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Tuesday, January 17, 2006

I was rather horrified to hear, in a science lesson, that someone seriously thought that fossil fuels were made from dinosaur bones. Was impressed that the teacher - a very nice guy, ex-South African actually, originally from Maritzburg - resisted the opportunity for a quick sarcastic comment, and didn't make the child feel silly.

Was equally unimpressed by another teacher who escalated a conflict with the girl I was helping to the point where the student lost her temper with the teacher and yelled some quite rude things, which of course has led to huge repercussions for her. It's not that I think the girl was blameless; she behaved very badly. But a different teacher would have headed off the teasing from the class that started her bad temper, and wouldn't have been sarcastic and snide when dealing with her, and so would have avoided the final conflict. A bit of kindness goes a long way, with most children.

I didn't have to rush out of work today, as Sophie goes to football on Tuesdays and so only needs to be fetched at 4.30. So Ems and I went to the grocery store to pick up some arborio rice to make rice pudding with, as per the girls' request, and then we went to watch the last few minutes of Soph's practice. Very cute; she was having tons of fun sloshing up and down a muddy field. I got a chicken curry going when we got home, and then we walked to the library to change our books. So supper tonight was a bit odd - chicken curry and (brown) rice followed by (white) rice pudding. Not only a bit too ricey-y but also very colonial somehow - makes me think of the English in India, gamely eating curry but clinging to their milk puddings. My dad (born in India while my grandpa was in the RAF) still can't look a rice or tapioca pudding without wanting to throw up; he was permanently scarred by having a mother who believed the milk puddings were healthy and Must Be Eaten, and then by being sent to boarding school where they were practically a staple food.

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