Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


I think it could be done but the logistics of it would be huge, especially in a country the size of the USA. I think one way to go would be to gradually make it the standard in your most disadvantaged communities and work outwards from there because in the Montessori Magnet schools with a large number of black students (70% or more) it's been amazingly effective. It could make a huge difference to some of the social problems in America. But it would probably take about fifty years realistically to replace the entire system across a nation from pre-school to secondary.


To be a good Montessori teacher you need to be willing to surrender your own ideas of how you think things should be and follow the Method. If you do that, it works. However that requires a degree of humility on the part of the teacher and many of them simply can't resist doing their own thing. But if you start tweaking it and changing a bit here and a bit there, it doesn't work. Simple as that. You have to accept that Montessori based her system on observations of thousands of children all over the world, she was tireless in that respect. She observed their natural behaviours and then designed the materials, the enviroment, the curriculum, the teaching approach, everything, around what she observed. That's why it's so effective.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


Do you mean, as a system of standard state funded education? Or do you mean, how big can an individual school be, and still be effective? The main problem I see is with getting enough decently trained teachers. Any school is only as good as its staff in the end.


I think there are so many other factors at work in life that you can never absolutely level the playing field but raising it significantly is certainly a satisfactory outcome in my view. Parental involvement and committment to the Montessori approach makes a huge difference though and ironically the kids from the 'better' homes sometimes fare less well in that respect. Upper income bracket parents often focus on achievement, excellence, competetiveness and incentives/rewards for 'good' work or behaviour, which are at odds with the Montessori approach. Montessori really is a philoshophy and approach to life, rather than simply an academic education method.

For the best results you need to carry the approach right through in your home life as well and that takes some effort because it feels unnatural to many parents who are accustomed to 'helping' their children with everything from putting on their coats, cutting up their meat, making their beds, picking up their toys, bribing them, wheedling, coaxing, praising etc. Also many parents are fixated on their child's self-esteem which they think is boosted by constantly telling them they are wonderful and that also is very much in opposition to Montessori.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


I can only say that Montessori education definitely has permanent effects. An increasing number of studies are being carried out especially on children from disadvantaged backgrounds who've been randomly selected on a lottery basis for Montessori state funded schools. In one case in East Dallas, the local high school graduation rate for such children was 50% but for the kids who had attended Montessori, it was 94% with 88% going on to college.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


Now, here's something interesting. When I was living in the Wicklow mountains I spent many hours wandering the fields and observing the cows and sheep - yes really! In the Spring, when the lambs were about, I observed how curious and inquistive they were and how they would approach and be quite ready to socialize with humans, if given the chance. But their mothers always intervened and prevented them from doing so (for obvious reasons, protecting their young etc). After a month or two, the lambs ceased to approach and ignored the humans, having clearly lost all interest in them and indeed become wary of them.

Another thing I observed was one individual sheep whom Mr Atch and I christened 'the curious sheep' :) Mr Atch and I were sitting by the river bank one day when a sheep approached. They didn't usually come that near so we stayed very still and didn't look directly at it, just watched it out of the corner of our eyes, waiting to see how far it would venture. It stood about 25 feet away from us and gazed out over the river. Then it turned its head, stared at us and literally sidled along the bank, sideways steps, so that it was a bit nearer, We glanced round and it turned its head in an instant, staring out over the river again. This tit for tat, continued until it was about 5 feet away and then when we glanced round at it, it got a bit panicked and ran off. It was very comical! But the interesting thing was that it was clearly curious about us, a quality adult sheep don't normally display. So the potential for intellectual development is present in all sentient beings.

And there were the pheasants. Now they have a death wish. Anybody who lives in the countryside has experienced pheasants running across the road into oncoming traffic. Well, one day we were driving along and up ahead we saw a pheasant hop out of the hedgerow, look right and left, proceed to cross the road, glance round again, saw us approach, decided, 'no, I'm not gonna make it in time' nipped back to the hedge and waited till we'd passed to cross :D

Just to conclude with a human example, one day I was sitting on a Dublin bus, top deck of course :) and a little boy of about four, nearer to four than five, was sitting nearby with his grandfather. The child was asking numerous very intelligent questions to which the only response was "I don't know". For example, "Grandad, why don't we have seatbelts on the bus?" "Grandad what are those birds over there, what are they called?" After a while that child will simply stop asking questions and after another while will stop wondering about things.............if a child asks you about a bird and you don't know what it is, then say "I don't know what that one is called. We must see if we can find out. We could have a look on the internet and see if we can find a picture of one that looks like it or maybe we could go to the library and get a book about birds". And then actually DO it. Never tell a child 'we'll do such-and-such' if you don't really intend to. If you've never wondered why we don't have seatbelts on the bus, then say "Goodness me, that's a very interesting question. I never thought about it before. What do you think yourself, do you have any ideas about it?" and then have a discussion. That's how you develop whatever intelligence the child has and you can expand your own mind in the process.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


Only to some extent. Some people are much more naturally inclined to idleness than others. I know. I've taught plenty of them. Others are industrious by nature. Some are bright and capable but are very scattered in their approach. They lack method and order and as a result they frequently get very little done.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


All of those qualities are also largely genetically determined so I think you mean genetically less intellectually gifted. As to nature/nurture, although my theoretical knowledge and my practical expererience of teaching has shown me that what intelligence there is can be nurtured to a degree, the really important factors that determine what kind of person you will be are more down to nature.

What I find interesting is how the gene pool can produce siblings with very different characters ,and siblings who have very little in common apart from being raised in the same household. They often grow into adults who would never seek each other out or choose to be friends if they were random strangers. Indeed there can also be a very big difference in levels of intelligence between children of the same parents. Similarly parents who don't appear to be especially intelligent and have perhaps two children with below average ability can produce another one who is well above average. It's very interesting really.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

Well, to add my contribution, based on my experience as a teacher in disadvantaged settings and with children ages 3 -12 years, I can say that definitely there is a window of opportunity in the early years (meaning up to about the end of the sixth year of life) when the natural intelligence can be developed and built on. The right kind of teaching and learning environment, both at home and school at that stage will enable a child to reach their full IQ potential, but thereafter it's downhill all the way for some.

I've noticed that intellectual curiosity and a lively interest in the world is very much present in a lot of very young children from backgrounds of significant disadvantage but it disappears as they get older if it's not responded to in its early stage. When a young child asks questions or shows a desire to do something and gets no response or encouragement, they switch off and become passive. They just lose interest. And even children who are indeed going to be well below average intellectually, regardless of intervention (and you can spot them very quickly when you're an experienced teacher), even such children, frequently display talents or potential in other areas which could be developed, but is all too often sacrificed because neither their parents nor the mainsteam education system know how to do that effectively.

As far as language development goes, having taught literally hundreds of young children, I can say categorically that children from disadvantaged homes under the age of six, are about a year behind average in their language skills and vocabulary. We spend the first two or three years in the Irish education system trying to build their vocabulary and syntax skills as a basis for literacy. It's a constant struggle.

Food / Do you call it kiszka or kaszanka? [61]

That's spot on Maf. Kaszanka is the dark brown stuff made with cereal and blood, a bit like the English black pudding. The only time I've ever heard the term kiszka is for kiszka ziemniaczana which Mr Atch calls 'potato sausage' in English. It's actually quite hard to get now in the small Warsaw shops though I've seen it in Biedronka. It seems to be less popular than kaszanka. It sometimes has tiny bits of boczek chopped up and added to the mixture.

UK, Ireland / Ireland and Poland - ways of struggling for independence [43]

There was a low turnout for the vote. Only 43% of the electorate so it's obviously something people aren't that bothered about. The vote is really just formalizing the existing reality which is that nobody has been prosecuted for blashphemy since 1855!! Of course it was also the Presidential election so people weren't too bothered about that either obviously! Just to clarify for those who don't know, our President has no political role, it's just a diplomatic corps post really. And I'm happy to say that lovely little old Michael Higgins has been re-elected :)

UK, Ireland / Ireland and Poland - ways of struggling for independence [43]


I doubt that it will help her any more than becoming a Catholic priest did. It's true she's messed up in the head but it's hard to feel compassion for her because she seems so self centred and attention-seeking. Not a likeable person on any level.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


A cheeky chappie is generally from a working class background, doesn't know his place and pushes boundaries a bit but usually with humour (frequently a bit double entrendre) and is considered non-threatening and harmless, frequently a source of amusement to the upper classes. It's a standard 'type' of English comedy. In real life it wears very thin pretty quickly :)

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

Very poor turnout though as always. Only 51.3% of the electorate. The irony is that the very people who are PIS supporters are also in many cases the least likely to vote. Thank God for that! Did you know that back in 2014 an astonishing 17.9% of the votes were declared invalid or 'spoiled votes' as we'd say in Ireland. In other words people made a pig's ear of their ballot paper. That's a lot of wasted votes. I wonder how it might have affected the outcome if they'd been pukka.

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]


The commonest eye colour in Ireland is blue. About 60% of Irish people have blue eyes, including me :)) Very fair skin, yes, whitest people in Europe probably and commonest hair colour is brown. There were 35 girls in my class at secondary school and only two had red hair. However most of us, even with brown hair or fair hair, have a reddish tint underlying it. We are one of the least genetically diverse people in Europe.

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]


Some of them are absolutely diabastrous as they'd say in Dublin :)) Best of a bad lot is probably the reason we had so many winners. Now here's my favourite Irish entry:

youtube.com/watch?v=6RVo0MD9rB8

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]


As he once quipped after the Dutch entry "It's 29 years since the Netherlands won Eurovision - make that 30". It was his laid back, relaxed delivery that made it so funny.


Back in the 1950s/60s, it was supposed to showcase the best of musical talent from each country. It was a mix of power ballads sung by the classic 'chanteuse' style ladies and the lighter pop stuff but it was basically normal. I think the novelty element began to creep in during the 1970s and once they let the accession countries in, it's been downhill ever since :)) It's a bit of a joke nowadays but in my childhood Eurovision was a highly anticipated event that had the nation of Ireland in a fever for a couple of months beforehand, I'm not kidding! The night itself was a big deal for kids. We were allowed to stay up late, we had sweeties, crisps and maybe even icecream - and in school we learned to sing not only the Irish entry of course, but the winning entry too. And of course unlike events such as the Olympics, there was always a chance that Ireland might win!!

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]

And of course we can't forget Fathers Dick Byrne and Cyril McDuff :D

youtube.com/watch?v=FDrebP5bOcg

Ah Ireland, my Ireland, even our spoof Euro songs are better than the actual entries!!


Yes, this one definitely asks more questions than it answers..........it's a weird European tradition of bizarre surreal arty cabaret if you get my drift and unfortunately they can't write a decent tune which is kind of essential in pop music!

Reminds me very much of this:

youtube.com/watch?v=rfaF3WSb3qk

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]

Favourite Eurovision songs, come on now everybody, we all have them :)

Ding-A-Dong (Netherlands) sung by Teach In 1975:

youtube.com/watch?v=sI78Bqp6z6g

But of course my all time favourite is the tragically ill-fated entry by Fathers Ted Crilly and Dougal McGuire:

youtube.com/watch?v=jzYzVMcgWhg

Life / Flowers on a grave in Poland - how to order and deliver from abroad? [9]

Here you go OP, Interflora Poland, site is all in English and you can pay with PayPal :)) They will arrange delivery to cemetery.

Personally I don't like the sympathy arrangements much but I'm sure you could arrange for any kind of bouquet.

interflora.pl/en/

Bear in mind that with 1 November coming up florists will be very busy so be sure to order soon if you want them on the grave for that day.

UK, Ireland / Can anyone recommend private transport/courier for deliveries from UK to Poland? [25]

There's a Polish courier based in Ireland, but they work all over Europe, called Eurospedycja who do packages from the UK to Poland, up to 20kg for about 25 quid. They're very reliable, I've used them. And unlike man with a van you'll be properly insured if there's any damage or loss.

eurospedycja.com/en/

Language / I am looking for help to identify a song track which I believe is Polish. [25]

I tried listening to it again with the speed slowed down and thought I made out 'sous les' meaning 'under the (plural) or 'sur les' meaning 'on the'. Also maybe it's 'les joues' games, not 'gens'. But I think you're nearer the mark, though I would think it could be a 'patois' of some kind, maybe associated with Indian pop music or Bollywood. Must check that out later.

Language / I am looking for help to identify a song track which I believe is Polish. [25]

Ok, the musical director for the ad was Subhajit Mukherjee and this is his YouTube channel:

youtube.com/user/MrSubhajitMukherjee/featured

As you can see, he writes music for ads so you could get in touch with him and ask him directly. It's probably something he wrote for the ad.

Language / I am looking for help to identify a song track which I believe is Polish. [25]

Well I did a bit of quick Googling and it seems that the ad is for an Indian fashion brand and the dancer is a Bollywood movie star, but I couldn't find any information on the song used. I would think it's something they commissioned specially for the ad as I can't imagine them paying royalties to anybody for an existing song. Indian business people are pretty thrifty and shrewd when it comes to keeping their costs down. The language sounds in places like a very coarse form of French. I thought I heard 'les gens' which means 'people'. If I find out anything else I'll let you know :)

Real Estate / Apartment rental in Poland: Termination of the agreement before the date [27]


Firstly I'm not a man and secondly I'm not advising him to to do anything. I'm answering his question as to the likely result of his actions. Yes, in theory, the additional month's rent is a security deposit to insure against damage caused by a tenant or cleaning costs if they leave the place dirty. It's not supposed to used in lieu of rent.

However, if the tenant has left the place clean and in the condition he found it, then the security deposit would be returned to him, therefore the landlord incurs no loss if the tenant uses it in lieu of rent and he has no reason to sue. In any case as the amount is only a month's rent, the time and cost for a landlord in bringing an action is hardly worth it. If the tenant leaves owing several months rent it's rather different.

If the tenant has had ongoing issues with his landlord as he says, then he may be concerned that the landlord will try to retain the security deposit. Unsrcupulous and dishonest landlords have been known to do that.

Real Estate / Apartment rental in Poland: Termination of the agreement before the date [27]

He's not likely to bother taking any action against you. I wouldn't worry about it.

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]

T-Rex, yes, yes, yes! Get it on!


If anybody mentions The Incredible String Band I'm organizing a lynch mob and coming after you! Steeleye Span set my teeth on edge, don't like that English folksy vocal style at all with that sort of Somerset bumpkin accent thing. Having said that I love the old Cornish Chistmas song, The Sans Day Carol but I only like it sung either by a group of rosy faced locals or by this Irish group, I think you'd like it Maf:

youtube.com/watch?v=uDnWw6jQDtQ

Are you familar with Clannad's early stuff? This is nice live footage from the 1970s, one of their most popular songs, Téir Abhaile Riú which tranlsates as Go On Home You. It's about a girl being 'matched' with the local Piper whom she doesn't want to marry and she's arguing that her 'bargain' is not made. Also Siúil A Rún, in Irish and English. There's quite a tradition of bi-lingual songs in Irish traditional music where for example the chorus is in Irish and the verses in English.

youtube.com/watch?v=M9Jc2VHGQbY


The only thing I don't like about them is John Fogarty's hair and trouser scene from those early days,truly disturbing combination. So I like to listen, but avert my eyes from the screen for YouTube vids.

I really wish that the Mods would leave this conversation alone. It wasn't doing any harm at all in the off-topic section and now it's been hacked at and the flow destroyed. If I were a more emotional type I would weep salty tears :D

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]


Down with that sort of thing! We'll have none of that kind of carry on here :D Suburban Irish houses didn't generally have basements but they had vigilant Irish mothers who had a habit of appearing suddenly with trays of tea and assorted biscuits, so there were limits to one's activities whilst listening to music. Boys were certainly permitted in the house, even long haired ones (in fact they were quite favoured 'doesn't he have beautiful hair God Bless him' as long as they sat at a safe distance from the girls and were 'mannerly' "Oh thanks very much Mrs McGinty, let me take that tray for you, ah no, you're grand, don't bother coming back for it, I'll bring it to the kitchen for you when we're finished, you go and watch your programme" :D


What about Fortunate Son? I love that one. Great live version from the Royal Albert Hall:
youtube.com/watch?v=nyREuhUnXic

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]

Isn't this a lovely thread? I'm always saying how music brings people together. We can't get together for a sing-song but we can talk about music :)

"Art thou troubled?
Music will calm thee
Art thou weary?
Rest shall be thine

Music, source of all gladness
Heals our sadness
At her shrine
Music, sweet music, ever divine"

Right- now does anybody like Creedence Clearwater Revival?

Oh yes, cassettes have that lovely warm, analogue sound.

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]


What about Gillan's vocals on that!

Made in Japan was one of our favourite albums when I was growing up. Pocket money was pretty much unknown as a concept in the Ireland of those days so you generally only had a chance of getting an album as a present for your birthday or Christmas. I remember getting Led Zep Vol 4 for my fifteenth birthday :) We shared albums, lending them to each other and you'd stick them on the three-in-one sound system and record them on a cassette. Dark Side of the Moon was especially coveted in the gate sleeve. I think it must have been very expensive or something because not many people had it and that did the rounds of many a suburban semi :)

One of my friends was lucky enough to have indulgent parents who did a basic attic conversion to give Patricia and her brother a 'chill out zone'. They had their sound system up there, a couple of guitars, big cushions on the floor, and a lava lamp which was really retro even then. I remember spending a glorious summer afternoon not in the fresh air and sunshine (which is pretty rare in an Irish summer) but in the attic listening to 'albums' :) 'Horse with no Name' America, that was one of the songs we listened to that day. Do you remember that thing of listening to the same track over and over and over! I had a record player in my bedroom and started every day with Led Zeppelin, 'Rock 'n' Roll' and the minute I got home from school on it went again - I was OBSESSED with that track for a while :D

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]



They errected a statue to him in Ballyshannon, the tiny town in Co Donegal where he was born.


And there's a statue of Phil Lynott outside the pub in the city centre of Dublin which was his favourite watering hole :) Like I say Phil was a regular sight on the streets of Dublin, always dressed as if he'd just come off stage in eye wateringly tight trousers, leather, studs, spangles! Rory, very different, very self-effacing, just another long haired lad in jeans and check shirt, lovely, lovely person. A fan asked him for an autograph once but Rory didn't have a pen so he rummaged in the pocket of his jeans and produced a plectrum, 'sorry, will that do?' WILL IT!

Language / Nice Polish phrases to say to men [76]

Is mise anseo freisin! Never mind yer man ;)