At the chalkface
News
Schoolboy humour
Wars rage, children starve, washing up rags and a sword twice
Scotland pioneers Congo link-up
economies melt, – and we’re still his size. “Je suis le fierce Hector!”
twittering on about those twerps he squeaked. How we laughed!
russell Brand and Jonathan ross. “Chunk” stopped the play. He
Two clots baiting a pensioner! carted us out. He hit us with sticks.
by Sam Phipps
The prime minister pontificates, “I’d rather teach a vegetable than
the Mail has the vapours, and you Whitwham!” he barked. In scottish pupils have the opportunity
teachers feel compelled to offer moments of suicidal gloom – a to communicate with teenagers in
homilies in year assemblies. Their staff Briefing, say – the memory the war-torn Democratic republic
humour is deemed cruel, coarse of this scene still perks me up. of Congo after an innovative
and unfunny. Indeed. It’s a sort of as a teacher it’s just as funny. modern languages resource was
aural Happy slapping. My pupils are richly launched this week.
It is also deemed comic. From the high The package includes a
“schoolboy humour”. camp ironies of genius web-based video wall of young
Well yes. But I’ve seth, to shaka in his Congolese talking about their lives
always been partial to permanent, parallel and aspirations, an interactive
schoolboy humour. universe. Or the Dillywig online blog that encourages direct
at its worst it’s ugly twins who once hid in the email contact, and a 60-page teach-
stuff. huge staffroom flowerpot ers’ pack with DVD-rom.
“Your mum is a during a Twilight Behaviour Citizens of the World – Life in
slag/prossie/fat/fat tart/ Modification workshop. the DRC (Citoyens Du Monde – La
turnip,” – and once last and Dervish last week. Vie en rDC) has been produced by
week – “a budgerigar!” enter person from the scottish Catholic International
Pause. “Joke!” Partially Hearing Unit to aid Fund (sCIaF), which tackles
“are you a lesbian, address assembly. “They” poverty and injustice in africa, asia
sir?” – “joke!” are like us. They can do and Latin america. The resource,
Witless. Dire. Jonathan everything. Like sport. Like designed to support Curriculum for
swift it isn’t. Or Nigel swimming. any questions? excellence, links French with glo-
Molesworth – king of enter Dervish at level 11: bal citizenship themes. Globalunderstanding:Childrenenjoyagameoffootballinthewar-torn
schoolboy wits. “Yeah – them deafs!” He is Val Morgan of sCIaF, who vis- DemocraticRepublicofCongo,ascenefeaturedinanewresource
at its best, schoolboy humour genuinely concerned. “How they ited the country in august, said:
is terrific. Like Tommy Cooper. know when to get out? Brehs “What is happening in Congo now
Or the sublime Peter Cook. could be swimming ‘round is horrific, so it’s not right to talk of well as being a major tool for learn- very important but the resource and government soldiers and their
as a pupil at the rgs High forever. Til they drown!” He does good timing, but the fact that the ing French.” will be useful at various levels,” allies has driven tens of thousands
Wycombe, I spent much time a lot of grotesque miming. Boy’s country is featuring so prominently Brian McLinden, principal Mr McLinden said. These include of people from their homes in
crippled with laughter. Both with a buffoon. Partially stupid. I must in the news does make this even teacher of modern languages at helping pupils understand the rea- recent weeks. Hunger and disease
and at my teachers – “Moan” not laugh. so I think of recent more relevant as a resource for Calderglen High in east Kilbride, sons for the arrival in the UK of kill an estimated 45,000 Congolese
Pattinson, “Chuff” rowlands, government initiatives. young people. who helped develop the resource Congolese refugees and asylum a month, even though war officially
“Masher” Burr, “Doc Muffin”, Puerile. silly. Incorrect – and “The pair who feature, aimée with pupils and other teachers, said families. ended five years ago.
and “Bulldog” Clark. and the often just funny. sometimes and Joseph, live in Bukavu, which younger children had already post- “at Calderglen High we have Catriona Oates, of the scottish
legendary “Chunk” Jones. He schoolboy – and schoolgirl is the capital of south Kivu prov- ed questions to aimée and Joseph quite ethnically diverse pupils. We Centre for Information on
once dragged us to a French – humour trumps most things. ince, whereas goma (where much about their everyday lives. He don’t have any French-speaking Language Teaching and research
classical tragedy by a bunch of russell Brand and Jonathan ross of the violence is focused) is the expected older pupils to ask about pupils from africa, but where I live at the University of stirling, said it
French travelling players. I’ve just give it a bad name. capital of north Kivu, so we’re talk- the political situation when they in Motherwell, for example, I have was a “ground-breaking resource”
still not recovered – 10 minutes in ing a few hundred miles at most. started using the resource in the next contact with a group of families capturing the spirit of Curriculum
and we were rocking in the aisles. • Ian Whitwham is a London “For young scottish people to few days. The Congolese pair will from Congo who have settled in the for excellence.
Then a dwarf came on wearing secondary school teacher. be able to email and ask what’s hap- email replies from an internet cafe. last two years.” For more information, visit
pening is quite amazing in itself, as “The global citizenship part is Fighting between Tutsi rebels www.sciafyouth.org.uk/congo
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20 SecEd • November 13 2008
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