Are you a Smart Cookie?
M
y new smart phone arrived the other day and I have to admit I was struggling. Putting in the Sim card, restoring my contacts and email accounts... Everything I needed to do seemed to require a Youtube tutorial. I was getting more and more frustrated. Now, I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent. Iʼve got a clutch of Aʼ Levels and a Degree to my name but so often in life these are of no use to me whatsoever. My husband, who was never particularly academic, sorts my phone out in a split second. This led me to thinking, just what is ʻclever?ʻ Look at how Stephen Fry is revered as being so intelligent. He is well known for his IQ being higher than Genius level, as well as being creative and witty. But could he rewire a house? Does he know how to stop damp coming through the walls? Could he unblock a sink? Your typical electrician, plumber or builder know their trade inside out and have a depth of knowledge that most others donʼt (and which we as a society rely on) so why
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by Tess Godfrey
arenʼt our tradesmen and women more revered for their knowledge in the same way as academics? Perhaps it harks back to our hierarchical class system, to the days when only the Lords of the Manor had an academic education and were held in such high esteem by their villagers. Similarly, a stay-at-home parent coordinates packed lunches, homework, afterschool clubs, play dates, makes sure school uniforms are clean and pressed, kitchen cupboards are stocked, a healthy dinner is on the table and bed time stories are read on a daily basis. Throw in the management of the housekeeping budget, sibling peacekeeping and managing the family schedules and all of a sudden you have a long list of skills and ability to multitask that any executive would be proud of. But why is it that society doesnʼt uphold our stayat-home Mums as wonder women? Again, I guess itʼs a value system so ingrained in our society that we can hardly recognise it ourselves. So letʼs buck the trend and make sure that we celebrate our own knowledge and skills, as well as the skills of those around us - whatever they are! We really are a clever bunch!
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Reg Charity No 300104
Reg charity No 300104
Berkshire
Country Fayre
Sunday 28th May 2017 Englefield Estate, Englefield, Theale, RG7 5EN By Kind Permission of Englefield Estate
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Adults £7, Children & Concessions £4 Family ticket (2+2) £19, Under 5’s FREE Dogs on Leads Welcome
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