KuwaitRocks

Oops. Someone forgot to erase their history. Time for a teachers IT inset….

”A British school closed its website after links to hardcore pornography and impotence drugs were discovered on the parents’ forum.

Other links guided parents towards online casinos and indecent images of US singer Britney Spears.

Cath Scallon, the deputy headteacher at Sandown High School on the Isle of Wight, off the mainland’s south coast, said spam rather than parents or pupils appeared to be to blame.

‘It was the parents’ forum which was affected. We did discuss whether to have it password-protected but we decided to leave it open so prospective parents could look at it,’ she said.

‘It’s a shame because it was a positive thing with lots of interesting threads such as about school instruments and the school uniform.

‘But it appears that these links were added through Internet spam and if you do not check a site every 10 seconds this is what can happen.

‘We have taken it off for the moment because we do not want people to think these are the sorts of things we condone.’

Sure-pull the other one.

http://www.indexuae.com/kuwait/kuwaitcat.php?keytext=Professional_Associations

There is no Union for teachers but there is a Teachers Society.

http://www.moalem.org/default_en.aspx

Now- sit back and take a deep breath before you read this…I for one just may use their “services” blurb as a “Punctuate and edit the following passage” lesson on Sunday.

”Who the services which make the association come near to it

- Computer Center : He deems the one whom he produced the specialist centres in the training on the different sciences of the computer as beside his supply by the prepared educational halls adapted the newest equipments and the equipments and the refrain equipements of the pc for service of an operation the training the center arrives at training sessions a characteristic for the teachers and the teachers like the sessions for the happening on the national license for leadership of the computer ICDL beside another sessions for the educative family and the students , he is distinguished in his specialist sessions in the educative scopes and the new manners of the teaching , relying on a specialist administration in field of the training on the computer the center offers the prices of a characteristic to the Kuwaiti staffers of the teacher association The Kuwaiti and their sons .”

WTF? Read on Earthlings…..

”- The journeys of the headgear and the tourism : The organization of the association annually and on extension of a permission a middle for year scholastic a journey for performance of a hermitages the headgear in Mecca and the lighted Madinah’s visit beside a organization of a touristic journeys to numerous from the Arabic states and the foreigner the journeys consider which the association strings it from the most marked journeys what she/you is distinguished in him from organization and the preparation of an integrals beside its reduced figures for the staffers and its large activities .

- The vernal camp : The association makes him rise annually in holiday of the spring with aim a creation of the place Family suitable for the teacher and family for the amusing practice of the activities and the amusing games .”

Look I just think someobody should get in touch and tell them.

Just downloaded this from the Kuwait Times-backdated issue.Interesting.have you noticed any of this?

”The L word in Kuwait

Published Date: March 04, 2007
By Fouad Al-Obaid

Today I will be discussing a phenomenon that is on the rise in our society. Lesbians it seems just as much as gays are more and more visible, and this is starting to cause a heated debate within our society. Last night while on MSN a friend of mine sent me a link to Youtube to a show “Sa’at saraha” (Arabic for ‘An hour of truth’) presented by a well-known preacher, Nabeel Al-Awadi. The show aired on Al-Rai and it’s a testimony to the level of freedom of speech in Kuwait, for the show was rather explicit and brought up several interesting points.

The show starts with the introduction of the problem: A rise in the number of lesbians in Kuwait’s schools. The show asks what can and should be done about this shocking situation.

The first few ideas are outrageous. The preacher claims that it is no longer safe to send girls to school because they might be harassed by aggressive lesbians who would either convert them or worse prey upon them sexually.
Al-Awadi is surprised by such behaviour, which he says has no roots in our Arab-Islamic societies. He says that even though in the Gulf, boys and girls are segregated they become sexual targets by some of their peers.

I wrote last week about the idea of having co-ed schools. One of the reasons to have co-ed schools and to mix both boys and girls is the idea that when together if anything they would perhaps fall in love and in the near future create a healthy couple.

Such a solution would not prevent same-sex relations for it seems that it is a global trend that is on the rise. However if boys and girls are together than at least the figures won’t be as high.

According to a female friend of mine, at least half the girls in government high schools have had at least one either lesbian or bi-sexual encounter. In tackling the problem, several callers suggested some very radical ideas. One solution put forward was isolation. A caller suggested that girls caught engaging in such forbidden acts be kicked out of school and barred from any decent education.”

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTgwOTM0MjUwMA==

It seems a school or two in Kuwait  is dragging its poor members of staff in to ‘enjoy’ a Gergian celebration in after school hours…….Poor staff members have been told they will look bad in the eyes of admin if they fail to turn up. They must also remain at the celebration until at least 11 pm. -or salaries will be deducted accordingly.

 SHAME on you you naughty school owners.

Here is an on line MSN English test- how good are you?

1. We didn’t want to get in trouble, _____ we parked in the lot around the corner.

A. so

B. but

C. because

D. although

2. “Are you and Richard in the same apartment building?” “No, we _____.”

A. isn’t

B. weren’t

C. are

D. aren’t

3. My brother is studying hard to be _____.

A. writer

B. write

C. a writer

D. writes

4. If you _____ faster, we could have turned in the project before the deadline.

A. work

B. had worked

C. have worked

D. working

5. She has computer class _____ noon.

A. with

B. at

C. on

D. in

Listen I can just tell you from here on in, if you had any difficulty at all with any of the questions so far, you are pretty rubbish at English and should get another hobby.Please give up teaching now….or alternatively, you could get a job at my school.

Wanted: KG asistants,

Experience: none needed ( but if you used to be a maid, the job is yours),

Nationality: Indian ,

Apply: just walk in,

Salary: same as you were getting as a maid- you idiot.

International Schools Review have recently posted this on their website- I’m sure the owner of FBS wil tremble in his sandals……not. Check out for some entertaining (non)insight into reality in Kuwait…..

http://www.internationalschoolsreview.com/lavinia-results/survey-results.htm

One poster (I suspect aTES forum crossover called CanadaShirleyBluesomething who had a bad time in the KwikIntranceExitSchool in Kuwait and who thinks all of Kuwait is like that) writes, somewhat bitterly:

“I  taught in Kuwait. I am a single, American woman. I have over 15 years teaching experience – including a master’s degree in education. I am certified in two US states.” -Wow-two! Are you TWO Masters ( you have to be a Basil Fawlty devotee to get that).

“My advice…stay away. I do not know of one single western woman working in Kuwait who is not depressed.” You should get out and meet a few more people then….it’s not Wysteria lane. 

“I do believe that unless we stand up and say – “enough” – Kuwait will set the precedent for the rest of the GCC. In Kuwait, I have observed very few certified teachers. ” Perhaps you should have looked for the qualified ones and observed them…..

“Of the teachers/administrators that are western certified; very few have ever worked in their home countries. The country of Kuwait is very happy with these “semi-professionals” – they don’t question, they are happy for a job.”- so you are claiming that simply because a person prefers to work abroad they become a ’semi-professional’? Strange logic(or no logic)- all those Euro MPs in Strasburg would be very upset..

 ”A true professional would leave the country at the earliest opportunity. This is doubly true for the directors who are well past their “shelf life” and are hanging on by their finger nails – well past the time they should’ve retired. Many of them are an embarrassment to education and their home countries.”-but if they are only ’semi-professional, what’s the worry?!

“As professional teachers, we MUST say “no” to the practices of Kuwait.” -but (Shirley)you said we were SEMI-PROFESSIONALS! Make your mind up dearie!  

“They can certainly run their educational system as they choose;” -that’s most gracious of you.

 Bitter ….bitter….bitter…..

Some people can’t walk on the cracks on the street, some have to have all their medicines facing the right way in the cabinet, some count things and some become obsessed with order…..placing that door notice exactly centre , informing parents of teachers every move, registers being in on time- 9 a.m. ON THE DOT, not a minute after, no cleavages please, and some stick up notices everywhere….or arrows…do you have a new OCD-er on your staff? Or perhaps he/she is running the staff.

All bets are now on as to how long it will take your particular OCD staffer to crack-

: will it be the Exam-Xmas hols-photocopier has broken down prompt?

:Or the post-exam-teachers-haven’t-finished-reports- on time-because the computer wasn’t working  scam ?

:Maybe it will be the countless cries of “why didn’t my daughter/son get an A?” cries from irate (paying) parents when reports finally come out,  that might finally blow his/her fuse?

We shall sit back and watch your little foibles, admire your words, you talk the talk but can you walk the walk-on the cracks of course? And how will you really cope on the day when the fire alarm goes off every 8 minutes, the AC has gone off and the power cut, there’s been a water fight in the playground and the Ministry officials have arrived unannounced to check that all your staff are really who you say they are and have really got what you say they have ? That’s the rub.

 Mmmm only time will tell. But for all of us , for now,just smile, nod and wave, don’t throw anything in the bin- that OCD staffer just might be checking that you’ve really handed out all those letters he/she so meticulously typed up for you…..

New blog with latest news.

http://madeleinemissing.wordpress.com/wp-admin/

Here is my favourite from Seibu, poster on ESL board, from Japan         ”‘Mr. Takahashi, what are your hobbies?’                          “Incest.”                                                                                         “Excuse me?”

Nice one.