Sorry. In the light of that my reply may have seemed insensitive.
My younger son, deceased, who would now have been 41 was killed aged 17 when his windsurfing rig was hit by turbulence, he left the ground and went about three metres up a tree, fell down on to his head and broke his neck. His instructor was so badly affected he had a nervous breakdown. My older son has an aversion to any kind of sport unless he can find it with a remote control - on TV.
I once read that you need to have the right physical characteristics to win races, but anyone can learn to swim distance. That seems to be true - and much more useful outside the artificial environment of the pool.
Yes of course, Brian. we only remember when things go wrong, because most of the time people get away with incompetence, recklessness and lack of proper preparation. It takes something like the Lyme Bay tragedy to make us ask if we are putting ourselves or others at unnecessary risk.
I have no expertise on sport in general, though I do have an opinion about compulsory school rugby, but I do know a little about water safety. And the more I know, the more risk averse I become.
When things go wrong in open water, it is vitally important to take the correct action immediately because death or permanent brain damage can occur in only 3 minutes. Anyone who takes children anywhere near water should be trained and equipped to deal with any emergency. But more than that (because parents are generally more stupid than teachers) children should be educated about water hazards. How to survive a rip current, how to get out of a stopper wave, how to take advantage of river currents to make a safe landing, what to do when you see someone in trouble in water, to name but a few.
There may be some truth in your suggestion that things get blown out of proportion, but it wouldn't seem like that if it was your kid.
Whoops, I meant 8 metre swells. Blimey, 80 metres would swamp over 95% of the Western Isles!
It is like playing god to judge Norman. In my ancient time I had mostly teachers who lived on planet Zog with the fairies who were completely outweighed by a few visionary and highly competent and communicative ones, not just young people at that. The man who had guided Tubby Hayes into jazz, John Rostill to eventually play bass for the Shadows and a couple of other musicians, several artists to stick with it including my pal Derek who recently retired as the Tate's curator of sculpture who is a talented artist himself, taught French better than anybody else, got Latin and some Greek into my thick skull and used to talk in German with me as often and long as possible to bring on the handful of students in our class. He was retirement age when I left, so not a young progressive. John Major loathed him but preferred the ex-military, brutal gym and sports teacher who most people who most happily have whacked with a cricket bat.
Many of my university contemporaries took up teaching posts. Several made it to being heads of schools. The majority were in normal state schools despite the posh vintage. Some could not have been trusted to blow their own noses but the majority were obviously good teachers. One who became one of HM Inspectors fought tooth and nail with the government. He was part-time a Methodist clergyman but want religious studies entirely removed because they were divisive and would always bring more grief than good. Before he spoke or wrote on any topic subject of his inspections he would have meetings with children in schools to gain their perspective, right down to the youngest possible in primary schools. He was also one of the people who was campaigning for what has never been achieved, which was the right of teachers to be protected against public witch hunts. As for the adage 'those who can - do, those who cannot - teach' I think not at all. My now deceased ex began her career primary teaching, two of my once partners taught, one of my closest friends retired as a head about six years ago with many of his teaching staff and pupils in tears at the end of his parting speech. Here, I have a friend who gave up an IT career to teach primary and is the best in the school as pupils in the school, including my two will say. His ex-wife, a friend of Véro as well, is a teacher who is popular in the college, indeed Véro who is a classicist by qualification teaches, albeit I have no way of knowing beyond what I have heard and seen how that is. No, quite the opposite in many cases. In fact, I get the feeling it is gradually getting far more difficult for absolute dipsticks to go into the profession. That adage needs to be laid to rest, but I have no doubt it was once true.
Teachers are in loco parentis in school, on school trips and on 'holiday trips' out of term time. However, they are still under the direction of superiors. In term time they have no option other than to teach their classes, supervise and observe out of class and when a scandal such as a teacher abusing children happens that is generally out of schools hours and sight. That is then not directly a school matter but is more an exploitation of their privilege and abuse of assumed authority in some cases. Litigation and other 'news' hit headlines. If things were as bad as media make them out to be then schools would fill headlines every day of the week and overshadow world events. Individual cases are blown out of proportion and the rest of their profession tarred with the same brush. The problem at present is that the power of media is too big and geared to selling rather than informing, therefore they need things that attract attention, the worst the better along lines with another adage 'bad news travels fast ' which should be supplemented 'but nobody is interested in good news'.
Brian, you are obviously far more qualified than me to quote statistical evidence, but your line 'teachers are often made scapegoats' etc;, is EXACTLY the point I was making.
Legalities are one thing, but what seems to happen in situe would surely affect teachers. I am surprised though when you say that (essentially) teachers have no choice in the matter. I understood that a great many of these activities took place in holiday periods - presumably those also taken by teachers?
Strengthens my opinion that anyone wanting to be a teacher needs his or her head examined. Or is it a truism that 'those who can - do, those who cannot - teach'?
Yes, I am being deliberately provocative, but there are now fewer than three teachers in my wife's family in different countries, and I'm not that sure I would trust any of them to cross the road on their own! :-D
The vast majority of fishermen are still in rickety little boats worldwide, do not be misled by the North Atlantic fishing fleet factory ships. Even the deep water crab and lobster boats in the Hebrides still have four man crews at most and go out into 80 metre swells in the cold Atlantic. Helicopter rescues from the mainland take several hours, with modern life protection gear (or those who can afford it) survival time is less than half an hour. They do not learn to swim or carry flotation equipment. Indeed, there are stone rings with ropes on them in the ballast that are held when a boat goes down to get it over with quickly.
Teachers are public servants under direction of the authorities and in chain the head of their school. Unless absolute input into any incident that provides firm evidence of neglect or wilful harm then teachers are not responsible. I worked on the topic with three other people when looking at child protection some years ago. We had to look at four European countries each, one of the others had France in his sample, another had England and Wales, In fact it was only the few incidents where a teacher went out of control and harmed a child/children that had public attention drawn to them. Those included two teachers who were predatory, enticing children to see them out of school for sex and one who had culpably killed a child. Most other things that happened were beyond the teachers' control and where anything happened they were not held responsible despite very strictly executed enquiries. Teachers have been made scapegoats for things that have happened and dismissed just to please parents and their supporters, so whilst they are in loco parentis they are doing so as designated to do so by their employer who are responsible. I just had a look at the findings on fatalities and serious injuries and sports are not that bad really. Drownings and near drownings are relatively uncommon, cricket played only in a couple of countries (Denmark and Holland, only a few schools at that, then 'English' private schools) apart from England and Wales has almost as many. Skiing in Alpine regions actually came proportionately highest. Apart from that, stabbings in schools and the more serious outcome of fights without weapons were high in the lists. Ultimately, teachers came out of it badly with a number of deaths, disabling injuries and so on.
Being way beyond anything like school age, and having no children, I am probably least qualified to talk about teachers' and swimming, but from the outside and regarding the increasingly litigious world we live in I am constantly amazed there are still those teachers prepared to accept any responsibility for kids that might get hurt or injured.
Notably taking other people's kids on any sporting or outdoor actvitity. It seems the moment something/anything happens that might be considered as quite reasonable in most of these things, the poor old teacher gets hauled off to either a court of law or a court of enquiry! Do they ever get thanked or paid for these things, I am led to believe they are usually voluntary? To me that is applied masochism, probably with a dollop of lunacy included.
I know I wouldn't take it on.
Re Supermarket smell, I have yet to figure out what it is other than in one or two round here it is certainly gut-turning and I would never, EVER buy anything from their fish counters. Maybe unfairly but surely the staff must smell it - even if its only when they turn up for work?
My grandson is at primary school in France - where swimming is compulsory and part of the curriculum. They go weekly for the second half of the spring term and all the summer term from around aged 5 onwards ( grande section ). It is as important as teaching road safety and a healthy activity.
My children went to school in GB and all but one learned to swim there. I couldn’t learn at school in the 1950’s London - too noisy and deep.
Eventually l learned to swim in the sea aged 10 - it was hard and I was very nervous. I had nearly drowned in the sea aged 4. I finally learned streamlined crawl and swam my first mile aged 33 in the UK in 1985. It was very liberating!
A lot of those fishermen believe that their fate is in the hands of the Almighty. In a modern country, there is a good chance that someone will come looking for you and the longer you can stay afloat, the more likely you are to be saved. I'll take my chances with earthly intervention.
It’s true about fishermen etc not learning to swim and I was one of those. I learnt to swim when I moved to London, my French ex wife taught me. I only swim for exercise, I would die at sea if I fell in. Good night from London.
Actually Mike, almost worldwide fisherman never learn to swim. Many merchant seamen also. They have their reasons, but to be honest the chances of survival in a large ocean, irrespective of cold or hot, does not compare with a pool.
Hur hur hur ;-)
All I know is that it works :)
Supermarkets round here pong of horrid cheap perfume more than anything else, makes you gasp for a pint to clear the pasty taste out of your mouth!
French supermarkets have their own special pong anyway. Something between fromages and javel.
But to be serious for a moment, I find it hard to think of anything in soap that could penetrate the skin and affect the muscles. So if it does work, it must be a kind of aromatherapy that helps with relaxation.
Maybe that's why some french in the supermarkets pong, all their soap is in the bed and not the bathroom?
I just googled it and there are lots of references to it so placebo effect or real?
Typically Irish. Learning to swim is unlucky, but drowning is just bad luck!
I believe the sea is generally thought of as a mistress, but cruel nonetheless........
Lol :p