Personal Blogs

I havent had much time for writing blogs recently, but i am 3/4 of my way through an Introduction to criminology. This has been a completely enjoyable stage. Having been working on 'the other side' for the past 30 years, this course has certainly changed my outlook and make me begin to wonder if i was on the right or wrong side of the justice system. 

I am now thinking like a criminologist and scrutinising parts of my job and also now questioning the whole statutory law and in scotland the common law crimes. 

this one has been a whole new journey for me and is changing my whole outlook drastically. The law makers are sometimes the lawbreakers but nothing will ever happen to them. Looking also at todays Tory government the crimes that have been committed the lies told the changes in the law so their friends do not get imprisoned, and yet, the young people who commit petty crimes against others or property get a sentence that is harsh. The unemployed, the uneducated low income or unemployed people living on the breadline and living in deprived areas are the ones that appear to be targets for 'the law' yet blue collar crime is more or less forgotten about or swept under the carpet. This has been an eye opener so far and cant wait to get it finished now. 

I really dont know where i will go from here. 

After passing the first part of my Criminology Diploma the next chapter looms. I must admit I actually miss the studying, however Im glad that i dont have to study throughout christmas and new year as I am just far too busy. Having a small business, I have to fit in my making time too so its really quite difficult at this time for me to study so im glad i had that little break away. Cant wait for January though when it all begins again. I hope everyone who reads this has a peaceful Christmas and New year. And hope you all stay safe through this harsh pandemic 

Its been hard for me to come back to studying. Being an older person, I’m hoping to get my criminology diploma for my 60th birthday. Social Science part done and criminology part to go. I must admit i was apprehensive in starting all this but half way there and i cant wait for the next part. 

I must say that i am beginning to look at things slightly different now. It gets you thinking. I’m having a little break over the winter and wont start my next part until early next year. That will give me time to enjoy retirement my garden and my favourite hobby of reading. 

Oh my word. Ive actually written 2 essay's and submitted them. My marks are not absolutely brilliant but having been away from studying so long I will take them. The have been good passes and I am chuffed to bits. 

For me and other like me this a a big achievement. Ive been alive great many years more than some of the students here, however i don't compare myself to any other person, I just love to study but struggle to get my thoughts down in the right order ! I feel like Im back at school again, doing homework when I can , get my nose stuck into the books and also going through the website and watching and listening to the audio visual aids for the course. 

2 assignments down and I have celebrated with a take away meal. I can't do that for every assignment as it will get boring. I don't drink alcohol so I guess that's out. How does anyone else treat themselves when they get their essay written and marks returned.

Oh what to do next. Hopefully the ideas will come in

The new dog, is a cross retriever lab. He is black in colour and his teeth are as sharp as razors. Well, you get the gist. They are very Jaggy and can puncture skin very quickly. 

This boy has a name. He is called Dax. Not a name we chose for him, but someone paid an awful lot of money to name him. £25,000 Im told. 

You will be wondering why he has had a lot of investment made in him thus far (8 weeks old). Dax will hopefully be a life changer when he grows up. He is a guide dog puppy and we are his puppy raising family. 

Because he is so young Dax will play a little and sleep a lot. And for me studying the OU course, that's brilliant. There are times when Im sitting getting right involved in my studies when my foot might get a bit wet ! I forget when they are that age they need to go out after a long sleep. (Note to self)

Then its the playtime stage when Im writing my essay, and re-writing it, and adding bits and taking away bits, and changing the language. Playing tug of war with a rope and a pup at the end of it is great until the big dog joins in. Then my chair and me are pulled across the wooden flor because I choose a chair with wheels.

Chaos resumes for 30 minutes before the wee dog decides he has exerted himself too much. By the time I clean my foot, change my socks, pick all of the pup toys from the floor, make a cup of tea sit down again to write he wakens again

Its not so bad. Im sure he will settle down in the next few weeks.

We will have him until he is about 18 months and if he passes all of his tests he will go through to his big boy training in Forfar. Our last dog has passed his training and is being matched with a young blind person, so for us, the heartache of losing our dog has gone because we see the joy he brings to his new young owner. 

I have put a photograph of the little pest on here for you to see. This is what makes it all worthwhile 

Ive been furloughed from my very part time job, and this has allowed me some extra time to use for my studies. What a nice start this has been. The materials I have been working from are all of very high standard so even this pleases me nowadays. You can actually see I don't get out much !! But its the simple things in life for me.

Part 1 of my TMA was a written exercise of 250 words. My thoughts? Oh my word where do I start, Ive read the whole of the first part of my book that has been provided, Ive watched the video excerpt's and Ive completed all the activities. How on earth do I get all of that into 250 words. Panic set in, however once I just thought it through I managed 250 words. Whether Ive answered the question correctly is another matter.

Part 2 was in 50 words self reflection. New to this palaver, I gave it a go and hopefully this is fine too. Then the last part was the forum post. So I wrote about my street as it is now compared to what it was like in lockdown.

This has been a very enjoyable piece of work that I feel I have put time and effort into. I know it will get harder, however for me, this is a massive achievement. I am so glad that Im not the only one in this position and delight in coming to the tutorials where I can get new words and try and fit them into my assignments as the months go on.

Now that the first part has been submitted, I can take the dog out for a walk and go and make some soap to relax. But, what I can assure you of,  is that there are no gobbledegook words in any part of the assignment.

Have a nice day and good luck with those submissions. Once you put it in, go and celebrate with whatever you do to mark a special occasion. Well done

I have no idea what a blog is, therefore, I have not much of an idea what I’m supposed to be writing in here. So I’m guessing i just write about me and my studies, so here goes.

Ive been on the planet for quite a while so have a lot of life experience, or so I would like to think. And with that life experience you would expect a well balanced person, set in their ways and not going along with ever evolving technology. I’m not really like that at all. I have craved learning from a very young age. I very rarely attended school, which caused my parents no end of trouble with the authorities. I felt like when I left primary school, I learned nothing in secondary, so i took myself off to libraries where i could learn about things i enjoyed. That was in 1st year at a RC school in Ardrossan Ayrshire. While my peers were moving from class to class, I was reading all about our planet and how it was made up. Why the tide comes in an out and why there were stars in the sky and I loved it. That was me hooked and I was home educating myself. Looking back, I had no idea what i was doing, but i know now that i learned more from books than i ever did in a school classroom. I technically left school when I was 15, but in reality I left when I was 12. So needless to say, I didn’t  have qualifications and my parents dodged being sent to prison for me ‘plunking’ school. In the end the authorities forgot about me and we slipped through the net. 

Fast forward. My job prospects due to what was called a poor education, was dire. I then decided, whilst working in a factory, that I was going to join the police. I looked into it and discovered that I needed at least 5 ‘O’ grades to be capable of sitting the entrance exam. I took myself off to the college, and whilst working full time (to pay for the pleasure), and juggling young children, I achieved my 5 grades in a year.

I sat the exam for the Police and got in where I spent the next 30 years of my working life. 

Whilst in that job, i was further educated on mostly law, but loved the fact i was getting all this for free. I also completed an SVQ in Child Protection which I found fascinating. I also joined the OU about 10 years ago, and began to study topics on our planet and have 30 credits having completed 3 small modules which I absolutely loved doing.

Now that I am retired, my ‘craving’ for education hasn’t stopped. Although a bit older, that craving is just as strong as it was all those years ago.

This is why I have decided to come back to the OU and this course. I haven’t done anything quite as intense as this 60 credit module, but although I am anxious, I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life.

So anyone who is just starting out in life and using this module towards a degree. Dont forget one thing. If you love learning you will continue to do so. There is no rush, take time and live your life too, but you can open your mind to learning your whole life. You only have one chance at it so grab it with both hands.

I wish you all, who read, the best of wishes and ever success in your studies. You will get there. It will take hard work and dedication, but its always worth it in the end.