The phone call I dread!

My heart stopped when I got the call. I was in my office, catching up on the emails and phone messages. When I looked at the callers ID, I noticed it was my neighbour. About ten thoughts occurred simultaneously: my house was on fire, it had been burgled or----no----- the dog----Perdy.

It was the latter. Somehow she had escaped. We had either left the gate unlatched or she had learnt to climb up to the gap where we put our hands through to unlock the gate. I had seen her of late, partially climbing to the gap and sticking half her body through, then pulling back when a few expletives were thrown her way. There was of course another possibility--- the metre readers (water or pwer0 had left the gate open, despite the return bungee cord I had attached.

My neighbours had been trying for about an hour to get her back in, saying that she was having a great time, eluding their efforts. It was one big game for her; albeit a dangerous one when she started to use the road as her playground. One of the neighbours reported hearing cars honking at the crazy dog as she sat in the middle of the road.

I advised the neighbour to just leave the gate open, hide and see if she returned. In the meantime, I asked to be let free to rush home and try to persuade Perdy to return to the safety of her own backyard.

The journey home was horrible. Thoughts of my little girl being squashed by a big truck, unable to avoid her, filled me with dread. I remembered the two cats (black ones--- my favourites) who had both been killed on that dangerous road. I remembered the grief and facing my partner with the news. The one huge minus of owning pets is their deaths, especially avoidable ones.

I hardly noticed the trip home, over the bridge. I did not glance at the wharves in Onehunga to see if ship[s were there or imagine what it could be like, traveling to the ports down the line a bit. No--- my thoughts were only on getting home. I had a plan.

I would park the car and try to remain calm. One thing that gets Perdy going is that if she senses my excitement or less than clam actions--- she goes off. It is a game or something she is scarred of. I planned to open the back door of the car if she was still playing silly buggers, say---‘walkies--- lets go down to the beach.’ Yes I was being less than honest and I would not want to do that too often, but I was not totally in control of my emotions.

I finally pulled up, parking crookedly in the car port. A little black and white face peered at me through the offending gap in the gate, tail wagging furiously. I noted that the gate was somewhat different. Someone had nailed an extra piece of wood, thereby precluding any more escapes, if that was the way in which she had attained her freedom. The neighbour appeared and I was not lost for words. I think I thanked him, using about fifty different versions exercising just twenty words. I think I promised him a bottle of wine--- damn---- it better be a good one.

I picked Perdy up, wanting to chastise her, but what could I say that she would understand. Unless I was there when she ‘broke out,’ she wouldn’t get the point.

I made doubly sure that she could not climb through the now narrower gap and pushed the rubbish bin against the hole. Jasmine the cat was more than capable of jumping the fence. I found another bungee cord and placed that across the gap too, with the added advantage that the gate was now possessing twice the ‘spring-back’ effect--- the gate would return to a closed position, if an errant metre reader left it open.

The journey back to work was a far more peaceful experience, but my thoughts were a machination of ideas about how I could make my ‘Perdy-home’ more like Fort Knox.

Thank God it was Friday--- I had time to build on my thoughts in the weekend.  Mmmm--- the Onehunga Festival---- looking forward to that and yes, I am taking Perdy!

UPDATE---- The festival was cancelled---damn--- I was reallllllllllly looking forward to taking Perdy. Oh well--- next year.
The picture on the blog will form the cover for  'TALK TO ME,'      OUT SOON AS A BLOG AND TO BUY FROM THE NEW WEBSITE. AVAILABLE MAY 2012.

She tried it on again ---but this time she just chased the neighbour's cat--- well,not quite, because the brave litle moggy stood up to her and Perdy came back home. We nailed some wood in the gap and hey presto---no more escapo!

Would you be a teacher?

I am privileged in that I am able to observe and interact with teachers on a daily basis, in my place of work at least. I also know others who teach in a variety of schools. Whilst I am still a teacher, my employment is primarily in the support area of our education system.

There has been a good deal of publicity recently about the Government’s desire to look at ways of increasing class sizes, using the rationale that better teachers is a more significant factor than smaller class size in achieving sound results for our students.

One would have thought that the research from here and overseas has made it patently clear that this is not always the case, but our ‘enlightened government’ is forging ahead to achieve their goal. I doubt that they are listening unless you count filling your ears with the advice of your lackeys (read Treasury), further entrenching their solidly held view. If they bothered to get off their chuffs and look a little wider I suspect that such narrow and failed reasoning would take a trip down the gurgler.  happen.

No--- that will not happen. There is a less than transparent goal driving the policy of the Key Government----saving money, hence the desperate search for a justification to make the cuts. The ever suffering public will get sucked in by the vision of a New Zealand facing a ‘Greek or Irish crisis.’ When the cuts are made and we start losing more teachers through stress and disillusionment, well--- it will be too late by then. The floodgates will open as the workload increases on an already jaded workforce.

 Once again it will be an incoming government to try to make amends and the cycle will continue. Who suffers while governments play politics----?   The kids and ultimately society.  

I don’t know what  the figures are and I am sure there are plenty of ‘experts’ who can quote them---- but for every dollar we spend on effective education, the payback in the future more than makes up for it.

Now it's Rice---what's next?--- not wine I hope!

Now it’s rice—actually white rice and even then I bet it is not basmati rice (which has a lower Glycaemic Index ---GI---) that is the culprit. Some research from Harvard is now pointing out that consumers of large amounts of processed white rice are more likely to develop Type Two Diabetes. That would mean that most of Asia and an increasingly large number of Westerners may be at risk.

Many of my Asian friends eat rice several times a day. Not only that, but the amounts are quite large. If you take a plate and describe the portions that veggies, carbohydrates (rice) and protein/fats make up, then what I see is a two thirds division. What’s that look like?

Well--- there is a huge heap of rice covering most of the plate (and that may be replenished at least once during the meal) with a topping of the meat and veggies. Yes it tastes great.

I have often wondered at this sight. If you add those horrible instant noodles to the mix then the problem is probably compounded.  Type Two Diabetes has been thought of as a disease that plagues the West--- not so--- the figures emerging from Asia must be causing concern.

So what is the answer? It seems pretty straight forward. Add more variety to our plates and be less dependent on white rice. However, when I point out such a solution to my friends, they look at me as if I am stupid. ‘What--- you trying to tell us not to eat rice?!’

NO--- just try to eat less and add some other types of food. Perhaps that ignores economics--- some of those foods are not always cheap. Take the cultural factor and such advice could be seen as downright patronizing.

The research pointed out something else too. The very processes involved in growing, harvesting and generally being physically active probably mitigates against the negative factors in eating white rice. City dwellers work hard but they want their food to be convenient and easily accessible. They may also not get anywhere near the exercise that their country counterparts get. The same applies in the West.

SO---VARIETY---EXERCISE maybe the antidote to the pathway to unwellness. Haven’t we known that for a long time?  Grandma knows best!

If I had bigger ti---s--- they would be in a tangle

Acorns grow into beautiful trees, but little things that piss us off turn into a torrent if not addressed.

Thus hath starteth my day. Actually, I had trouble sleeping last night, because I kept waking and thinking about the ‘little thing’ that was pissing me off. I cameth to work and it grew in importance until I found something  to break the log-jam.

Therein lays the method to curing my madness. Don’t let the little things go untended. Either water them and pull them out.

Once I had teased the ‘stick that was holding up the dam, I felt a new energy. Then and only then did a see the rapids ahead and avoid the inevitable chaos. I was able to jump from the stream by grabbing a branch. Then the water flowed and the tempest went somewhere else.

 I hope the next person down the stream that now flows without obstruction reads my blog, shorteth though it is.

Fat bugger 6 or is it 7?

Fat bugger 6 or is it 7?

Damn I don’t even know the number I am up to, but I do know where I left you hanging--- I was gona tell you if I was going to follow the ‘no sugar regime.’

Bugger that--- it’s too damn hard!  Remember what I suggested you do? ---- Go and check out items in the super market and you will get my point. I attempted to cook two evening meals without any sugar. I thought I was doing fine. I followed my sanctimonious advice.

On Monday night, I made mashed potatoes and kumara (that is New Zealand sweet potato) with breadcrumbs fried with garlic and onion and a bit of non-sugared seasoning, grilled in the oven--- so far so good. I then cooked some stir-fry chicken with Veggies from a frozen packet (a Pams brand in NZ). It did not have any sauce and I couldn’t see nay sugar in the ingredients. I wanted to see if I could use a ‘prepared food and still meet my aim of a non-sugared meal. I could tell it needed an extra flavour boost so I added salt, pepper, fresh basil and ting tomatoes from my garden.

It was yummy. Now for dessert. I had yogurt and fruit salad from a can. I know--- the syrup had sugar and the yogurt was sweetened. I failed---- it could easily have been unsweetened home-made yogurt and fresh fruit. My excuse? ----well I wanted to use up the food in the fridge. Are you disappointed in me? You should be, but I am now going to say--- ‘don’t bash up on yourself if you slip off the wagon.’

The next night I brought a chicken that had been ‘double-smoked and covered in a spicy mix of chilli and paprika. I couldn’t see any sugar in the list of ingredients. I brought it because it was so cheap--- only NZ$5.90. That is really cheap here. The chicken was split so that it could have been cooked on a BBQ. I decided on another way. I wanted to stick everything in one dish.

I layered fish cakes that seemed to be mostly potato on the bottom of the dish and then placed chopped cauliflower over the ‘fish’ cakes. Then I put the butterflied chicken over that. I cooked it in a hot oven for an hour then took the lid off so that the chicken would be crispy. I am not going to pretend that this recipe is low-fat. You can imagine the chicken juices (and fat) seeping into the bottom of the dish and getting g soaked up by the ‘fish’ cakes and getting that wonderful  ‘cakey bottom.

 It tasted divine and there is enough for tonight and then some chicken over for a salad for lunch tomorrow.

 When I watched the programme on TV about the Australian rugby player the other night, I noticed that his breakfasts were not low-fat. I surprised at the amount of protein and, well--- what we have been told is unhealthy--- loads of meat, eggs, but little or no bread. Isn’t this sounding a little like the Atkins --- you know the other word?

I have decided that I will not attempt a totally sugar-free food intake. I shall have special treats, but I won’t eat a whole packet of biscuits (USA---- Cookies) while I am watching TV. Come-on, admit it. You have done the same, or was it a whole block of chocolate--- I shall leave the size to you.

I am also trying to shop more sensibly. I used to buy my veggies and fruit, all in one go for the week. Silly move. By the middle of the week, several things have happened. They don’t look quite so fresh anymore and therefore have lost their appeal. There is also a certain amount of wastage that ended up in my worm farm, or sometimes in a huge soup (cooked in a slow-cooker) that would feed an army. If you don’t want boredom to set in, then it is best to shop more regularly. I am sure that you can all find a fruit and veggie shop (Green Grocer) somewhere on your way home from work. Stay with the same one--- they get to know you and that can be handy.

I shall let you know how I get on, with more examples of my recipes. I make them all up of course. If they are no good I can always give them to Perdy. She loves my cooking.

Don't eat sugar! (should this be Fat bugger--part 6?

It seems that there’s always a new bit of advice or programme when it comes to weight-loss, but I was really impressed by the latest release. An Australian guy (an ex- national Rugby player) was claiming that he had taken the advice of that research and given up sugar---totally. Wow! Did it work? Well, yes it did. He was about 144Kilos and he lost around 30kilos pretty quickly. He looked good and claimed to feel better from the day he gave it up. I would like him to reappear in about a year to see if he has maintained this very strict regime. Now lets look at what this implies--- the giving up of sugar.

I think I am on fairly solid ground if I make the claim that our body does not need refined sugar. I am not talking about giving up fruit here. Think of all of the processed products you buy (yes – me too) that contain sugar. Damn it ---- it is in nearly everything, even our daily bread. So how do we get a diet? (shit--- I used the word I said I wouldn’t in my ‘Fat Bugger’ series. It’s OK--- This is not officially in the series—lol--- that’s a ‘let-off’ if ever one was needed).

Take a look at the packets of food you buy, or the tins. I challenge you to find many (or any!) that do not contain sugar in some form or another. It may even be labelled in a way that you do not recognise. I’m sure we all know the obvious ones, like ice-cream, chocolate etc., but what about the cereals and noodles? Honestly, once you start looking, you will get one hell of a shock.

So what does your food intake look like if you dump the sugar? I suspect that it would mean ‘deconstructing' your food. It would mean almost nothing processed. It would have you going back to basics. Instead of going to the tinned section or packet foods (for want of a better word), try designing a few meals to start with, where you buy all of the ingredients, separately. That way, you are in control. Lets take an example, a simple one--- steak, chips (fries) and salad with dressing. It is not a particularly challenging meal, but it is a good way to illustrate my point.

You can marinade the steak but don’t use any sauces containing sugar. (OK—vinegar, but check the label, dry mustard powder, chilli-flakes, a little salt and garlic). Now for the chips. Cut the potatoes to any shape you want --- the bigger the better, and use cracked pepper, herbs (dry is best, but if you use Rosemary, use fresh), and a little olive oil. Mix it all in a plastic bag to coat the chips and bake them in the oven until crisp.

Now the salad.  Take any salad ingredient---- leafy greens, grated veggies, seeds and whatever else takes your fancy--- nothing from a packet, unless you are sure it is sugar free. It is the dressing that you buy that contains hidden sugar, so make your own. Use Olive oil, lemon juice (or lime), cracked pepper, any fresh herbs and if you must—salt. The possibilities are endless.

Now, go and enjoy. Continue in the same manner and I am sure you will get used to the extra effort involved in your ‘sugar free’ food intake. Maybe you are saying---‘but what about you? Are you going to practise what you preach?

Find out------ and please give some feedback.

 Last night on TV1 There was a programme that featured an American teacher who came to NZ to ‘teach.’ He left an excellent job and went through the training he needed in order to teach here at Secondary level. He then chose to teach at a school in Dannevirke, a smallish town (by NZ standards) north east of Wellington. 

It wasn’t long before things went badly wrong for him. He became the target of a small group of students who gradually wore him down, using a range of planned and spontaneous techniques. Those in the teaching profession here would not be unfamiliar with these sad events. It is my belief that such occurrences are far more common than our educational leaders, parents, administrators and politicians would ever admit to.

For teachers in a similar situation, there is a 'cone of silence' operating. It does not help one’s professional standing to ever admit that he/she is ‘losing it’ or not coping in the classroom. No teacher wants the finger of ‘incompetency’ pointed at them. They would quickly feel alienated and unsupported in such a situation.

It needs to be stated that, yes there are teachers who would be better to leave the profession, both for themselves and the students they teach, but the vast majority of teachers are doing their utmost to impart useful knowledge to their students in a way that is genuine and one that uses ‘best practise.’

Sometimes I get the feeling that the public expects all teachers to be some sort of ‘super being,’ who can keep a class of teenagers busy and learning without major dramas.  They forget that teachers reflect the society from which they came; one that is increasingly divided (be it wealth, religion and culture). Teachers are not better than the rest of society, so why would the profession contain a selection of human beings, possessing some special quality that would transform teenagers into young citizens who parents themselves have had difficulty trying to transform. 

Once again I say that there are many teachers who come close to that ideal, but they are not the majority. We all know teachers, who we say made a difference in our lives and at some point most teachers have had this effect on some of thier students. It all depends on so many other factors, including personality match, makeup of classes, student interest in a subject, whether a student has eaten breakfast, or has taken drugs or alcohol in the lasts twenty four hours, or has been abused (physically, emotionally or sexually), has relationship difficulties (yes students have relationships---they think a week with a significant other constitutes a relationship) and a myriad of ‘difficulties a student brings into a classroom.

Teachers are taking it on the chin (unfortunately, exactly that sometimes--- I don’t know the figures and I suspect that many violent instances are covered up by schools) for the rest of society. They have little or no control on what issues their ‘charges’ bring into the classroom. Given that teenagers need time to learn harsh life lessons, the classroom is where much of this developmental stage is acted out. If a teacher thinks that they are there to teach, ignoring the issues the students carry, they quickly find out that their training has not prepared them for the difficult balance between their primary role and that of some sort of miracle worker (a combination of social worker and counsellor).

I know that schools vary in their response to when teachers find the going a bit rough. Many have excellent on-going professional development and take care of their teachers. However, even in these schools, it would not be hard to find teachers not coping with the behaviours of their students. They are possibly even more likely to ‘stay silent.’ They do not wish to risk competency procedures, so they endure, taking the stress home to their families, thereby continuing a vicious cycle.

Some leave, often taking a drop in salary. Perhaps they are the lucky ones; the ones who get out before their health suffers even more.  The union (PPTA) can be helpful in these matters. Their position is strong on ‘teacher safety,’ but the union has a new fight on its hands now that the government is letting it be known that it wants larger class sizes, quoting that it is the teacher quality that is more important than class-sizes. I would hope that the public is not fooled by this new direction, which is nothing more than dubious research dressed up to disguise the real aim of Government--- to cut costs. If you have any sympathy for the teacher in last night’s programme, you better be prepared for the deluge of reports of instances, similar ot the one described, that will occur in the very near future-------‘coming to a school near you!’

In summary---- our schools reflect our community. I am not being negative in stating that we can’t expect one segment of society (the school) to ‘fix up’ the failings that government policy, families, ‘faith centres,’ tradition, new trends, changing expectations, and technology have not delivered. I don’t know the answer---- but expect to see more teachers, speaking out, and leaving the profession.

Luckily, new teachers are coming through the system, or ‘older ones’ are reinventing themselves. Schools are not standing still----- they are seeking answers and solutions, but they can not do it alone. They need community support and they need to be well funded. In the long term the money we spend on education now, will be returned many times over in the future.