Those who have sat in on Brian Boyd’s addresses over the years will be aware that he has a son, Chris. We know this, not just because he is a proud father, but because his various stages of education were a template for whatever topic happened to be in the good prof’s sights.
At the great man’s retirement dinner, it was Chris’s turn as he spilled the beans: Boyd pere losing his pants in a hotel trouser press once, as well as losing his shoes in Aberdeen - that sort of thing. It soon became clear that Boyd fils has been brought up to emulate dad, ending with a quotation - “A teacher is someone who makes himself progressively unnecessary” (Thomas Carruthers) - and a comment - “I think you’ve got a bit to go yet.”
Retirement? What retirement?
You can bank on it
It just gets better and better. A couple of weeks ago, we brought to your attention the Royal Bank of Scotland’s involvement in delivering “new learning outcomes and experiences” for financial education. Who better?
Now the RBS announces its Personal Finance Education Awards for 2009. It is looking for “excellence” in PFE. But we are relieved to note that it wishes to honour the best efforts of schools and teachers rather than, shall we say, high-profile pensioners.
And the winner is ...
East Renfrewshire Council’s press supremo, Hugh Dougherty, will have to smarten up his act: he has a rival for the title of king of the puns.
Step forward Colin Adams, who handles the media for Oatridge College in West Lothian. One of its contributions to rural affairs is to halt the decline in numbers of the great crested newt - they talk of little else in those parts. Teams of young students have been cutting back the willow trees which block the light from the creatures’ habitat.
Naturally, says Adams, it’s a case of “newt kids on the chop”.
Snowed in
As we head towards the start of official summer time, it seems fitting to bring to readers’ attention the fact that the recent bad weather in the north-east led to the cancellation of an Aberdeen University lecture by one of its own, Pete Smith, professor of soils and global change. And the title of his talk? “Global Warming”.
Ouch
Labour lost little time in highlighting the increase in the number of children excluded from school for assaults with weapons. Apparently, said the party, the figures have increased “sharply” and Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop needs to “get a grip”.
