Posts by Jackie Clark
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Danyl Mclauchlan,
Well, I don’t mind being insulted – it’s the internet – and I really like insulting people back, but the last part of that process always erodes my respect for you a little.
Danyl, and I would address this to others as well, do you really think it's okay to insult people just because this is the internet? I'm afraid, in my universe, that's not how it works. Never say something to someone unless you would say it to their face, is my maxim. Primarily because, you never know - one day, you may very well meet those people you have insulted. I always think it's a bit of a coward's way out to engage in a behaviour just because you can't see the person you're having a go at.
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@Jolisa: thanks for that, darling - good affirmation! I used my useless arts degree again, today, funnily enough. I wrote my performance appraisal, using big words. Sure to impress.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to DCBCauchi,
I gave an example. Which was ignored. So bollocks.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Emma Hart,
Shit stirring.
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Oh, love. My mum lives in Kumeu and they too have this siren for when the fire peoples is needed. Quite why, I do not know, because they all have pagers and cellphones. Possibly in the Coromandel, they do not. In Kumeu, apparently it's so traffic knows that there are fire engines coming out of the station. A bit of a shit reason, if you ask me. And doubly shit for all the other reasons you outlined.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Danyl Mclauchlan,
How sad that people ever would consider any of their lives wasted. All life is lived, all experience is valuable.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
Well yes, of course they are intended to be both, Rich. I did mean to say. But they also provide a much higher quality of discourse than other training institutions that really are just about learning a "trade". By way of example, teaching training providers - especially in the area of Early Childhood - are crazily different in their teaching programmes. My own experience as an Associate Teacher - one who assesses teaching students - is that those who do a degree at a university are often more philosophically suited to be teachers because the very nature of teaching, of course, is that one needs to be an avid and passionate learner. (This excludes the very fine Te Tari Puna/NZ Childcare Assoc which seems to attract incredibly able teachers.) Of course, economics do come into it in a very big way these days. But this should not preclude students being able to take more esoteric subjects. Learning is,and should be, for it's own sake. How many employers, after all, care about your academic record? They don't, of course. Do you have the qualification? is usually all they require to know. If you have the money - whether it be in the form of a grant, or taxpayer funded benefit, or your own savings - it would seem to me that whilst one is at university, one has an obligation to make the very most of it. And if that means taking philosophy, so be it. One always uses the knowledge one has gained in whatever career one has. I would offer myself up as an example. I have a BA - a very common degree - in History of Art and History. I'm a kindergarten teacher - one would think I would never use my degree. I do, every day. Not always the content of the degree but what I learned from sitting in hours of lectures, discussing ephemera with peers, knowing how to find out about stuff. I can shoot the shit for hours with a 3 year old.
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Up Front: Where You From?, in reply to Emma Hart,
I think that's a great idea. I've been racking my brain because I wanted to send your family a lovely care package, but spending money in Chch is a good idea too. (I will be in June. I should start saving now!)
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Danyl Mclauchlan,
I haven't followed this argument at all, Danyl. So I beg your indulgence in butting in. Isn't the entire point of universities that they are first and foremost institutions of higher learning, and not training providers? And as taxpayers, is it not in our interest to have alot of diverse people with diverse interests and abilities to enrich our society? We are not all worker bees, and our world would be a very bland, and confusing place, if we were. I'd argue my point in more depth, but I've been misusing my art history/south east asian history degree by following a 3 yr old escapologist around all afternoon.
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Very sorry to see you go, Fiona, from here. But as you say, you've been a very busy person working on other stuff, which will very much benefit your public.