Just received a letter today, inviting me to take part again in a charity bike ride. I have taken part each year for a number of years, either on my own or with my family, and raised quite a bit of sponsorship (never kept a total, though).
Will seriously have to think before entering this year, as my health has not been too good of late after an operation earlier in the year. Apparently been eating too much of the wrong sorts of food (sugary cakes and things) and not enough vegetables and it has played havoc with my digestive system. I suppose I have been so concerned in helping others that I have not looked after my self.
Perhaps I should give it a go again this year, as long as I do not try to race round the 20 mile course. It has always been a fun time, meeting other cyclists, getting out in the country and usually a nice sunny day and finishing with a picnic in the park.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Friday, 24 August 2007
Where are all the scientists?
As has become a habit over the last few years, the release of the GCSE results has been accompanied by comment in the media on the decreasing numbers of students taking mathematics or science.
Personally I am not surprised. What role models do our youngsters have? What is portrayed in the very media that bewail the lack of science students? It seems to me that the only role models portrayed are the sports personalities and the celebrities of the showbiz world. Whenever scientists appear, they are often portrayed as badly dressed, speaking words that most people do not understand and frequently lacking in social graces.
Also, perhaps, our concern for the safety of the pupils in schools has led to the curtailment of many experiments in classrooms. Science is now seen by many as 'boring' as much content is conveyed by watching videos. Gone are the times when pupils were let loose with geiger counters and radioactive materials (even though they were less active than the luminous paint used in the wrist watches of those days!), microwave transmitters (er, what about the mobile phones most youngsters now carry in their pockets?), static electricity generators and reactive chemicals. They were the things that excited me and instilled in me a love of science. How do teachers convey the excitement of science, if all the pupils can do is sit and watch?
Personally I am not surprised. What role models do our youngsters have? What is portrayed in the very media that bewail the lack of science students? It seems to me that the only role models portrayed are the sports personalities and the celebrities of the showbiz world. Whenever scientists appear, they are often portrayed as badly dressed, speaking words that most people do not understand and frequently lacking in social graces.
Also, perhaps, our concern for the safety of the pupils in schools has led to the curtailment of many experiments in classrooms. Science is now seen by many as 'boring' as much content is conveyed by watching videos. Gone are the times when pupils were let loose with geiger counters and radioactive materials (even though they were less active than the luminous paint used in the wrist watches of those days!), microwave transmitters (er, what about the mobile phones most youngsters now carry in their pockets?), static electricity generators and reactive chemicals. They were the things that excited me and instilled in me a love of science. How do teachers convey the excitement of science, if all the pupils can do is sit and watch?
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