Big shout out to Jonchoo at http://jonchoo.blogspot.com/ for the photo of me last year, a year when I was taken a bit by surprise and ended up dancing the whole route in my underpants!
14 years ago
More pics
Big shout out to Jonchoo at http://jonchoo.blogspot.com/ for the photo of me last year, a year when I was taken a bit by surprise and ended up dancing the whole route in my underpants!
The Panther, Yaa @ Aalborg Karneval 2008
Hurray! Carnival season has started! I am back in the UK at the moment, having just flown back from Aalborg in Denmark for the opening carnival of the year. First time in large costume, and I wore two of them, Mask and The Pather, and one medium sized one, Abolition.
My shoulders are red raw. It's harder than it looks.
Second life
A while back Intrepid teacher got fired from his job as a teacher and >>>posted up a blog on his edublog<<<, entitiled "To prospective Employers:"
I'll just quickly quote what he said, because I find myself in a similar position:
To Prospective Employers:
If you are reading this post, then you have most likely already read my cover letter, perused my resume, and now are probably left asking yourself why such an experienced, passionate teacher would resign from his current position. Below you will find my explanation:
...
This past year, I realized that I was making a name for myself in the Edublogosphere, so I thought it would be a good idea to finally connect my personal and professional lives. I wrote a brief post explaining the rationale for making this connection, but have since removed the post, as well as the link, because of the trouble it has caused me and my family. I want to make it clear that I never directly linked my personal blog and the thoughts on it to a site where my students would have direct access to them, because frankly the ideas I write about- life, art, politics, and religion amongst other things- need to be made more objective for a young audience. I never invited, mentioned, or encouraged my students to read my personal blog. As far as I know, except for a few students who may have independently investigated me on the Internet, very few of them knew I even had a personal site.
...
In an attempt to be open and honest with parents and administrators, I simply tried to make the connection from professional and personal, so that should they Google me or find out that I do have a personal space- where I share my writing- they would not be surprised. I shake my head as I type these words, because by the sound of it you would think that my personal site is filled with offensive material, when in fact, I am actually quite proud of the work I do there. I have never done or said anything that was not aimed toward my personal evolution as a caring and passionate human being, artist, and teacher. I actually wanted parents and administrators to see the side of me. I was a bit nervous to expose the site should someone find offense to any particular post. Unfortunately, this transparency proved to be the cause of my current predicament.
The situation I find myself in is not quite the same. I didn't get my contract renewed and no reason was ever given then in protest at my poor treatment by the management I refused to give them any more of my extra work for free. I got fired with immediate effect.
I heard a rumour though that one of the pupils had seen this blog, which he found by googling my name and a number of my colleagues have given me warnings to watch out for this sort of thing. If you try it you'll see that this blog comes up third.
So the issue is this. I've never guided my pupils to this site, never hinted at it and don't want them looking at it if at all possible. That's not because I have anything to hide, I'm an open teacher, I tell a lot of these stories to my pupils in class, but I never set the blog up for pupils. It was always meant to be a vent for my obsessive writing about anything at all and was to be read by my mates or any new friends I might make on the net and as such my sense of humour went through the filter of friends eyes.
I've been blogging since 2002 and teaching since 2004. I've been working on the internet in some form or other for at least twice as long as I have been a teacher and my name is all over the web in some form or other.
As much as I can I've tried to keep my personal blogging endeavours and my professional life apart, but being human of course I rant about whatever humans rant about and I occasionally talk about how shit work is, though never mentioning the place of work.
I'm not sure if this has contributed to my downfall at my last place of work, but as you can see from the last post, I done my job to the best of my abilities. The management never had the decency to give me a reason for my dismissal.
However, when thinking about this, I realised that my web persona is as large and important a part of my personality as my real life persona and these days. When people can meet other people and have relationships entirely online, learning, working and playing together without necessarily having ever to meet, the establishment of an online life becomes a public issue and in turn it is accessible on a professional level too, whether you like it or not.
I probably spend as much time online engaged in leisure activities as I do with professional issues, and you all know I'm into e-learning so I use the web a helluva lot.
As such I view the web as a domain in which I must feel that I am comfortable, and so I come across as I am in real life.
Yeah I'm a joker and I make politically incorrect jokes. I'm fairly sociable, I like a drink and I just can't seem to get girls in bed, that's the same online as it is in real life.
But on the other hand when it comes to teaching and learning, I am the model professional, I work day and night to make sure that my pupils learn, I put together mountains of resources and I make damn sure that each and every pupil gets the individual attention that they need to succeed.
That's the same online as it is in real life too.
However, the difference is that in real life, when you leave the school (VLE) the pupils can't then go and google everything that you'd say down the pub to your mates (this blog)
So what am I supposed to do?! I'm not about to stop blogging just because I now work.
On reflection I realised that there is actually only one thing that I can do. I've blogged and worked on the net under my real name for years and so it's inevitable that I'd get "rumbled" as having a real life sooner or later no matter what I do.
So my virtual life IS me as far as the rest of the world is concerned when they look.
The only solution then is a rather radical one.
In future I will have to change my REAL name when I go into work and work under a pseudonym!
Absurd I know but what other solution is there!
Any suggestions of new names or disguises I can use in the comments below please...
Just shut up and do your job badly...
I've long felt the same, that the work I do, integrating science teaching with group dynamics and IT is considered by some schools to be somehow 'dangerous' and 'subversive'
Not surprisinginly, the new and fresh approach I've always opted for has seen it's fair share of failures as well as successes but what has never let me down is the fact that my approach always interests and excites me. Even if a lesson is going badly, the fact it excites me to try out new things means I always put 100% of my effort into trying to prove that my method will work and pupils can see that.
...but the old guard continue to bleat on that it's too radical, that 'that's not how we do things around here'
The classical ways of teaching have their merits and their pitfalls but because I'm young and keen, and my methods are so out there, my failures are more likely to get noticed than those who stick to the book. When we try something new, when we raise our heads above the parapet we can expect to get shot down.
It seems that in this job, we are trained how to be good teachers, but in reality the management get scared when they see someone innovating, and put all their effort into ensuring that we just shut up and continue to teach like we always did.
Some of us are different. I am not prepared to stand by and watch as business marches on leaving eduation in the dark ages. I'm vocal and I'm passionate about teaching and I will stop at nothing to make sure that my pupils learn, in ways that will prepare them for the real world. e-learning is so vital as the pupils of the future will likely get all their information from internet sources. Group dynamics is so important because they live in a world that is becoming more and more interdependent.
These are the things I am passionate about and because I don't like books and I don't like outmoded Victorian practices and I am willing to speak out when it isn't working I find myself looking for a new job again and this time without a reference.
But then, as soon as my pupils found out that I had been fired they wrote the following comments on my VLE forum
It is also sad as an student to see how [the other great physics teacher] and you leave, leaving us alone with [a witch]. I enjoyed your classes, you made Physics fun. The thing is that they don't like your methods but your methods are effective: even those who didn't sympathise with you listened carefully in class.
I'll miss your stories such as the old woman farting and your way of teaching, very different but the best for an student (that's my opinion).
I hope you have a lucky future and I hope you don't accept any work as a nuclear weapon builder!
I don't understand why the school leaves us without teacher when we are near to the IGCSE.
Thank you for this year! [year 11 student]
and
Mr Hoang,
I hope you have had a good time teaching my class and all the other in the [name of poorly run school in Madrid]
I would like you to know that even though physics isn't my best subject I know I had improved thanks to you.
I will miss you and your classes, cause YOU do make physics seem so easy. As [Excellent student] said last week.
Good luck Mr. Hoang.
[A student]
I think it's safe to say that with words like that, who needs references...
HELLO ex-jefe's
I'd just like to give a little wave to my ex-bosses who fired me with immediate effect on Friday and just thought I'd put this post up to say that I'm aware that you're reading my personal blog and I hope you enjoy what you see.
Don't take your eyes off it though. You might miss something...
;-)
The menu del dia
A few weeks ago (yeah I've fallen a little behind on the blogging lately, more of which later...) I was called in to see the manager of the canteen at work.
"Erm Andy," he said, "I don't really know how to put it to you, but..."
I shifted the two oranges I had in my hands
"...you eat too much"
"WHAT?!"
"Well look don't get me wrong." He backtracked, "You can eat as much of the starter and main course as you like, but you have to agree that 3 pots of yoghurt and 4 oranges a day AND the sponge cake is a little excessive right..."
"Hell no," I protested, "I have to teach brats and that's hungry work!"
Anyway, the next day a sign went up to the effect of
The MENU DEL DIA (Menu of the day) consists of the following
- ONE starter
- ONE main course
- ONE dessert
That means YOU Hoang
Well that's the first time I've ever been banned for eating too much! Whatever next!?
Oh yeah, that's the one... I haven't had my contract renewed either this year even though I have worked my arse off for this place, and I have been given no reason whatsoever. Apparently I have to arrange an appointment to be told the reason, but the management has been kinda hostile so I don't see that happening. That's illegal isn't it? To know the reason your contract has not been renewed is your right no?
Anyway, I have two GREAT blogs of what happened next, just waiting to be published as soon as I'm a safe distance away from the blast zone.
It's kinda sad to see that I have gone from working 110% FOR the school, to being pissed on by a management team who have taken offence at some personal feature of mine (I'm a better teacher than they are and I pretty much told them as much), and now I work 110% in the opposite direction.
It's a pisser, but my pupils still get my undivided attention cos I am not there to work for some idiotic management team, but I am there to work for the kids and that part of my job remains unchanged despite the running battles that are going on behind the scenes.
I'll publish the blogs of the running battles in a few months...
A rare piece of linguistic genius
"Are you foreign?" he said
"Yeah," I replied. "What's it to you?"
"Show me your passport"
"Why should I?" I replied. "Who are you?"
"I'm police" he said
"Yeah right" I said, "Show me some identification then"
At this point the guy whipped out a Romanian Identification card. As you may recall I lived in Romania for 6 months, so I'd seen one or two of these things in my time.
"Ah." I said, "Tu esti Romanesti"
"UH!?!"
"Tu esti Romanesti da?" I repeated. "Ce Faci?"
This had him completely lost for words.
"Vorbesti limba Romana?" I said, just checking he actually could speak his own language.
"Errrrrrrr. Da"
"Good." I said "Then fuck off and stop trying to pretend you're a policeman"
Ubuntu 8 - my gob is smacked
After months of battling with Vista trying to install these things, I could not believe how easy it was to do on Ubuntu. Check >>>this<<< guide out. It really is as easy as typing in 5 lines.
So I guess this is the point where me and Mr Gates part ways.
Ubuntu is wicked!
PS - Foss, get your hands off the virtual learning environments! This is my area!
