in education is surely proof enough that the underlying philosophy of education has been diluted.

I have an unbounded appreciation of the teaching profession. They do a terrific job in most instances, shaping lives and influencing good behaviours but can they inspire creativity or the passion for learning when ultimately test results are seen as of political importance and dictate budgets within local government and ultimately the education system?

The counter argument would be that the best teachers find that balance between curriculum and creativity. I'm lucky enough to have seen examples of that in my own educational experience but I think that's something many miss out on.

I stumbled across a perfect quote quite by chance. It's from William Bruce Cameron’s 1963 text “Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking” and it contained the following passage:

It would be nice if all of the data which sociologists require could be enumerated because then we could run them through IBM machines and draw charts as the economists do. However, not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

You can count bums on seats, test scores and attendance records. You cannot count inspiration or creativity.

Many of you will have watched Educating Yorkshire and that highlights the efforts of staff in one school to show there is more to education than just passing the tests. There will be countless examples like that without camera crews but there may just as well be hidden schools, who pass the tests and inspections but ultimately fail their students.

If people who are creative can exceed expectations, why shouldn't the government be creative: take a risk, really learn from mistakes rather than spoon-feed the masses and take away individuality.

My conclusion is that it's not necessarily Yorkshire that needs educating but rather the educational framework which needs re-imagining, allowing teachers to be tangential, spontaneous and inspire creativity. 

When (if) I grow up, I want to see more creativity in the world - and education seems the best platform to make that possible. As Hector from History Boys says:

Pass the parcel. That's sometimes all you can do. 

In my mind, that parcel is inspiration. We should pass on the passion, the yearning for learning and give kids questions not just answers x

Fell back in love with Mr G, Ja'mie and Jonah

Firstly, apologies that "On this day I" hasn't been pushing out posts as regular as it used to be. However secondly it is nice to know that it has been missed, so thanks to those who have actively encouraged me to get back into it. Life sort of got in the way!

Knowing that I'd be getting back into the blogging, and it got me thinking about what I could write about. 

September - where has the time gone? 

Today saw the return of school traffic. September used to be a bit of a tense month. Would I have all the new stationery I needed? What seat would I be given? What are my flatmates going to be like? Where am I going to go now?!

School life being a distant memory, my only exposure now is through my brother. He's just started a new job working in a school. At his previous post he was affectionately known as Mr G - and having spotted his "Mr G" gear in a recent venture into his bedroom (hosting hockey's Patrick Smith for the evening) that prompted me to watch Summer Heights High - turned out he's nicked it, so I bought it again and it's all come flooding back - so this blog is dedicated to Chris Lilley's creation.

If you have never watched it, I wouldn't dare spoil it for you but essentially Summer Heights High, written by and starring Chris Lilley is an award winning Australian mockumentary series starring three of the fictional protagonists (all played by Lilley) in a parody of public school life. 

I'll take the time to introduce each of the main characters very briefly, as they really do sell themselves:

Mr G

The drama teacher, Greg Gregson (aka "Mr G") is passionate about his methods. He is a megalomaniac. He's mental and narcissistic. He's just brilliant - from his dog Celine (who has an "oversized brain") through to his musical penmanship, Tsunamarama (based on the events of the Tsunami disaster, set to the music of Bananarama).

He misperceives (much in the same way David Brent does) that he is well-liked - it is clear that he is unaware that his own perception of his teaching abilities is not shared by most students, but I for one would happily play "Slap the Butcher" if I could every single day...

Jonah

Summer Heights High is Jonah's third school in eighteen months. Leader of the FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) Tongan year 8 crew. He's a teenager with Attention Deficit Disorder, problems with aggression and a passion for break-dancing. 

His disruptive behaviour is very funny and his struggles are not unjust. He just wants to entertain and has delayed "being smart" because he doesn't want to be yet. He's the class clown - the one your teachers all warned you about. We all had one, and if you didn't - then it might well be you. Sorry (Ben!)

Ja'mie

Ja'mie King is part of a school exchange programme. She struggles to cope away from her privileged background but in reality she faces the same issues all 16 year old girls do (I assume, based on TV's representations of teenage girls anyway). She's just "so random" and her prejudices are, well, brilliantly spiteful. Her actions are not without consequence, for instance when she accidentally forwards a slanderously photo-shopped picture of her new found public school friends to the wrong person on MSN, she's abandoned on the playground without a friend in sight.

She's attention seeking and keen to out-do her contemporaries - from asking a girl to her end of school formal to dating a year 7. If it's going to put her in the limelight, she'll do it. You do try to feel sorry for her and want to believe that the experience will humble her, but you know it won't and you don't really even mind. She's rich and she'll never be "povo", "skanky" or a "bogan". She is my favourite character, delivering the majority of the funniest one-liners throughout the series. The fact you sometimes forget that this is a man in drag is testament to Lilley as a performer.

His skills as a writer are no less impressive. The main story lines are stronger than most comedies but the subtleties of its humour are what I think will make this a series I return to again and again. The closure of the stories (particularly Jonah's) feels closer to a drama, you are on the journey with them and their development (or lack of) makes it much closer to documentary than mockumentary.

Well hopefully that's enough to tempt some of you into watching it - don't tell everyone but it looks like the full episodes are actually on youtube... so go and have a watch. 

Chris Lilley has a new series of a similar format coming out soon which I assume will air on BBC3 in the UK (as per Angry Boys and SHH) - hopefully I'll try not to let life get too busy for me to put pen to blog for a review of that. 

And if I do get busy, then puck you x

Much more than just bacon

I watch a lot of films and TV shows. Over the past year I have ignited a seemingly unquenchable interest in World Cinema and foreign drama and the time has come for me to share the gems I cherish most.

I could blog/bore you about French cinematography, the Italian's unrivalled expressions of romance or the Spanish ability to conjure the true magic of an adventure. But no, this post is one for the people of Denmark.

I'm pretty sure most of you will be thinking, surely their only exports are bacon and members of the Schmiechel family? Aha - they have much more than that my friends!

Great drama is a powerful art form, and the Danes have nailed it. They have a way of making you completely forget your own world. It truly is an experience rather than endurance to watch their mysteries unfold. From my own experience I have seen an expression of truthfulness and grit that English drama can sometimes often deliver but where it surpasses it is in the character development - it is phenomenal, notably across the TV series I have seen.

People often ask me how I can put up with watching things with subtitles, and how much more concentration it must take to watch these sorts of programme. GOOD.

Too often we are caught in the age of social media and mobile devices. We drift away from programmes to text friends, look at a twitter feed or post something on Facebook - and those things are great, don't get me wrong, they have a time and place - I'm blogging from my iPhone now! But they so often detract from the true power and experience of watching drama and cinema.

You can't get away with doing that when all the dialogue is in a language you can hardly understand. Before you have chance to What'sApp you'll be saying "what's that?!" And having to rewind - it requires concentration and that effort is rewarded many times over.

To highlight what Danish TV/cinema can offer you I've listed a couple of things for you to get stuck into:

Forbrydelsen: It is one the best tv series I have ever seen. I think ITV ran with the translated version, The Killing. Centrally themed around detective work and politics, the twists and turns engage you constantly.

Hæven/In A Better World:
It won a golden globe and an academy award. It's directed by Susanne Bier who is reasonably well noted within the world of cinema. It's a story of revenge and the power of forgiveness in 2 completely different worlds inextricably linked.

Borgen:
Political drama, media spinners and journalists. No Malcolm Tucker, but by god does this grab you by the balls. It's the character development in this which really got me into it, it's got just as many twists and turns as Forbrydelsen (it's actually produced by the same people). Plus, this is the first time - fictional or otherwise - that I have found a Prime Minister a little bit sexy. Political and personal intrigue explored, you really fall head first into the life of Birgitte Nyborg.


Bron/Broen:
Starts off with a body on a bridge. Then it's half a body of 2 different people, of different nationalities, put together. If that isn't the best ending to a first episode I don't know what is! Also, this is bi-lingual - it's in Danish and Swedish - as the body is found exactly on the border so both sets of national authorities have to investigate. What a great way for people to learn foreign languages, through great drama. The uncompromising honestly of the female protagonist is possibly the best thing about this show.

That's enough for now, I won't spoil it any further, get involved and let me know if you have any recommendations.

I was trying to finish on a bacon pun, but for the life of me I can think of none, so I'll play this card instead...

Great Danes: drama with more bite than bark xx

Shared a Beacon of hope for new indie music

Firstly I must apologise, to those who genuinely read/enjoy this, for how long it has been since I last blogged. I've had a pretty busy summer what with weddings/civil partnerships, the Olympics, holidays, hockey tours, physiotherapy, osteopathy (as if I ever wouldn't be writing this without some sort of physical malady) and work all distracting me from the joy that is pumping my thoughts and opinions onto the internet. However, I have managed to wake up early on a Saturday morning - first Saturday of the National League Hockey season (at home vs Beeston); time to write - but what to write about?!

There are probably lots of things that I should be writing about based on the above list of distractions but it would seem that each one seems too broad to cover in the time I have available to get this post up and out before I toddle off to Cannock.

I recently decided that I needed some new music. I enjoyed an almost nostalgic summer music experience, listening back to pretty much every album I had on CD in my journeys across the world or to and from work but I found myself looking for something new. One of the albums I bought was Beacon by Two Door Cinema Club.

For those of you who don't know who they are, visit their website here. Their catchy music has been dotted over TV adverts for the last year, so you probably know them when you hear the right tracks. I was lucky enough to be treated to seeing them live as part of last year's NME tour with my bestest Kassie Fleet. Whilst I had their first album Tourist History in my car for pretty much 3 months solid after that gig I had let them slip from my mind and ears for the whole summer. Then I got an email from Amazon telling me that Two Door were releasing their second album, Beacon. 

I took the gamble and pre-ordered it. Which actually makes me wonder why on earth I did that: Why pay for something you want in advance, especially CDs? Economically, you incur a cost to yourself with no immediate benefit, logically the transaction should give you a benefit at the point you incur the cost e.g. you are thirsty, you buy a drink, you drink the drink, benefit realised. Never mind - anyway it arrived... 

The album is brilliant - all killer with no filler, which is a massive contrast to other albums I have bought recently. I imagine it was difficult to follow the success of Tourist History - the only other artists who I can think of at this precise moment who smashed a brilliant first album with their second would be The Arctic Monkeys or The Maccabees (who I gather have just been nominated for the Mercury Music Awards; probably nothing to do with me blogging about them though).

There is just something about them which sets them apart from other indie artists. In reality their music isn't that much different from others of the same genre, but the way they bring it all together just seems more like a finished article, almost commercial. I suppose it is this attribute which makes it seem as if it is a guilty pleasure to like them. If you didn't know what they looked like, you could imagine them all in matching suits with slick hair and beaming smiles. In reality they are a are a skinny-jean clad three-piece indie rock band from Bangor and Donaghadee signed to a French label - about as edgy as it gets!



Why I think the album is such a success it is that they have put just the right amount of diversity within the album but stuck to the winning formula from the singles that brought them success off the first album. I imagine they are already, but they should be very proud of Beacon. The lyrics are great and their trademark riff/chorus line combinations work a treat. It genuinely sounds like they have enjoyed bringing this together and sharing it with the world. Lucky us!

My favourite track so far is Sun, which I think is next single release - having given away Sleep Alone as part of a twitter campaign push for the album. Check it out on Soundcloud.

They were great live and will be touring the UK in early 2013, so get your tickets you'll be in for a treat should you go see them. 

In short, a Beacon of hope for new music. Original, happy music. Enjoy it x

Realised I am older

It has been a while since I last virtually put pen to paper but I’ve been a busy chap so no apologies there as if I didn't do anything then I wouldn't have anything to blog about. 


I’m currently recovering from a night out in Cannock, both mentally and biologically. This weekend has been some what of a revelation on 2 counts: I’m getting old.


The first one is much easier to explain so I’ll start with that: 


This Saturday I shopped at M&S looking at things for me rather than for anyone else (Christmas gifts, etc). I didn’t realise the gravity of the transaction until I got home; it propelled me into feeling middle-aged. I must iterate that this is not a criticism of M&S’ range of clothes, and it’s not that bad really - I was only looking for new shirts and trousers for work - I haven’t started wearing Blue Harbour out on the tiles but this is a dangerous statistic in my own calculations of how old I really am. 


I often still feel like I’m 15, still don’t have a clue what I’m supposed to be doing and enjoying that - but M&S has gone and made me feel about 30 and that's what's worrying me. Am I on a slippery slope? People at work have commented on my jazzy work wardrobe - positively, I might add - which largely consists of purchases from ASOS, H&M and Zara - so I suppose that is why this step off the path feels like a move in the wrong direction. We’ll see how my M&S purchases go down and I’ll try and remember to let you know what feedback they get. 


Now to the difficult one:


I have been fortunate enough to see many bands and artists play live. I won’t list them (namely because I can’t remember all of them), however, what is important to highlight for this blog entry is the following:

• I went to see Coldplay at the Etihad on 9th June (for a more in-depth review, please read this - composed by my bestest Kassie Fleet)
• I went to see Watch The Throne (Kanye West & Jay-Z) on 12th June (for photos and videos of this event you’ll all have a facebook friend who went, just have a gander their stuff)

These were arguably the 2 best concerts I have ever been to for almost entirely opposite reasons. 


Coldplay pulled out all the stops to let you know that the audience were an integral part to the show. Great production all round and they created the intimacy of much a smaller venue despite it being at a stadium. You forget just how many Coldplay songs you know all the words to! They are arguably the most successful British rock band in terms of sales and tours in recent history. As close to Queen or The Beatles as we have in this day and age.


Watch The Throne - Wow. They are just mega-superstars. They are both the influenced and influence. It was 3 gigs in one, it almost felt like the most gangster pantomime that has ever existed - although I’m not sure there is a market for that. Yeezy and Hove were incredible, NIP being performed 5 times was just ridiculous. 


Also, for those who don’t know (as I recently had to have this explained to me) Jay-Z’s sobriquet Hove/Hova/Hov comes from Hebrew word for God, Jehovah (which becomes J-HOVA) - hence "H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A". But to get back on track…


I saw Coldplay. I saw Kanye West. I saw Jay-Z. We were in the same room, a very big room but still the same room. 


And it was these thoughts, which I processed today on my return home from Cannock, that made me realise that’s all I had to say: They are milestones - it was a musical bucket list quest and I was fortunate enough to achieve 3 of them across 4 days:


Coldplay, Jay-Z and Kanye - Done. 


They will be stories I tell my friends/children but that is it, I don’t think I would want to see either act again. To me they will just become memories of a milestone; they aren’t the artists I put on to cheer me up or make me escape my bubble. That space is reserved for the likes of Bloc Party, Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers and The Maccabees. I will always need them. So that poses yet another question:


Am I old enough now to say that I listen to the stuff I used to listen to “when I was growing up”? 


If I am then that’s a bit scary but it’s happened and there isn’t a lot I can do about it - I have become old. I suppose I should just go and get an M&S store card, saves the hassle for when I actually turn 30 in 6 years time x