I’m bored!! Infact I’m tired, actually I’m bored and tired and furthermore frustrated, disappointed and deeply concerned. WHY??? I hear you ask… What has got Madeline McQueen going today. Well frankly it is the lack of education many of our young people seem to be receiving in schools and at home today.
David and I spend quite a bit of time in schools delivering motivational speaches, workshops on confidence building and presentation skills as well as coaching young people who seem to have lost their way. What we are finding on an almost daily basis is that the level of literacy within specially London’s schools is very, very poor. We tend to work with 14-19 year olds and often find that reading, writing and spelling is abismal.
I really do feel very sorry for the young people who have gone through the entire eduational system and who aged 14/15 are struggling to read basic instructions. What hope do they achieve at exam time or in the world of work? I fail to understand how this has not been picked up by their educators and worse still how parents are unable to prioritise spending time children to understand their educational needs. I know that today I am sounding exceptionally judgemental, but I feel exceptionally frustated!!
Reading is the key to learning, it helps with writing and vocabulary it enables students to understand concepts and read questions, especially since many mathematical questions in school these days tend to use scenario’s to present a question. I feel very, very saddened much vocabulary is lost on many of our youth today.
Whilst I applaud teachers for the job that they do, especially since governmental changes has broaden their remit too far beyond learning. Government has placed far too much responsibility on their shoulders with far too little discipline options, with funding relating to bums on seats exceptionally unruly children can take too long to be dealt with. There are some absolutely fabulous, passionate and amazing teachers who are changing lives and feeding our children outstanding knowlege on a daily basis who love the work that they do regardless of the pressures placed on them. However, I have come across too many teachers who are in the wrong profession, who are not at all passionate about teaching and far too willing to wield their power over those they are meant to educate and inspire.
How can we expect our young people to behave better and to do better if we have not given them some of the basic tools to success. I listen as many young people do not have the vocabulary to express themself effectively, where they answer a question are unable to present an arguement to support their answer. I listen as young people often have very little knowlegde of their forefathers, inventors, or change makers in world. They just don’t know!
Between the play station, Big Brother, the mobile phone and too much time on the streets their education is very limited and worse still the education that they are recieving is likely to reduce their chances of success and in the current climate their chances of a long and prosperous life. Why is it that our young people are on the streets until and after 2.00am in the morning aged away from 13/14 upwards? Where are their parents?No wonder they turn up at school completely out of it and unable to interact effectively or learn. Why are many of our 16 year olds living on their own attempting to survive on benefits with little or no education? Why are there so many young people who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)? Why does our education system allow young people to take exams which offer them a qualification that employers think useless? Who wants to spend years working towards a foundation GCSE which will only ever give them absolute top grade of a C (if they are lucky) the range being between a C-G grade? You can just here the thought pattern of many a youngster…”If the best I can do is get a C and to be honest I’m only predicted an E what’s the point of going to school?”
Sadly, some research shows that the best teachers in school are reserved for the higher A-C tier of GSCE classes and the less able banished to the lower tier. According to the Institute for Public Policy Research “Poor Secondary Teacher can mean the difference between a pass and a fail” At to this the false assumption that we hear regulary that many young people feel that their success will be based on the chance of being a celebrity thanks to reality TV. Then throw in the 24 hour entertainment culture that has grown rapidly in the last ten year, the bombardment of sex and instant gratification and parents who have no idea how to be parents. Alcholism, obesity/unhealth diet (Why is there either a fried chicken/kebab takeaway or McDonalds close to most schools)and drugs we have a receipe for failure on a collosal scale.
Where will it end? Parents, Teachers, Goverment and pupils all need to step up and do something about this.
I’m bored, tired, frustated, disappointed and downright concerned. Something has to change.
So this debate has been going on for a little while now and lots of people have waded in with their views. I’ve kinda kept out of it but it’s starting to bug me so I’ve decided to comment.
I understand that emotions are running high and that everyone has an opinion so here’s mine! I do not condone cheating or the use of drugs, there is a great responsibility placed on all of us whether we are in the spotlight or not to be a positive example to others. So here is my thought!
Dwain Chambers was found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs in order to achieve the success he experienced at within athletics’s. He initially tried to cover up what he had done (I have no doubts that he was aided) and he was sentenced, served his sentence and had returned to the world of sport to prove that he can achieve without the drugs. He made expressed that he felt that most who achieved a gold medal in the world of athletics’s were using drugs.
So here we go, I think that Dwain was unwise to make the comments that he did, however, as someone who has been within the industry he most probably has some insight about some of the people he has trained and worked with. Drugs are most probably common in some circles. Funny, whilst I completely believe that Dwain has to take responsibility for his actions and choices, I also believe that there must have been a coach or trainer who would have been involved and we just don’t seem to be talking about them.
Here’s where I get frustrated, Dwain Chambers has served his time and everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone is talking about the influence and affects on the younger generation. Hmm so what of Amy Winehouse who is a wino and drug taker who can’t even perform properly she’s so lambasted yet we are awarding her with 5 Grammy’s and acclaiming her music. Great example! What of Kate Moss who is another druggie, who’s drug habit is knowingly in the public eye, yet she’s still the face of Rimmel London and has been completely forgiven of her misdemeanors but is the face of UK modelling. Sorry??? Then Pete Dogherty who although he’s been to court several times for his drug taking, he’s still selling music and gets off with a slap on the wrist every time.
So how do we get this sooo wrong. A guy who has served his time admitted his offense and wants to now prove that he has the skill and talent and he can get a medal without drugs getting such a hard time. Yet three people who influence youth culture substantially who are drug takers and alcoholics can be exempted from all responsibility and in-fact receive plenty of publicity without calls for them to step away from the limelight.
It’s a bit messed up if you ask me. One rule for one and one rule for the other!!!
For me Dwain Chambers deserves a second chance, just like the rest of us! But hey we all have our own oppinions
Too many young, talented, beautiful young people are loosing their lives over nothing. I’m not really into hip hop but this touched me deeply
Gun and knife crime is escalating out of control and the victims are so young. Our society has much to answer for with its lack of boundaries, lack of parenting, education system that skill focuses on academia, erosion of moral values and more. How many more need to die before we really take this seriously.
Come on now lets be honest, how many of us after getting the job of our dreams choose after just a few months of clinching it to readvertise the job??? Not me that’s for sure!!! LOL
When will politicians just get on with the job of running our country effectively and stop getting side tracked with absolute nonsense? Who can blame Brown for not wanting to declare a general election? He spent years playing second fiddle to Tony and waiting for the promise of him being Prime Minister to be fulfilled and here it is and he’s supposed to risk loosing it all at the first hurdle… Hell no.
And most of you out there would hold on to your dream job for dear life once you got it!
… and about time to and all!!
There has been much debate in past months about the word “nigger” and it’s casual use by the younger generation. For me it’s unacceptable in any context and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) think so too.
Yesterday the NAACP conducted a mock funeral to symbolically bury the word for good. This word which has been used to oppress and abuse black people over the years is a derogatory term, there is no claiming it back and no using it to empower people of colour. For those of us who understand the effects of slavery and the inhumane treatment that was suffered, when humans were treated lower than animals in the worst possible ways, how on earth could this term ever be seen as positive?
Good on the NAACP for taking such a stand, the youth of today need educating in the truth about slavery and the dehumanizing of black people that occurred and given an understanding of how the N-Word can never serve a positive purpose.
Recently a number of things have happened which have placed me in a position where I know that I need more tools in my tool kit to be even more effective in my business.
Whilst we have ideas, business acumen and focus, sometimes we are lacking in the necessary structure that pulls all of our other talents and facets together. Sometimes we need to gain the extra skills that will increase our credibility and help us to feel more confident in the delivery of our service.
Training is something that I have enjoyed for a number of years now, teaching others and giving them skills and talents, but I recently equipped myself by taking a Train the Trainer course with Atiti Sosimi. Now it’s not that I don’t know how to train, but engaging in formal training has actually helped me to be far more slick in my preparation and delivery of training. It has taken what I already knew and made it far more effective.
Having the tools to touch the learning needs of each participant and structure the training more effetively, gives you an increased platform to make a difference. So that your training life changing.
There are other such things that I am embarking on that are honing my skills and equipping me for increased success. These things in themselves won’t bring success but they help to build a firm foundation on which to grow a business.
You may not need formal training, you may just need some extra reading or whatever it takes to help you organize your offering so that it can really touch your target market. Whatever it is you have been thinking that you could do with, go get it! It will give your confidence and boost and more tools for your kit bag is a great thing, with them you can reach even more people or have a greater impact on those that you already reach. Equip yourself for success then use that equipment to make a difference.
Well it’s just day two into Gordon Brown’s reign as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and terrorism is already on the agenda as London’s West End has become the target of a car bomb attack. Is this just want Gordon needs to push through his anti-terrorism laws that actually infringe upon privacy and civil rights?
With “anarchic” re-shuffle of the cabinet Gordon Brown promises to “create a government of all the talents”. We shall see… departments are being abolished and transformed and outsiders are being brought in from the cold, what has Gordon got up his sleeve? Only time will tell.
When I heard this morning that Jack Straw was asking Muslim Women to take off their head gear so that he could see their facial expresses I was really disturbed. What is it about these politicians that gives them the right to demand things always happen their way?
I truly understand that culturally he is not used to speaking to someone without seeing their full face, but to be honest, it is open the eyes that belie the heart and you can see those those most muslim women’s head gear so what is the problem?
Why do we insist things are done our way? When you speak to someone on the phone do you need to see their face? You may want to but you don’t need to see their face in order to help them. Why must we attempt to alienate muslims more and more by making these demands on them.
If you want to open a debate then just do so, do you really need to make such requests in order to start people talking about the issues?
Come on now lets be honest, how many of us after getting the job of our dreams choose after just a few months of clinching it to readvertise the job??? Not me that’s for sure!!! LOL
Whilst we have ideas, business acumen and focus, sometimes we are lacking in the necessary structure that pulls all of our other talents and facets together. Sometimes we need to gain the extra skills that will increase our credibility and help us to feel more confident in the delivery of our service.
Well it’s just day two into Gordon Brown’s reign as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and terrorism is already on the agenda as London’s West End has become the target of a 
