The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

Cakeguts

SingleSue wrote: »

For Josh it was the key which unlocked his Aspergers and allowed him to learn. Before he discovered playing music he was completely out of control, having Aspergic rages all over the place and his brain was never calm enough to take information in.

I'm standing on the soapbox with you....but not jumping, it would most def break if I did that! :rotfl:

I would also get up on the soap box but unfortunately I have a tendency to fall off things so it might not be the best idea.

SingleSue

I'm not sure if my schools did selective offers as I was one of those nice middle class children with two parents who were owner occupiers with a comfortable income.

I did riding lessons, music lessons, dance lessons, was chosen for the badminton and cross country running teams and regularly had grown up meetings with the heads of year on school policy (usually me complaining about some infringement of our rights but still getting away with it completely).

I did notice it when the Academy took over at the boy's the high school however, the old staff knew my back story whereas the new staff didn't and made assumptions, even going down the line of speaking to me in really simple language just in case my education level was such that I wouldn't be able to understand grown up words (my answer to that was to reply using the most obscure, complex and difficult words I could think of - thank goodness the boys are not there now with my brain fogs and speech problems which means the words can't actually get out of my head and into actual speech, or they come out in a jumbled mess or I forget the word completely!)

There were also musical groups which were supposed to be open to all but in actual fact you had to be invited.....only those who fitted a certain look and with certain parents were invited.

Sorry if it is a big disjointed tonight, brain is stumbling a little.

SingleSue

I was never interested in chess or board games come to that (although we played lots of board games when we were young). I just found it boring, could not learn new facts or information from it and hated having to be idle whilst others were thinking about their moves etc.

Ex husband loved all the above, had a really nice chess set but obviously got frustrated that I had no inclination to play with him. He loved it when the boys arrived and he had new fodder to teach....all the boys can play chess.

I wanted books, lots and lots of books. Books were my friends, a way I could have my body still but my mind learning. I read as many of the classics as I could whilst still at primary school, years ahead of when I should have been but then books for my age were far too childlike, too simple although Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie were early favourites for the more relaxed reading times when my brain had enough information to allow sleep.

It pains me now that I can only read for shortish periods of time as nerves get pinched when in a book reading position and I am having to add more and more pillows and cushions to try to keep going and although it has been suggested to get audio books, it really isn't the same thing (well for me anyway, I have to actually read the words, listening to them just makes me bored again).

ivyleaf

silvercar wrote: »

I remember in primary school, music lessons consisted of listening to a programme over the radio, where we would all be instructed to sing along with the words and music in an accompanying book.

I used to enjoy that! One term it all had a theme of a South American family with three sons, and involved them having to travel "past the volcano, Popocatapetl", I can't remember why, something to do with something stupid one of the sons had done (There was a song narrated by the father of the family, which began "I'm blessed with three sons, or should I say cursed? I really don't know which of them is the worst"), and some of us acted it out in front of the unfortunate rest of the class. I think i was a tree (we all made cardboard headdresses, and all wanted to be the volcano :rotfl: )

That programme taught us things like sea shanties too, and "There was a tailor had a mouse". We really enjoyed it

Okay, I've finished reminiscing now, it's safe to come out.

Loanranger

Sue, would a Kindle on a small stand make reading any easier for you? You then would not have to hold it and just tap it every time to turn the page?

CKhalvashi

Oh, we have some new space

Sorry for not being around the last few months, life in general has been a bit hectic generally, and as I've just had to say to a client on the phone, 'Sorry, I don't feel well this morning, I'll call you back shortly'. Sadly it's been happening a lot recently

Doozergirl

Back in primary school we had a music teacher for two days a week. Every Tuesday and Thrusday morning we would have singing assembly, which I adored. Mrs Miles had a cabinet full of lyrics written on huge sheets of paper which she would select and pin to a washing line across the school hall. I'm sure we all loved it. Plenty of Beatles songs featured in the 80s

We also had our recorder lessons. The class would be split into two so there were around 15 children and a dedicated space for each lesson, which wasn't too bad.

The children that had an aptitude were referred on to Saturday provisions. There was a school in Pimlico set up as the Centre for Young Musicians and I was part of the recorder orchestra at the Horniman Museum as recorders were affordable to my mum. We were really good though!

If Thatcher could provide it, I'm sure money could be found to do it again. As it is, pupil funding per head is falling. I'm not sure how the current trend of raising both expectations and class sizes is supposed to help taxation income in the future. There is no issue with current expectations of children in core subjects. It is high.

SingleSue

Loanranger wrote: »

Sue, would a Kindle on a small stand make reading any easier for you? You then would not have to hold it and just tap it every time to turn the page?

I really am not sure if it would help with the neck problems, it might do if a suitable stand can be found (but then I am back to the same problem I have with a real book). My bigger problem with a Kindle is that I just don't like them, it doesn't feel like real reading, more scanning like you do online and it is yet another electronic device to tire my eyes out/have glare etc.

In short, I'm old fashioned as I like the feel of books and if I can't get my way I am going to thcream and thcream 'til I'm thick:rotfl:

ivyleaf

Sorry to hear you're not well CK. I hope whatever the problem is, is being looked into and that you're not putting off seeing the doctor as many men do. I trust Mrs CK won't mind if I send you a virtual (hug).

vivatifosi

Hertfordshire! I can do Herts. I don't have time to pop to the archives at the moment but will have to in the next month or so (bad timing, was there last week).

Drop me a PM with info and I'll see what I can dig up, apologies in advance if it takes a while.