MJ's little flock

[ManueB]

My grandfather was an English teacher and he taught me that exact lesson when I was tiny. He also made me read out loud to appreciate punctuation.

That is quite interesting. Maybe it's a thing English teachers learn in their curriculum ?
We are never told anything like this in french school.

When I request improved language and literacy support for students, the answer is always a strong, "No, we are an English-speaking university," which I feel is a woefully tone deaf response utterly lacking in duty of care for both staff and students.

Sorry to hear that. It makes it seem as if foreign students are not welcome.
In Nice there are so many foreign students that it would be impossible not to have some kind of french language support. Most of it isn't mandatory though.
On the other hand, all students in hard sciences have to write their dissertations in english so they need to have scientific english lessons .

Yes. She has already advocated for that solution rather assertively.

Could you feed them separately?
Ever since we got the cats they have had self service access to kibbles and we don't give them anything else. But that does mean we can't assess at all what each one eats.

It's not a chicken subject but I was wondering if you give treats to your cats, what are they ? We don't eat meat, so my partner buys chicken ham for the cats, but I wish he would find something else. It's full of things that have names in ose that sounds like they are disguised sugar.

 

[MaryJanet]

Sorry to hear that. It makes it seem as if foreign students are not welcome.
In Nice there are so many foreign students that it would be impossible not to have some kind of french language support. Most of it isn't mandatory though.
On the other hand, all students in hard sciences have to write their dissertations in english so they need to have scientific english lessons .

I have news on that topic. I had a meeting with the new dean yesterday and mentioned the students who can't decipher what I say and whose spoken assessments are going to be failed due to their poor language preparedness. Turns out the same issue cropped up in an OHSW&IM meeting because we're not sure if folks with such poor English are handling dangerous lab equipment and chemicals correctly and we're not sure they'd take the correct actions in an emergency. I chipped in a piece on their vulnerability (ie welfare) and our duty of care. So the dean is in a position to put a tactful argument to the office who recruits international students and to work with them to build a pattern of which language testing centres these students are obtaining their seemingly fraudulent scores from. It will enable better targetted marketing in future.

We're also going to try a little trick. Vouchers for "Language support to the value of $$$ and it's completely free! No catch. Book your session today!" It's always been free, but I've heard framing it as a bargain drives participation.

 

[MaryJanet]

That is quite interesting. Maybe it's a thing English teachers learn in their curriculum ?

I assume so. I was lucky Pop was an English teacher. We played such a lot of Scrabble and it was years later I realised he was building my vocabulary. He also paid for me to have horse riding lessons when I went wild for horses at age 10 or thereabouts. He was a lovely man.

 

[MaryJanet]

here too - except it was evening
View attachment 3945629

Moonlight on water is such a special thing.

 

[Perris]

Moonlight on water is such a special thing.

it is. We moved here 28 years ago, and that sight still stops me in my tracks just like it did the first time I saw it, all those years ago.

 

[Perris]

Vouchers for "Language support to the value of $$$ and it's completely free! No catch. Book your session today!" It's always been free, but I've heard framing it as a bargain drives participation.

getting them translated into the mother tongue of your target market may also pay dividends. It's the ones that would struggle to read the voucher in English who most need the help

 

[RoyalChick]

here too - except it was evening
View attachment 3945629

I think there is a lunar eclipse tonight.

 

[RoyalChick]

That is quite interesting. Maybe it's a thing English teachers learn in their curriculum ?
We are never told anything like this in french school.

Sorry to hear that. It makes it seem as if foreign students are not welcome.
In Nice there are so many foreign students that it would be impossible not to have some kind of french language support. Most of it isn't mandatory though.
On the other hand, all students in hard sciences have to write their dissertations in english so they need to have scientific english lessons .

Could you feed them separately?
Ever since we got the cats they have had self service access to kibbles and we don't give them anything else. But that does mean we can't assess at all what each one eats.

It's not a chicken subject but I was wondering if you give treats to your cats, what are they ? We don't eat meat, so my partner buys chicken ham for the cats, but I wish he would find something else. It's full of things that have names in ose that sounds like they are disguised sugar.

I have tried locking her out to let the others eat. But she yowls and rattles the door so they get disturbed.
My current experiment is to spoon out a portion for each of the two being bullied and then half that amount on three separate plates. While the bully works her way from plate to plate the others can eat in peace.
Hope it works!
I don’t give them treats, but I do confess that I often let them lick my plates. Not much meat but they like tomato sauce and cheese, and I eat a lot of fish.

 

[Perris]

I think there is a lunar eclipse tonight.

yes you're right - but only a tiny sliver of the moon will be in earth's penumbra as viewed from here, and that at 3.45am, so I'll probably not see it

 

[ManueB]

I don’t give them treats, but I do confess that I often let them lick my plates. Not much meat but they like tomato sauce and cheese, and I eat a lot of fish.

I don't "let" them but somehow they often manage to do it anyway !
I would rather not give treats. But since they are outdoor cats, my partner feels it's a way to make sure they come in to say hello at a given time. They share with the chickens that talent of knowing exactly when it's food time.