Point One. This ALAN, it’s not a person. It’s an exam (Adult Literacy and Numeracy). I took it back in December, and I passed first time. The reason I took it is rather complex. There are seven Maths sets in my school. Sets 1-4 have taken Higher tier Maths GCSE, while 5-7 would have taken the Foundation Tier. I was in set Four. But we took the Higher paper, which gave us a better chance of getting a C, though we may not pass because the maths in the Higher Tier is relatively hard from a Set 4 point of view. So, sets 3 and 4 took this ALAN test, which is worth a GCSE. The idea is to compensate for the GCSE that might have been lost in the Maths Higher Paper. So now to the principle. I was so happy, and so were my classmates, about taking this test. This test came as a good surprise. Now then, proficient set 1 and 2 decided to stick their oar in, and try to take this ALAN test. But a few have gone round annoyed that they have to go in for another exam. Not happy that they have been given an easy GCSE. And it’s not the fact that they have the upper hand again that severely annoys me, but the fact that some are decrying ALAN as a waste of time. Ha, but of course they’re still going to take it. The moral of this rant is: Never dismiss an opportunity that you weren’t entitled to before.
Point Two. Last night we had this rather strong bout of rain, which was nice to sit awake and listen to it at midnight. I don’t know, there’s something comforting about listening to rain from indoors. Hmm.
Point Three. There are few usable glasses in the house, possibly because some of them are broken.
Point Four. I have bought Ben Goldacre’s book Bad Science, and I hope that he doesn’t mind that I give him a paragraph, albeit a very unseen paragraph. Erm, so far I have read up to page 27, and I’ve already learnt about ‘detox’ baths, Hopi ear candles (which sound quite painful) and crafty sales pitches disguised as science. I’m looking forward to the next two-hundred-odd pages. Most of the ‘treatments’ that are investigated in the book are often clever, I’ll give them that, but deceptive and unsatisfying; and since one might pay £10 for one of these odd jiggery- pokery sessions, damaging to the pocket. And jeez, Brain Gym is just total woo. There’s not much you can say about schools’ money being spent on silly exercises when all you really need is water, food and regular breaks. And, erm, I think I’ve done quite well on just that.
