Another one has been caught, when will it stop?

A primary school teacher from North Somerset has filmed himself sexually assaulting his pupils. He even did this while other students were in the classroom. The teacher would go about this by showering his pupils with presents and privileges. This had been going on for about 5 years before one pupil told her mom that her teacher had been touching her. Hours after that he was arrested and hundreds of films were found showing him and the girls, while they touched him and he touched them. He had already been warned back in 2008 about being too tactile with the girls. The deputy head was worried that this might get strange concerns from the parents. However, nothing else was done after this.

I think it’s absolutely horrible. How anyone can even think about touching a child like that and manipulate him or her into doing things that they don’t want? I also think that parents should really pay attention to their kids and ask if anything strange happens at school. Of course, not all men that teach at primary school are like this, but there is always something strange about it. People wouldn’t ask a man to come and babysit their kids very quickly, because it’s considered strange. And that is exactly for this reason. I also think it is strange that this teacher only got a warning about being to touchy-feely with his students instead of asking the pupils about this. This teacher would never admit to doing anything like this, but the children would, if you talked to them.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/10/primary-schoolteacher-filmed-himself-abusing

How hard is it to get dressed?

Several schools in Middlesbrough have sent parents a letter asking them not to show up at school wearing pyjamas. They think it shows a lack of respect towards both the teachers and other parents, not to mention the children. A lot of parents agree that parents should set a good example for their children, and getting dresses is one of these examples. This action is initiated because of the action Tesco in Cardiff had the year before. They were forced to put up signs asking customers not to come and shop for cigarettes after they had gotten numerous complaints from fellow customers.

I think it’s really good that they take the initiative to do this. I mean, how long does it take to throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt? I do think, however, that this is just part of the lazy community we live in nowadays. You can get your groceries delivered to your house, but there are certain things for which you need to get out of the house. Dropping off your kid to school is one of those. People these days are lazy and don’t even have the decency to dress properly, not even to their children. This way, it’ll only take years before children will not be dressed anymore, but will just be sent to school wearing their pyjamas. Absolutely ridiculous!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8526732/Schools-ban-parents-from-wearing-pyjamas-at-drop-off.html

From investment banker to teacher at the drop of a hat!

During the recession, many professionals lose their jobs. This is why the government has come up with the idea of a fast-track teacher course in which these professionals get the opportunity of getting a teaching degree in just six months. This to great anger of current teachers who say that teaching is not something you can learn at the drop of a hat. They also say that it is a completely different thing to have knowledge and to teach it. Jim Knight, the schools minister, says that teaching has never been a more attractive career-choice, as it now only takes half the time it used to be to become a teacher.

I am not sure what to think of this initiative. On the one hand I think it is really good that the government is trying to get through the recession as best as they can. However, I totally see the points that the teachers make. It comes across as diminishing. These teachers went to school to become the best teachers they can ever be, and then all these professionals show up and only have to study didactics for six months and with that accomplish the same in a shorter amount of time. I also think the point about the difference in having knowledge and teaching it is something to take into consideration. Not a lot of people have the skills to teach their knowledge to other people.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/10/recession-teacher-training-city-workers?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

If you need money, get a job!

Schools throughout Britain are being sued for the silliest things. A child who had hot custard spilled on his arm received 750 pounds as compensation. Another child who fell off a chair, received even more, no less than 6,000 pounds. This seems to become a trend in the UK, where schools get a lawsuit for things they can never be responsible for. In Liverpool, 50,000 pounds has already been claimed in a time span of only 2 years. It makes teacher’s jobs not exactly easier. Jim Donnelly says that they would have to put up a sign that says: ‘slippery, be careful’ when it rains, to show what steps the school has taken in the case of a suing.

I think it is absolutely ridiculous that this actually happens. Not even to mention people who sue the school because they spill hot custard. What is even more surprising is that the school loses in this fight. People try to get money from almost anything, but I think this is an actual low. In America, cups even say: ‘be careful, hot content’, so that if anyone burns themselves, the company will not be responsible. I remember an accident with someone who put his cat in the microwave and then sued the company for not warning him that one should not put animals into the microwave. This all is beginning to look very similar.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387570/Pupil-sues-school-750-custard-spilt-arm-compensation-culture-spreads-classrooms.html

It’s their kid, not just hers

The government has proposed to give dads six weeks off as paternity leave. They can then get two weeks off directly after the birth of their child, and a month extra later on. This way parents can share their time off so that women also get the chance to go back to work in the middle of maternity leave and then take time off again without losing their statutory rights. Mr. Cable, who is a business secretary, said that the way that everything goes at the moment with only women getting time off, is old-fashioned and gender biased. He wants to represent modern Britain, and this is one way of doing so.

I think it is really good that these measures are being taken. Parents choose to have a child together, so why should the mother be the only one to sit at home and take care of the child? I think it is also a good plan because fathers often get less chance to bond with their children seeing as they are the ones that are mostly working and get home late when the child is already asleep. And especially the bond kids have with their dad is really important in my opinion. As Mr. Cable said, the fact that only women have the right to stay at home is completely old-fashioned and gender biased.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3581801/Six-weeks-off-with-pay-for-new-dads.html

Animal welfare above all? Well, think again!

The coalition government has rejected a petition to ban wild animals from circus shows. They did however propose to inspect and license the wild animals to make sure that they get treated to high standards. After a video leaked out a couple of weeks ago which showed a circus elephant getting poked with a pitchfork, the subject got even higher on people’s priority. The RSPCA is absolutely furious at the government’s dismissal of this subject. Their concern is that these animals are put in way too tiny cages and get dragged around from one show to another. Not even to mention the incident with the elephant, who, by the way, got transferred into a wildlife park.

I think it is a real pity that the petition got dismissed. I think it is sad that these animals have to do all kinds of tricks to entertain people. In a world so full of technology and all kinds of other things that we could use to enjoy ourselves, why should we use these innocent animals to do tricks they were never meant to do? For example the bullfights in Spain. These animals are tortured, to great enjoyment of people who come there. Their balls get tied up and they have to run around. And when they get aggressive towards humans they get stabbed down. It is absolutely horrific to me. I would like to see how those men react when their balls get tied up. Disgusting human beings, that is what they are!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/government-rejects-ban-on-wild-animals-in-circuses-2283730.html

Dropping like flies

After two bodies that were found a while ago, a third one has been found. This one was not too far from where the first crime was committed. Therefore suspicion is apparent about the three murders being linked. Seeing as Tong, the scene of the crime, is a very quiet town, police investigators are hoping that someone has seen someone or something suspicious. This is very unlikely though, seeing as the bodies were found a mile or two from the suburbs of the city, in open countryside. They were found by a motorist who passed by.

I think this is a very sad event. The fact that people take other people’s lives is astounding to me. No one should think that they have the right to do so. It happens anyway, and most of the time there is nothing anyone can do about it. However, I think it is a pity that we just aren’t obligated to give our DNA samples at birth. This way, criminals could be caught more easily and that would make the world ‘a better place’. You might think that this would invade our privacy, but if you have not done anything, there is no need to feel scared.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/third-body-found-near-doublemurder-site-2282851.html