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Reply | Language learning tips
at 18:52 18 Jun 2025
I struggled with languages at school, definitely not a natural. I moved to the Netherlands and set about starting to learn the language. No Duolingo in those days. I hoped I would somehow absorb the language, but I just didn’t happen. In the end I enrolled in a language class. It forced to to tackle head on the pressures of speaking a language (however badly) head on. That was undoubtedly the hardest part, but arguably it’s the speaking of a language that is the most important bit.
I now work in Dutch education as an art teacher, teaching my art lessons to Dutch kids in English. An immersion approach involving no grammar just diving in and doing it. For children in my opinion it is the very best way to learn. But for adults I would say a lengthy holiday in Germany where you place yourself so often as possible in language rich situations where you don’t crash back into your English also is very useful. |
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Reply | If the final whistle was after 75 minutes
at 19:18 25 Apr 2025
If games only ran from 31 until 45 minutes we'd be twelfth......it would seem that people sneaking off early for a pie have missed the best bit this year. |
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Reply | Worst part of your job
at 15:51 29 Jan 2025
Yep, marking, marking and marking. Is there any more mind numbing part to education. Dealing with thirty teenagers on a Friday afternoon is so much more preferable, strange though it might sound to those outside of educationland. [Post edited 29 Jan 15:56]
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Reply | Well, that’s VAR ruining football again
at 07:53 30 Jun 2024
We have had the offside rule in various forms for years and years. The current version of the rule, that if you are ahead of the last defender you are offside and if you’re level you are onside, stems from around 1990 I think. The problem I, and I think many others, have here, is that what we saw between Denmark and Germany was an offside decision that would never have been given without VAR. Without VAR, the player would simply have been seen as being level. Even a German supporter would have looked at the replay and have to have shrugged their shoulders and said, yes, the players are level.
And now we have arrived at a situation where you get these sorts of ‘technical’ offsides, that rely on technology (which we have to assume is correctly installed and adjusted) to enforce decisions that would never have been given in the 70s, 80s, 90s……when I grew up watching the game. That feels kind of difficult to accept. Maybe if you grow up with VAR as a reference point it would be easier, but nobody does really, when you play football at school, in the park, Sunday league etc, there is no VAR. Yes, decisions are sometimes made incorrectly, but I’m really not sure that interpretations of the rules and the way the system works is making the game any better. I particularly hate the way that when the ball now hits the back of the net my first reaction isn’t ‘Yes!!’ or ‘No!!’……but ‘is there a VAR check coming?’ |
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Reply | *cough*
at 17:01 14 Jun 2024
Three places above Man City, who wouldn't settle for that? [Post edited 14 Jun 2024 17:02]
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Reply | Ten Hag sacking everything wrong with modern Football ....
at 19:34 25 May 2024
And did we sack our manager? Ok, we weren't one of the biggest clubs in Europe, some may say over achieving at the time. But I certainly don't remember any new manager discussion. We stayed true to a long term vision, which three years later pays off. Yes, there are big differences between then and now. |
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Thread | Is there a master.plan at work here?
at 16:35 23 May 2024
Suppose Kieren has long ago decided to stay. The people in the inner circle at PR all know this. Everyone is secure and happy. The master plan is to stir every possible uncertainty up at the most possible PL clubs all through the summer. OK, probably not, but I do like the idea. |
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Reply | Mid-life career jump into teaching...
at 16:03 22 Apr 2024
I've been teaching in the Netherlands for close on 25 years. There are differences to the UK system, but many of the points others have mentioned I would certainly support.
There are undoubtedly very rewarding parts, and if you love the subject you teach it will certainly help. Admin, marking, preparation and out of hours activities that come with all teaching jobs are significant factors. It's a holiday week week here at the moment, and yes, I'm marking my way through it.
In the Dutch system it is relatively easy to work parttime, in the UK that isn't quite as easy, but to be honest I'm not sure that anyone can actually manage a fulltime teaching job, here at least, it means it either eats you up, or you have to cut too many corners off to actually be good at the job......either that or you spend your whole weekend proving you can do the job.
All points considered, I do enjoy the job, especially the pupils (and I do teach in a very run of the mill sort of town and school). The banter and fun in the classroom is the best bit.
If you do make the jump, be warned, the 18 months or so are the tougest bit! [Post edited 22 Apr 2024 16:05]
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Reply | And that is why
at 18:47 21 Apr 2024
But isn’t the offside rule about your position on the field and not about whether you are playing the ball or not? (He said, not having read the rule book lately…….or ever actually!) |
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Reply | And that is why
at 18:40 21 Apr 2024
Forgive if I’m missing something here, but why do he count the attackers toenail, but don’t seem to count the defender’s hand? |
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Thread | Al Hamadi minutes played
at 13:17 17 Mar 2024
Nine appearances so far and four goals….but how many minutes has he actually had on the pitch? [Post edited 17 Mar 2024 13:18]
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Thread | What a change around…
at 17:08 2 Mar 2024
1 Leicester City 31 12 1 2 31 9 12 2 2 35 15 42 75
2 Southampton 30 11 2 2 39 18 8 5 2 21 17 25 64
3 Leeds United 31 12 4 0 35 11 7 2 6 20 15 29 63
4 Ipswich Town 30 10 4 1 37 23 7 5 3 18 17 15 60 |
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Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 22 | | Comment Votes: | 4 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 26 |
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