well filled baps The Sheep Chronicles. The adventures of a Sheep, the Works Forecat and the Works Apprentice, George.

[John Besley]

7 hours ago, Graham T said:

Inevitably, all this reminds me of a gag.  Not a very good one, but here you go...

 

How can you guarantee that you'll always remember a names day, anniversary, etc (other events are available)?

 

Just forget it once...

 

 

Fortunately I can remember one of my Granddaughters Birthdays as its March 6th (date the S&D closed) and our wedding anniversary July 9th (date when steam finished on the Southern)

[Graham T]

11 minutes ago, John Besley said:

 

Fortunately I can remember one of my Granddaughters Birthdays as its March 6th (date the S&D closed) and our wedding anniversary July 9th (date when steam finished on the Southern)

I like how you prioritised there John 🙂

 

[John Besley]

4 minutes ago, Graham T said:

I like how you prioritised there John 🙂

Yep and after 41 years we don't forget the date either, Mrs B does share an intrest in steam railways in moderate doses and traction engines...

[SteveyDee68]

15 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

I was always peeved that our school would only let you take art OR music and not both.

Comprehensive school (now gone) that I attended also had the same restriction until the year myself and one of my best school friends (sadly no longer with us) wanted to do both; we were both moderately talented musicians, but he in particular was an outstanding artist. Wednesday afternoons we had to do sport or orienteering plus some other nonsensical waste of time, so we approached our headmaster and asked whether we could instead do a full afternoon of art. Now, he was progressive as he allowed us to do so by working with the year above us and then in our final year our own year group; and, from that year forward, any music/art pupils requesting to do both were allowed to do the same, although it never became an ‘official’ option.

 

That continued until the building got levelled and a new building replaced it, the school transitioning in the process into an academy, and music being dropped from the syllabus as a subject and rolled into “performing arts” (drama/dance), thus ending 50 years of having a strong music department at the school.

 

Same school also made us do a rotunda of “crafts” in the first three years - sadly, my woodwork lessons were terrible, I ended up doing cooking/sewing three times (?!) and missed out on metalwork! Technical drawing was interesting, although I already knew the basics as my late father was a draughtsman.

 

Took typing as an optional class at sixth form college - and was the only male student to do so for the two years I was there! Spent half the time repairing manual typewriters (which these days would raise cries of sexism!) but reasoned that the coming computer age would need typist skills as more and more jobs needed to use computers! (I was right - and my input speed/accuracy landed me temp work after I graduated). I don’t think touch typing is taught in schools, which seems crazy when everything needs inputting via a keyboard these days, but then again we are perhaps entering into a new age when voice commands and AI will mean typing is no longer needed (although they still seem to push a lot of buttons in Star Trek!)

 

Apologies to Rob for taking his Sheep Chronicles off piste with my music teacher comment earlier! Back to business - bring on the sheep!

 

🐑🐑🐑 

 

 

[mullie]

I'd best not get involved in the discussion about the decline in music depts and the wider arts, I could go on for days. What has been done is criminal. I walked away from music teaching in July 2022, I now do supply, currently a long term placement teaching RE. I keep my music making as a hobby and am probably doing more active music making now than the last year I was teaching it even though I was the only music teacher!

 

Martyn

[Oldddudders]

Sherry had a similar experience to Martyn's, initially in secondary and, after retraining, in primary.

 

Music and the arts do not grab school achievement headlines, and as schools have become increasingly competitive with each other, the academic subjects are all that matters. And even back in the late 50s/early '60s, our school had a 7-day cycle, so sport and the arts could be less frequent. Places at Oxbridge were what mattered.

[NHY 581]

Morning all, 

 

Don't worry. It's good to see the thread bouncing along. I've been somewhat pre-occupied with SWAG and a few bits of real life stuff as of late..

 

We're now in what I hope is the closing stages of dotting the "i"s and crossing the "t"s with SWAG for another year. The real life stuff is also progressing in the right direction so I'm hoping to add in a few modellesque updates before too long. 

 

Most pressing is readying the layouts for their respective outings which are due to start in just over a couple of months time. 

 

There are also a couple of things fermenting within the little woolly cells............

 

Rob. 

 

[franciswilliamwebb]

Digressing on the music teacher front, I was unaware that one of my music teachers from the 1970s was a rail enthusiast until I saw his layout in the May 2014 Railway Modeller!  If only I'd known at the time...

[MrWolf]

I was one of those people from skilled trades who took Blair's shilling to retrain as a teacher, as they were supposedly desperate for Design Technology staff. 

I'd had my, er, mishap working abroad the previous year so was looking for a proper career in the UK. 

The first two years was a breeze in the university, the teaching practice? That was a joke. Firstly all of the old school facilities in the workshop had been swept away in the name of the national curriculum and safety concerns, (yet the kids were merrily power sanding bits of MDF and plastics.) 

 

Secondly there was an active avoidance of taking any pupils who showed aptitude and asked questions any further. I was told quite firmly - Don't show him how to do that, or they'll all want to know how to do it.

 

Thirdly, I really had no answer for children who said - Done it, what now? Because you had to keep everyone at the same point, nor could I answer the question - Why are we doing the research, design and specifications if we aren't going to get to make it? (Because if you ever get a job as a product designer, whatever you come up with will be made by slave labour on the other side of the world dear child....)

 

Worst of all was the attitude of the teachers who saw us as a threat, bringing different attitudes, approaches and (I hate the phrase) "lived experiences" into the classroom, as they, unlike our generation's teachers, had all gone from school to university and back to school.

 

They basically blanked anyone who had any workplace experience and had us writing reams of lesson plans and reports nobody ever read. Mine went in the garage stove after graduation. 

 

I asked my head of department how best to start a lesson off and get the pupils attention? "Awe and wonder" he said with a silly grin, "Awe and wonder" and walked off.

If I could have got away with it, he would have found out what I had been doing previously, which would be more like "Shock and awe", but I digress. The only other thing he said to me that year was to ask if I could come in a different car, as my vintage hotrod "attracted too much attention" . 

Yes, the kids wanted to know if and how I built it! 

 

My previous respect for teachers hit rock bottom and has remained so. After a bit of supply work, I picked up my toolbox and dog eared passport once again.

 

The Memsahib got pushed into doing a PGCE after graduating in Biological Sciences   and although I didn't discourage her, I knew that she wouldn't like it. She's now more determined than ever to never have children and it was a bit of a relief that the first wave of COVID made it a box ticking exercise anyway.

 

I'll shut up now! 

 

I warned you. Now look wot you hav done....

[JustinDean]

Since your experience @MrWolf teaching has been choked by admin and safeguarding also. I talked at length with Martyn @mullie last weekend about this. My partner has just left a well paid head of drama position in a secondary after 10 years of teaching. I think if she had continued the stress would’ve made her very ill so I’m relieved she’s out of it, despite not having another job lined up. 
I could go on all day about this subject but I don’t want to clog up Robs thread with my ranting!

 

Jay

[MrWolf]

I hope that she finds something worthwhile in line with her experience and qualifications that won't drive her to drink.

 

I remember our university head of year cheerfully telling us mature (?) students that we wouldn't find any old school tech teachers in brown smocks with train badges on them anymore.

To which the response was: So nobody who knows anything then?

We had combined English and Drama lessons at middle school and the teacher was wonderful, she also used to lend me Spike Milligan books...😆

[JustinDean]

13 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

I hope that she finds something worthwhile in line with her experience and qualifications that won't drive her to drink.

 

I remember our university head of year cheerfully telling us mature (?) students that we wouldn't find any old school tech teachers in brown smocks with train badges on them anymore.

To which the response was: So nobody who knows anything then?

We had combined English and Drama lessons at middle school and the teacher was wonderful, she also used to lend me Spike Milligan books...😆

Thanks mate. She’s finding the job hunt….challenging! About 200 applicants per role, she’s applied for 30 jobs so far and only had 2 interviews. Despite this she’s already much happier having left the classroom. 

[MrWolf]

Could be worse, ScotRail were recruiting trainee drivers recently, something like 5000 applicants!

[Fishplate]

4 hours ago, JustinDean said:

My partner has just left a well paid head of drama position in a secondary after 10 years of teaching. I think if she had continued the stress would’ve made her very ill so I’m relieved she’s out of it, despite not having another job lined up. 

 

Mrs FP didn't get out before the stress made her very ill. From our experience,  I'm glad your partner avoided that. Good luck with the job hunt.

[SteveyDee68]

12 hours ago, MrWolf said:

desperate for Design Technology staff

They still are … everywhere!

 

12 hours ago, MrWolf said:

all of the old school facilities in the workshop had been swept away in the name of the national curriculum and safety concerns

School I worked at in 2019 in Preston had kept all their older equipment, as they had a side store room big enough to take the lathe etc and the lady in charge at the time insisted that they kept everything by arguing that the school would never have the budget to replace them in the future should the need arise.  She has her CAD-CAM and laser cutters and 3D printers but also the “retro” engineering gear. Guess which room creates the most interest amongst pupils? 
 

12 hours ago, MrWolf said:

had us writing reams of lesson plans and reports nobody ever read

I left University and did several temping jobs with various companies in the early 90s from engineering insurance underwriters to the NHS via (what was) ICI and ended up in admin for a decade at the University of Manchester, before training as a post 16 teacher (mainly maths but also computers). The college I worked for had a team responsible for ‘maintaining academic standards’ who basically redesigned the paperwork every year so you had to rewrite your lesson plans to comply… and you could never simply copy and paste because they muddled sections about. Purely an exercise in justifying their (higher) wage, wasting staff time and in no way improving the experience of students. 
 

Totally feel for you, @MrWolf - been there, bought the T-shirt, and the mental health issues cost me my job, marriage and home. But I am now happily teaching a subject I love albeit paid as an “unqualified teacher” (post 16 PGCE ≠ QTS).

 

But I’ve hijacked Rob’s thread again! 
 

Getting things back on topic, I wonder if Rob might post pictures up again of his wonderfully weathered J70 trams?

 

Steve S

Edited May 2, 2023 by SteveyDee68
Missing qualification!!

[NHY 581]

6 hours ago, SteveyDee68 said:

 

Getting things back on topic, I wonder if Rob might post pictures up again of his wonderfully weathered J70 trams?

 

Steve S

 

Morning Steve, 

 

I'd love to........except I haven't weathered them yet. Poor show (!).......especially as I'm 3 months away from the first show this year for Ewe. In fact, it's only it's second outing. 

 

It's plucking up the courage to totally dismantle them as I want to weather the interior..............

 

And one doesn't wish to make a horse's ar$e of it........

 

Rob

 

 

 

 

 

[Captain Kernow]

Did someone mention Art earlier, darling?

 

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, NHY 581 said:

And one doesn't wish to make a horse's ar$e of it........

 

15 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

Did someone mention Art earlier, darling?

Perhaps somewhere between the two?

 

[NHY 581]

17 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

Did someone mention Art earlier, darling?

 

 

 

Ah! Darling Mon Capitaine. 

 

I trust you can provide an artistic evaluation should there have been so. 

 

Le Mouton. 

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Captain Kernow said:

Did someone mention Art earlier, darling?

 

No. Nothing to see here. Move along please.

[Captain Kernow]

5 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Ah! Darling Mon Capitaine. 

 

I trust you can provide an artistic evaluation should there have been so. 

 

Le Mouton. 

Oui, le bateaux mouche ne peux pas se pencher en dehors.

 

[Graham T]

Well, quite.

 

[MrWolf]

Not as bad as the chap I had to endure recently who said that he has painted nothing in the last five years but has been preparing lots of canvases for when he is ready to make art.... his little entourage squeaked with excitement at the prospect.

 

The fact that I couldn't simply shoot him in the foot and retire to the bar was a source of profound irritation to me.....

[NHY 581]

2 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

Oui, le bateaux mouche ne peux pas se pencher en dehors.

 

 

Absolument, mais Colin a une longue moustache qui peut se prendre dans sa braguette.

 

 

[SteveyDee68]

9 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

Morning Steve, 

 

I'd love to........except I haven't weathered them yet. Poor show (!).......especially as I'm 3 months away from the first show this year for Ewe. In fact, it's only it's second outing. 

 

It's plucking up the courage to totally dismantle them as I want to weather the interior..............

 

And one doesn't wish to make a horse's ar$e of it........

 

Rob

 

Oooops! Must have been someone else’s J70s I was thinking of!

 

However, when you do pluck up the courage, please do document what you do (warts and all) and show us mere mortals step by step (hoof by hoof) how you go about it - I have two of the blighters to sort out for my own planned little W&U inspired project! (Have I mentioned that I’ve devoured read a book and purchased various postcards/photos in readiness, or that I’ve got a 3D printed skirt to do a conversion job on one of the (embarrassingly) many* Bachmann 04s I now possess?
 

Steve S

 

 

* I cannot resist them on eBay** - if selling for silly low money I will enter a maximum bid I am willing to pay and then walk away and if I win, then I win. I just seem to have won quite a few times. Sometimes I’ve forgotten about bidding until the notification appears to pay up! (I stop - got a couple of Rapido coaches on order  to pay for when produced!!)
 

** Any RMWebber in need of funds just needs to put an 04 up on eBay … it’s like catnip to a cat for me!!