Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Puzzled
Sitting on a train to Waterloo the other day was rather surprised at, I think, Motspur Park, when several classes of black boys got on. Secondary age, well behaved and from Archbishop Tenison's school at the Oval (http://www.tenisons.com/index.php) - founded by the archbishop of that name in 1685. Who, coincidentally was born at the Cottenham quite near where I was brought up at Girton and where my sister's mother-in-law had a bungalow for some years. The teacher explained to me that there was no playing field at the school itself so they had got themselves facilities near Motspur Park and so trundled down on the train from Vauxhall for games. Perhaps to the Raynes Park Sports Ground - wrong council but right sort of facility. Must have taken a fair bit of time out, particularly as I think the teacher said we were talking about a lesson at a time, not the whole afternoon, this last being the form, twice a week, at my school - where we had the advantage of a school field big enough to take the whole school at once. Not that it did my game any good. Plus somebody has to pay Southwest Trains.
School carriculum does not look that different to that of my day. Greek, Latin, Ancient History and German missing, with the space being filled with newer things like ICT and Design Technology. Science compressed to a single heading rather than the three we had.
But I did wonder about the merits of having what appeared to be a black school. I don't suppose anybody planned it; it just turned out that way. I think there are merits - but on the whole doesn't strike me as an ideal preparation for life in our multi-cultural society. What one can do about it is another matter. Not sure that I would like the compulsion and bussing which would be needed to break it up.
Nearer home a bit of recreational DIY last week. Decided that sitting down to the upstairs computer for hours at a time was not good for me and that what I needed was a stand up desk - the sort of thing that Pooter might have used, although my copy of his diary only has a picture of people sitting at high stools at desks, rather than standing at them. I am sure I have seen a picture of Pooter like people standing at desks somewhere.
Anyway, this one is made using the leaf from one of those square oak dining tables with two extension leaves - things which you could pick up for a £1 or so at jumble sales in the 70's - attached to the window sill and propped up by legs running down to the skirting board. By accident, I managed to fit the legs sloping slightly inwards rather than straight, maybe two inches in fifty, which looks much more elegant than it might of otherwise.
The only catch is that taking it down takes about five minutes and involves a screwdriver. The thing is essentially a fixture rather than a bit of furniture. The up side of this particular coin being firmness and rigidity. Laptop unlikely to fall off. BH unlikely to knock it off with the vacuum cleaner.
# posted by Jim @ 7:21 AM 
