Guilty until proven innocent

In regards to crime, the definition of ‘suspect’ means a person thought to be guilty of an offence. The important word here is ‘thought’. Not proven. Not enough evidence. The suspect could be completely innocent.

However, so many suspects aren’t given the anonymity they deserve. Names are leaked and, topped with the rise of social media, lives are ruined. It isn’t rare that photos are published of suspects and nasty comments are made and they turn out to be innocent. Everyone now knows that face. The person who was once a suspect can’t run away from it. They will constantly be judged for the rest of their life.

It’s about time that all suspects are treated fairly – no matter how serious the crime. Suspects should be innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent. If the accuser remains anonymous, so should the accused. With lots of people all over the world fighting for justice and equality, anonymity for everyone would be a step in the right direction.

Financing – a swear word for students

Arggghhh! I have the pleasure of applying for student finance for the first time. And boy, does it drive me mad. I have spent hours surfing the web, trying to find some site which will tell me how much money the government is willing to give me. And the answer is – nowhere. There are sites which tell you not to worry, sites which explain the process, sites on things they will take into account when assessing your credibility, and sites which tell you the maximum you can get for different criteria. But nowhere is there a site which tells you what will be appearing in your account every few months. Instead I have to fill in the application answering a load of questions and wait. And of course hope. Hope a lot! Because (aside from the whopping tuition fee) I have accommodation to pay for, bills to pay for, food to pay for, books to pay for, a life to pay for… And I would really like to know if student finance is going to cover these costs, and many more. Is this too much to ask?

As well as this, I have to apply for accommodation before student finance. And I have. But coupled with choosing where I would like to stay, I had to factor in the cost. How is this achievable if I have absolutely no idea if the money I will get will cover the accommodation? Must I choose the cheapest halls so I’m not surprised? There is nothing wrong with choosing the cheapest (in fact my first choice is one of the least expensive – might even be the cheapest) but is it the only option. No-one wants to find out that they can’t even afford the accommodation fees.

But then again. Despite my worries and anger at the system, I need not be so concerned. It is only the money I will need on top of the money I will receive that I need to be troubled about. The rest – that’s the government’s problem. Because it is nearly impossible for any student to ever pay it back. It is not the student who will suffer. Whatever I don’t manage to pay back, the government must make up the shortfall. Sometime in the future, I hope, the authorities might realize that most students don’t have much money and don’t get the top jobs as soon as they leave university. They need to turn their brains on.

I do look forward to this time when it happens (fingers crossed). But for now, I’m going to worry a little less.

Good grades are NOT all about the teaching

Some people I know have recently moved their children from a state school to a private school. I happened to bump into them the other day and was told that their children have settled in and the school is great. And the reason is – the teachers have much higher expectations of their pupils than the teachers did in the state school they had been attending. Sorry, what? This rang big alarm bells. Let me explain why…
This isn’t the first time I have come across this view. David Cameron, along with many other politicians, accepts this fallacy. It is good teaching which gets good results. When children do ‘badly’, it is the sole fault of the teachers. ‘Bad’ teachers are replaced by ‘good’ teachers. Problem solved. Students get better grades.
However, what politicians fail to realize is that other people are involved as well. What about the parents and the children themselves? Surely they have some input. Parents must be encouraging and supportive against the teachers’ inspiration. But it is the students who get the grades. No-one else does the work but them. I don’t remember anyone else writing my coursework. Are grades not a reflection of the students’ ability?
Aside from this, children have to want to learn. This is fundamental. Children must have high expectations of themselves. But, often, there are factors beyond our control over a child’s commitment to their studies. Sometimes, there is nothing you can do to convince a child to work.
We can’t lay all the blame on teachers if their students don’t meet what has been expected of them. Most teachers are fantastic and always do their best for their pupils. Certainly, this was the case in my school. The grades students achieve are down to the students. They do the work. They get the results.

Assumptions – can we help it?

     Anyone reading this now is human (at least I hope so anyway). And with human comes attributes we just can’t help having. It is how we are. One of these is making assumptions. When you walk to the shops, guaranteed you’ll make an assumption about someone you see on your travels. And you haven’t even talked to them and got to know who they really are.

However, having these traits doesn’t mean you have to listen. They can appear in your mind and you can tell these thoughts to ‘back off’ because you know better. That person you’ve just thought of being fat could in fact want to be that size. Or have beaten anorexia. That person who isn’t wearing the latest fashion trend has their own style. And doesn’t care what other people think. That person who smiled at you isn’t happy. They have depression. That teenager with a child isn’t a whore.  She was raped. And the list goes on.

Why is it that in this day and age many people can’t accept that others are hardly ever what they seem by first sight? These people make me angry. Jumping to conclusions when it is so easy to ignore what immediately springs to mind. We can’t help having these thoughts. It is human nature. But we can choose whether or not to believe them. Never assume anything about anyone before you know the truth. Respect people for who they are.