MyDaughter blog 
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Trailblazing at the New College of the Humanities
Wednesday 8 June 2011
Categories: Careers, Education, Higher Education
When Anthony Grayling spoke to the senior students at St Paul’s recently, offering them an effortless, witty, note-free guided tour of the history of Western philosophy in slightly under 35 minutes, it was clear that here was someone supremely in command of his subject. The rapt attention of his audience also reflected his instinctive gift for the kind of communication that works for intelligent 17-year-olds, albeit of the hands-free, information-rich generation, afloat on a largely...
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The problem isn't little girls, it's adult ones
Monday 6 June 2011
Categories: Growing up, Media Influence, Parenting, Role Models
Libby Purves’ response (The Times, 6.06.11) to the Mothers’ Union report on curbing the sexualisation of children hits the nail on the head.
This IS an issue for girls and their mothers, and for most, the measures in this government-commissioned report ARE like bolting the stable door after the horse is bolted. It’s almost impossible for girls – and little girls at that – not to be negatively preoccupied by self-image. They are surrounded by loud hailers proclaiming they must...
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Are you a 'serenity parent' or a 'tiger mother'?
Wednesday 25 May 2011
Categories: Education, Extra curricular, Parenting
Dr Bryan Caplan, childcare expert, has apparently decreed that it is a waste of time for parents to over-fill their children’s lives with out of school activities in an attempt to ensure the future success of their offspring. He advocates ‘serenity parenting’, set against the efforts of the ‘tiger mother’ who is pushy and overambitious and whose children are over-committed.
Over a thirty year career, the last ten as a Head, I think I may have encountered parents at all points...
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The trouble with girls today...
Thursday 12 May 2011
Categories: Growing up, Media Influence, Role Models, Teenagers
The trouble with girls today is that they are obsessed with appearance and possessions. Their role models are pop stars, WAGs, stars of reality shows like X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent and other D list celebrities. And girls just want fame and fortune…
Or do they? A survey by the National Literacy Trust found that around a third of girls aged 8 to 13 simply want to be happy when they grow up. Only a tiny minority, just 3.5%, said they wanted to be famous – how very refreshing and...
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Abstinence lessons for girls?
Monday 9 May 2011
Categories: Education, Growing up, Sexual Relationships, Teenagers
Nadine Dorries, the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, has suggested that schoolgirls between the ages of 13 and 16 should be given lessons in ‘how to say no’ as part of the sex and relationships curriculum.
I know I am not alone in asking why this message should be targeted at girls, rather than at both boys and girls. To me it suggests the disturbing and dangerous idea that girls indulge in or withhold sex as a way of managing and manipulating their relationships with boys. It...
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Rudyard Kipling... doesn't he make cakes?
Monday 2 May 2011
Categories: Literacy, Media Influence, Parenting
A recent article in The Daily Mail Online reported the findings of a survey which demonstrated how few children aged 8 to 12 were familiar with the literary achievements of writers such as Rudyard Kipling, Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J M Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson. It bemoaned the fact that this survey added fuel to the argument that the current generation of children has impoverished reading habits.
As an English teacher for 30 years, no one needs to convince me of the...
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And they lived happily ever after...
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Categories: Literacy, Parenting, Role Models
When the handsome prince marries his blushing bride the fairytale ends with “and they lived happily ever after”. Easy isn’t it? Every little and not so little girl knows that all a girl has to do is find the man of her dreams and a blissful future is certain.
But some children are not going to grow up surrounded by such enchanting stories, according to a poll of 3000 parents carried out by TheBabyWebsite. Apparently a quarter of mothers don’t read some of the classic fairytales to...
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Girls will be girls...?
Friday 15 April 2011
Categories: Careers, Girls' schools, Media Influence, Role Models
Ofsted has criticised mixed schools in particular for failing to encourage girls to think about entering careers other than the traditional ones. Guardian 12/4/11 These jobs, including beauty therapy, childcare and hairdressing, generally have lower pay scales and fewer opportunities for progression. However Ofsted said that girls in single sex schools, especially those in selective schools, had more positive attitudes to non stereotypical careers. In these schools girls didn’t view any...
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Silver linings and the rise of 'Gramping'
Thursday 7 April 2011
Categories: Family Relationships, Parenting
There is little doubt that times are getting harder and little evidence that they will improve in the near future, so it’s to a relief to hear some good news. And I think that the results of Netmums’ latest survey is really good news. Apparently more than three quarters of the families surveyed will be holidaying with grandparents in tow this year (gramping!). This finding is further reinforced by Eurocamp’s announcement
that “extended family group” bookings have risen three fold... -
Reading is for pleasure not for duty...
Friday 25 March 2011
Categories: Literacy, Parenting, Role Models
It sounds such a good idea – Michael Gove’s pronouncement that every child should read 50 books a year, (Daily Telegraph 21/03/11) roughly one a week allowing a couple of weeks off for…good behaviour? But is it? And is it feasible?
I am not convinced that we either could or should try to make our children read a specific amount.
Firstly the “could” part: while reading is undoubtedly good for you this fact alone will not enable you magically to transform your child into an avid...