Some things to procrastinate with
Feb. 17th, 2012 12:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nnyFrom surexit.
your favourite things about the area you live in
Southsea's kind of an amazing little place. It's one of those sorts of places where people are very specific about their address - yes it's Southsea, definitely Southsea, I'm not from Portsmouth - and where people pay a little more than they really ought to for their houses. It likes to think it has more culture than Portsmouth and there's a theatah at the end of my road; the road is definitely one of my favourite parts because it's full of second hand book shops and antiques and retro clothing and comics. Sometimes I think my road is magical because it's like Spirited Away; when the lighting changes a dozen new shops appear that really can't have been there in the daylight. They surely wouldn't have fit. But far and away my favourite thing about where I live is that I can leave my house (in an alley way, with a pool club opposite), turn left, and then walk and walk along a road and by a natural history museum and through a park and there's the sea. Right there. Five minutes. And if I turn left there's a model village and acres of beach and not much else, and if I turn right there's a castle and an aquarium and a D-Day museum and a skate park and a gig venue and a swimming pool and cinemas and everything within walking distance that I could possibly want. Including the sort of friend I can visit with dressing gown still on. But mostly, mostly it's the sea.
what type of food you like the most
Food that makes me smelly. Unabashed and smelly. Red onion and curry and cheese and garlic and mint; greek salad and stilton houmous and humbugs and pineapples that accidentally leak juices all over your hands. Also anything you have to lick yourself after.
thoughts about dealing with bullying amongst students
Kids are bastards. That's the overriding thought when it comes to bullying. Kids are bastards, and a lot of the time it's really not their fault. I'm not saying that there aren't dead-eyed malicious little cretins because there are and I'm reasonably certain that anyone reading this has met some. But on the other hand, I have reduced kids to tears simply by asking 'how would you feel if someone said that to you?' Often they just don't think; or they think far more about the people who are watching than the people who are receiving.
Bullying is so bizarre and hard to pin down. I have been bullied and I have been a bully, and I think there are a lot of people on the internet who admit the former but not that many who will admit the latter, and I think it's kind of necessary. From a dealing with it perspective.
It's like any behaviour issue though, and this is the hell of my job - I don't have time to deal with it properly. I report it to the relevant authorities, and I talk to the kids involved, and I tell them 'if I see that again...' and they make sure they do it where I can't see and I hate that. I hate that I don't have the time or the energy or the training to deal with so many of the levels of behaviour I'm faced with, and I hate that priority is given to the ridiculous parts of my job, and I hate that this situation means I'm hearing about ridiculous numbers of people dropping out of teacher training. And I hate that I managed somehow to get an easy ride and stay in it because I don't know how to deal with a case of bullying other than to say 'how would you feel if someone said that to you? Because honey? I know. I know how that feels, and I know how it feels to say it, and the former is never, never worth the latter.'
a country that you've never been to but want to visit
All. All of them. I cannot imagine not being interested in a country. I cannot imagine not finding something awesome to learn and notice, not being fascinated by even the slightest differences in language use and habit and outlook. (I would like to go to Mexico and Cuba, though, I have to say. :D)
the longest non-air journey you've ever done
I went by coach to Germany, 14 hours next to a girl who hit me when I listened to my headphones; a pea-green hotel and a ridiculous tiny disco with 30 convent school girls and no one else; continental breakfasts; an inability to remember the word for 'window' and asking how much the thing in the television was until the lady took pity on me and spoke to me in English; a vineyard and the beauty of the Rhine Valley and castles everywhere. I have no idea where we went, though. Not a clue.
whether you prefer countryside or the city
I idealise the country, without question. If I have kids I want to move to the country, I want terrifying fox barking to shape their nightmares, and mobile signals to sputter and die whenever possible, and trees that will tear at their hands and clothes until they are conquered. For now I like everything to be within walking distance, I like to be able to get at least five different countries of food on my road alone, I like that I don't need to own a car because buses and my feet are good enough and not just once a day. The country would probably hate me and be hated in return, but it's a nice dream; I think I want to live in Lower Tadfield, basically.
your favourite constellation
Not an actualfax constellation. In the winter sky, near my birthday, just to the side of Orion there's a group of faint tiny stars that form a question mark. Existential uncertainty on the part of the Universe; it makes me happy.
I was also asked about being a not-entirely-straight teacher. I'm going to think about that one and get back to you.
If you would like seven topics please ask. :)
your favourite things about the area you live in
Southsea's kind of an amazing little place. It's one of those sorts of places where people are very specific about their address - yes it's Southsea, definitely Southsea, I'm not from Portsmouth - and where people pay a little more than they really ought to for their houses. It likes to think it has more culture than Portsmouth and there's a theatah at the end of my road; the road is definitely one of my favourite parts because it's full of second hand book shops and antiques and retro clothing and comics. Sometimes I think my road is magical because it's like Spirited Away; when the lighting changes a dozen new shops appear that really can't have been there in the daylight. They surely wouldn't have fit. But far and away my favourite thing about where I live is that I can leave my house (in an alley way, with a pool club opposite), turn left, and then walk and walk along a road and by a natural history museum and through a park and there's the sea. Right there. Five minutes. And if I turn left there's a model village and acres of beach and not much else, and if I turn right there's a castle and an aquarium and a D-Day museum and a skate park and a gig venue and a swimming pool and cinemas and everything within walking distance that I could possibly want. Including the sort of friend I can visit with dressing gown still on. But mostly, mostly it's the sea.
what type of food you like the most
Food that makes me smelly. Unabashed and smelly. Red onion and curry and cheese and garlic and mint; greek salad and stilton houmous and humbugs and pineapples that accidentally leak juices all over your hands. Also anything you have to lick yourself after.
thoughts about dealing with bullying amongst students
Kids are bastards. That's the overriding thought when it comes to bullying. Kids are bastards, and a lot of the time it's really not their fault. I'm not saying that there aren't dead-eyed malicious little cretins because there are and I'm reasonably certain that anyone reading this has met some. But on the other hand, I have reduced kids to tears simply by asking 'how would you feel if someone said that to you?' Often they just don't think; or they think far more about the people who are watching than the people who are receiving.
Bullying is so bizarre and hard to pin down. I have been bullied and I have been a bully, and I think there are a lot of people on the internet who admit the former but not that many who will admit the latter, and I think it's kind of necessary. From a dealing with it perspective.
It's like any behaviour issue though, and this is the hell of my job - I don't have time to deal with it properly. I report it to the relevant authorities, and I talk to the kids involved, and I tell them 'if I see that again...' and they make sure they do it where I can't see and I hate that. I hate that I don't have the time or the energy or the training to deal with so many of the levels of behaviour I'm faced with, and I hate that priority is given to the ridiculous parts of my job, and I hate that this situation means I'm hearing about ridiculous numbers of people dropping out of teacher training. And I hate that I managed somehow to get an easy ride and stay in it because I don't know how to deal with a case of bullying other than to say 'how would you feel if someone said that to you? Because honey? I know. I know how that feels, and I know how it feels to say it, and the former is never, never worth the latter.'
a country that you've never been to but want to visit
All. All of them. I cannot imagine not being interested in a country. I cannot imagine not finding something awesome to learn and notice, not being fascinated by even the slightest differences in language use and habit and outlook. (I would like to go to Mexico and Cuba, though, I have to say. :D)
the longest non-air journey you've ever done
I went by coach to Germany, 14 hours next to a girl who hit me when I listened to my headphones; a pea-green hotel and a ridiculous tiny disco with 30 convent school girls and no one else; continental breakfasts; an inability to remember the word for 'window' and asking how much the thing in the television was until the lady took pity on me and spoke to me in English; a vineyard and the beauty of the Rhine Valley and castles everywhere. I have no idea where we went, though. Not a clue.
whether you prefer countryside or the city
I idealise the country, without question. If I have kids I want to move to the country, I want terrifying fox barking to shape their nightmares, and mobile signals to sputter and die whenever possible, and trees that will tear at their hands and clothes until they are conquered. For now I like everything to be within walking distance, I like to be able to get at least five different countries of food on my road alone, I like that I don't need to own a car because buses and my feet are good enough and not just once a day. The country would probably hate me and be hated in return, but it's a nice dream; I think I want to live in Lower Tadfield, basically.
your favourite constellation
Not an actualfax constellation. In the winter sky, near my birthday, just to the side of Orion there's a group of faint tiny stars that form a question mark. Existential uncertainty on the part of the Universe; it makes me happy.
I was also asked about being a not-entirely-straight teacher. I'm going to think about that one and get back to you.
If you would like seven topics please ask. :)
no subject
Date: 2012-02-17 03:29 pm (UTC)(I'd take topics, if you want.)