Pedagogy is a funny word / I am a geek.

Super geek alert!

Little sis sent me out some things this week, I have never been as happy, although she did send me the wrong top ( :-( ) She also sent me chocolate (always appreciated) a weird Panda thing to make and one of my uni books, Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Frier.

I was supposed to read it at the start of last term, so I'm a little late in discovering the really interesting (but hard to read) work of Mr Frier, I'd heard of his theories from lecture so bits of it ring familiar to me. The thing is, once you have read (and reread) a chapter its like 'DING!' ohhh yeah!

I think it's the first chapter which is about the oppressed beating oppression and their oppressors and it talks about violence. So I start thinking about Libya and Egypt and their uprising and Iraq and things, the book says that the oppressed never start violence, that it all comes from the oppressors somewhere down the line. It also says that to be Unoppressed, the oppressed must not oppress their oppressors (see why its a bit hard to follow, this isnt just the way i speak) and other people who aren't oppressed cant facilitate/lead their freedom (that make sense?) so for instance, you could say, Iraq, the argument that the army was going in the help the people who were being oppressed and shat on by their 'Government' is bull, and that the people in Iraq just became oppressed by us rather that Saddam Hussain and his cronies.

And another chapter, his one on education and oppression, It's like, exactly how I think! He compares two methods of teaching, Banking and Dialogical (may have the titles wrong there) basically that most school and teaching is like churning out kids from a sausage factory, you fill them up with facts with no meaning or discovery behind them, Dialogue is more about enquiry and two way learning between class and teacher and learning things because they interest you.

What a frikkin geek I am, I'm so glad she sent it out though, Kudos to you sis. you know when you start to feel like your brain is starting to melt a little bit from not exercising it enough? well I've woken it up.

x

An Ode to my phone (rest in pieces, Bertie)

They say you were only a phone, but you were much more than that, you were my camera, my phone book, my address book and my access to the internet, my method of contact to the outside world, my Photo album of places, people and memories. 

Oh phone, why did you have to dive into the sea? was I not good enough for you.....

Ok, so really not sad enough to write a poem about my phone, but good god, I am severely gutted about it. But I guess it's just shown me a little bit of how much we rely on technology, this little sliver of a phone to run and organise our lives. 

And how stupid of me not to back things up to my Sim or the computer..... argh! 

Aside from that things are going well here. I've finally had a bit of rest from my marathon of long days and nights working and babysitting, I think there will be more in a few days, which is good for my purse. I had a day off on Tuesday which was ace, I went to Almyros (?) beach just outside of Agios Nikoloas and we (Aimee and I) spent hours soo chilled out on the sunbeds listening to the music coming from the bar and the normal beachy noises of the sea and people chatting. Not been that chilled out for a very long time. 

I was in a rotten mood when I got home from work yesterday, I had to nap for almost two hours to try and shift myself out of it, then I did some cleaning, which made me feel much better. 

although, I'm definitely not as cleaning crazy as I was! I don't know whether it's the lack of spare time or just me growing up and moving on a bit, I'm not dirty or anything but I'm far more laid back about the state of the apartment. It's good. refreshing. 

So have I already blogged about my plans for this winter? 

I have been offered peak weeks of ski season, so I think , when I get home in November I'm going to spend some time at home, then I'm going to Italy (of the other way round) for a while, then home, Then wendy's for Christmas, and stay with her in between working in the snow until next May. plan? I think so, it could all change though. 

Ahh, I miss home, family and my friends. Millions. Specially right now while I feel run down. I cant wait to go for the pub quiz and walk along the front and see the illuminations and see how Blackpool has changed and how Theo and the rest of the clan have grown. we are definatly at the halfway point now, something like 10 weeks to go. 

I know I haven't done a more philosophical mumbly Blog in a while, I hope I get chance to soon. 

Loves x