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colocountry

Sydney, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA


Joined July 13th 2008

Number of Posts:
0

Number of Comments:
60

Karma:
2



I'm fascinated by those who can coax the English language to capture a concept and an audience.

About Me
I'm a teacher of English and a former assistant principal in a Catholic High School for 18 years. In 2007 I changed schools and returned to the classroom because my previous boss wanted me to quit teaching and be 100% admin. I'm loving my new school , especially my senior English students. Married with wife Sue and three grown up kids who have all left home and continue to rely on us as the bank of last resort. Life is good! in my 34th yr as 'teach'.

Blogs I Follow

The Social Critic
( 193 | 76 | 927 )

Recent Posts

I've not posted anything yet :(
  

Recent Comments

Comment by colocountry
on Age and Memory

May 2nd 2009 10:10
Janet,
I'm not so sure that it is the memory, but the savvy with the process thats important. I've said before that I'm an ancient teacher, but I surround myself with Gen Y enthusiasts who are only too willing to be the 'techos' when our class is accessing an IWB (interactive WhiteBoard). Thank God I really know my subjects well so I'm semi-useful when directing the learning,, but the shortcuts I leave to my brain[nerd]trust. It also lets them have a moment in the sun on a regular basis. I'm interested to see what your Orble family makes of this issue.
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on Airlines Charge for Excess Body Weight

April 19th 2009 10:50
Janet,
Wow, you've stirred up a hornets nest with this one. Interesting that a minority clearly dont comprehend your role as fascilitator of debate on your site. In the main you have elicited a refreshingly eclectic set of views and have provoked intraspection from all who have visited, even if they didnt post a comment. Keep up the good work .
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on Office Politics

April 17th 2009 12:50
Janet,
Like you, I'm always fascinated by the latest corporate model of leadership. I have lived through the 'Collaborative Model' and even survived the 'Divine Revelation' model but the much more subtle 'Distributive Leadership' model is by far the most sinister that I have faced in 35 years in the workplace. This theory places absolute authority in the boss. No interference is accepted!! It is because I say it is!! Interesting isnt it that we advance our civilisation by reverting to feudal notions of absolute supremacy and a subservient, grovelling underclass! Mmmmm11
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on Airlines Charge for Excess Body Weight

April 17th 2009 12:29
Janet,
I once caught a jFokker from Cairns to Weipa in 1970. My compatriot on that flight was a Thursday Islander who probably weighed 18 stone, or 200 kilos. I was on the window seat and spent the entire time splattered against the window. I gained a very personal view of the terrain below but I lved in dire fear that he would yawn!! Mind you, I came to admire these islanders for their their music and their resilience.
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on Mr Rudd Goes to Washington

March 25th 2009 12:18
Janet,
Congrats on a well researched blog that is duly circumspect about these belated reactions to the last days of the capitalism as we know it. We need to look for the leadership that will resurrect our governing economic system but I doubt that it will be through extravagant pay-outs to institutions that have been caught up in nefarious schemes to bolster ridiculoius profit levels. Any grandma will tell you that 'you cant get something for nothing'! When will world governments learn that a government cant act like a pauper householder...eventually the buck stops...and then???
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on Pretending to be Poor

March 18th 2009 12:23
Janet
There have been a few dystopic novelists who have envisioned a future without greed but their novels have not been popular. We have been conditioned to be an acquisitive society and those who hold egalitarian bents are asked / told to back off and allow the free market to operate unencumbered. One would hope that the recent ructions emanating from the financial bastions of the world, will be enough to 'right the ship'. "There's something rotten in the state of Denmark!" and places closely proximate.
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on Harold Pinter – His Life

December 30th 2008 07:24
Janet,
Where are the lovers of the 'boards'/ Perhaps Christmas claims the regular contributors to your blog. What a shame. One wou;ld hope that there are some who can recognise that Pinter holds a significant place in the history of public performance that started with Aeschelus and is alive and throbbing still!
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on Harold Pinter – His Life

December 29th 2008 10:32
Janet,
My love of theatre wasn't shaped by Harold Pinter but as I studied theatre as a means of expressing an idea, I began to appreciate his significant contribution to our modern understanding of theatre. He was the master of the pregnant pause that was loaded with menace or accusative venom! Contemporary theatre often flirts with Pinters conventions but somehow seems to retreat to less confrontary ground...perhaps that realisation is his greatest accolade. Pinter pushed buttons and allowed his characters to provide answers. Those who dismiss him as a weird existentialist, miss those very real trappings of the suburb and metropolitan soul.
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on When is a Cousin First Removed?

December 29th 2008 10:19
Janet,
You're messing with my mind on this one!!!! Whenever the matriarchs of my family start talking about family history, they invariably start indulging in the ancient language of belonging that has been shrouded in secrecy for several generations. It is like going to a government meeting without your acronym handbook!! AAAAHH!! Even those who seem most articulate dont seem to have a handle on who is who in the family! Now, Im only a tad smarter than the average idiot but, I dont get it!
Col

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Comment by colocountry
on Christmas on Sydney Streets

December 24th 2008 10:58
Janet,
Just a quick word of thanks to you and all of the Orblers who host a site and are expected to make grand insights into the world as it unfolds about them. I'm too obsessed with other aspects of my life to devote the time and risk the thorough examination of my own inbuilt understandings of my world. I can,however find a few moments each week to make a gut response. Your insights have been most appreciated because they dont pretend to KNOW but seek clarification from others about their views. Your Orble on undies was hysterical and had me chuckling for weeks but you, and many others in Orble, take up the role of prophet in a cyberworld. Well done
Col

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