I hated French at school, but all us dummies had to learn it. The more average kids learned French and German, and the clever ones Latin, French and German. So there I was on the bottom rung of the academic ladder, but still having to struggle with a subject that…
I was reminded of this law when lockdown moved to level 3 and we were able to buy wine again. As a special treat, I bought two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc for R185 each. We normally spend around half that price. The wine was divine, but then I commented to…
Your choice of school for your child is going to have a significant impact on his or her future. If your child is happy at school, then the chances are that you will see good grades. An unhappy child will not be a good learner. Here’s what you should be…
Interestingly, there are varying results from different studies conducted in the USA and apparently advocates of Class Size Reduction (CSR) are as guilty of cherry picking results to suite their argument as their opponents, who argue that the cost of CSR outwieghs its benefits. Having said that, although many states…
My wife and I were thrilled to watch a small flock of at least five Rosy Faced Lovebirds from our balcony in Morningside. They appeared to be nesting under the eves of a house, but despite many later sightings, they have not re-visited that particular house, so perhaps they were…
While learning the Japanese abacus, you can’t help becoming fascinated with numbers and arithmetical tricks. Here’s a simple Japanese method of multiplying using intersecting straight lines …
If you’ve ever been an investor in say, listed shares or property for rental, you will know that some investments will be better than others. The wise investor knows when to pull out of one and re-invest in a better one. He or she has to take into account the…
I guess that if funds are limited (and what family actually has money to spare at the end of every month?), the choice between public and private schooling can be largely influenced by the family income. However, there are other considerations. I guess you have to start by looking at…
During the March holidays, seven of our top learners joined four volunteer educators at the school for an intensive boot camp to prepare them for the upcoming Olympiads.
Probably the thing that is most worried about is money, or lack of it, but what is this stuff we call money? Early man used barter to exchange anything that they had in excess for other goods that they required. The problem with barter is that you need to find…
Surprise, surprise! No difference at all!…
First off, you’ve got to have a dream and that can be the most difficult part. Why? Because few people can dream the impossible dream! Most of us think “I’d love to do ……” or “I’d love to be ……”, “but I can’t because ……”…
It seems that as we grow older, we go one of two ways. We either become increasingly cynical or increasingly pragmatic. Which will you choose?…
Ever wonder what a byte is? It’s eight bits. So what is a bit?…
One Friday evening my wife, Helen, and I were talking about our childhood. She asked me what my teddy bear was like. That simple question lead to a mindblowing experience.
I always think of the brain as front, middle and back and also left and right. Its a gross oversimplification, but very useful if you want to make friends with your brain and get it to work best for you.
Language. “The method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. (Oxford Dictionary)”. Yes, but what is it really all about?…
I love maths, but I don’t understand what it is. Now how crazy is that?…
My mum was an expert at catching flies and she taught me how to do it. It’s usually a two hand job, but once you know the trick a single hander will also often work. If nothing else, it’s a good party trick.
Imagine that you were learning English for the first time. You would struggle with the verb “to be”…
I assume you know how sudoku puzzles work. I’ve studied the techniques and enjoy the challenge of “Expert” puzzles. However, because of my abacus maths training, I don’t just want to solve the puzzles, I want to find the quickest way to do so. Here’s what I’ve found -…
