Samual's comments

Save Money and "Off to College" - Blog Entry

21 Jul 2009 05:36 AM

Here 4-8 students share a flat, with either en suite bathrooms or two bathrooms for the whole flat, then you have a fully fitted kitchen, if there are five or more people to one flat there are two fridge freezers, two ovens, two hobs, one microwave and two sinks. Alternatively you have a couples flat, where it is just the two of you in a one bedroom flat. Here student flats are just the same as any flat, just cheaper and rented out by a uni instead of a landlord. In the UK you can't have kettles, toasters, microwaves, or fridges and freezers in the bedroom area of rented properties. What are ramen noodles?

Babies, Beaches and Diarrhea - Blog Entry

20 Jul 2009 12:05 PM

The chances of it are quite high on the Welsh coast as there are so many sheep, who poo and wee which goes into rivers and then into the sea, nice and yummy when you think about it.

Teen Pregnancy on the Rise - Blog Entry

20 Jul 2009 09:51 AM

A lot of people come from bad families, where no one bothers to work and they see their parents earning money from having babies, some girls are lonely and think a child would make them happy and fulfill their lives, kids are not taught properly.

In the UK abstinence only education is not used, but parents can remove their students from sex education lessons, in my experience as a teacher (nearly ten years) the ones who are removed from sex education lessons are the ones becoming pregnant earlier and often when they are still in school. However we aren't allowed to teach what sex is physically, we can't explain what oral sex or what sexual intercourse is, we can only inform the consequences, the law and the importance of relationships.

At our school we ask parents to fill out a form after removing their child from sex education to tell us what they have been taught, so then we can offer to do things like arrange for a sexual health nurse to go to their house and show their children what the coil looks like, the cap, the rod etc. Every form we have had back has either been blank or they have stated that they are not teaching their children about contraception. This year we have 5 girls withdrawn from sex education and 3 boys, they are all now expecting babies at 15/16. Not a single one of our students who received school led sex education are expecting and it has been this way virtually my whole teaching career. The UK is now trying to make sex education compulsory to prevent parents removing their children from the lessons as a the majority of teen parents in the UK are those who have been removed from sex education in school.

To be honest, when the US is allowing in some states 14 year olds to get married if they are pregnant, no one should be shocked when teenagers become pregnant.

Who's More of a Pain to Travel With--Teens or Toddlers? - Blog Entry

20 Jul 2009 06:55 AM

I've travelled with both, I would say teenagers, on an aeroplane your toddler sits on your knee so they can't get into any mischief without you knowing, very easily entertained and get tired pretty quick. Teenagers however, are queen moaners who aren't satisfied with anything, so I would say teenagers are the bigger pain.

Back-to-School Shopping Tips - Blog Entry

20 Jul 2009 04:33 AM

I like the dinosaur!

Can You Do Disney Without Going Broke? - Blog Entry

19 Jul 2009 06:21 AM

You can at Disneyland Paris if you live in the UK or Europe. For us, we can just drive instead of flying or getting the train, alternatively you can get a coach via national express that can be caught at most cities who will drive to many destinations. Paris has a lot of cheap 5* hotels, so hotels don't cost alot, alternatively you can go to caravan/camping sites. The food at Disneyland Paris is really cheap, you can get a main meal for £7, if you want a meal though, why not have one instead of an entree?

Back-to-School Shopping Tips - Blog Entry

19 Jul 2009 04:46 AM

Here in primary school 4-11 years all you have in your satchel is your dinner, a few pencils/crayons and a child's novel and reading card. At secondary school 11/12-15/16, you just have your lunch unless you have school dinners and work books for that day, so 3-4 depending on how many lessons you have a day as sometimes you have a double lesson, where as other days you have all singles. Using a roller suitcase seems a bit stupid though.

Kindergarten Teacher Arrested for Trashy Move - Blog Entry

18 Jul 2009 07:30 AM

Do children seriously have to sleep in school over there and on the floor? If Mikey wont eat his dinner at school he just goes hungry for being awkward. If a teacher did what this woman did in the UK, they would be sacked and have their teaching license removed and be unable to work with children in the future. 18, thats a lot in one classroom.

Five Ways to Save Money at the Movies - Blog Entry

17 Jul 2009 02:58 PM

Our cinema is £3 for an adult, £2 for a child/concession. There is no such thing as drive in Cinema's in the UK.

Would You Allow Your Child to Live in a Co-ed Dorm Room? - Blog Entry

16 Jul 2009 12:58 AM

Sharing a bedroom is not allowed here unless you are a couple in a couples apartment. Otherwise you get 4-8 bedroom apartments, some universities do have halls where there are like 20 rooms on a hallway, but they are reserved for the rubbish universities. Here you only stay in university accommodation for a year, then you find your own house. We lived in a couples apartment for the first year.