Reply to: Boarding school - good idea or bad idea?

[shaunbhoy]

SB

Will I have time to read it whilst carrying out my socialist culling duties on CUK?

Yeah. Piece of cake, and it might give you some ideas too.

[DodgyAgent]

DA,
I strongly suggest you get hold of a book by a guy called Frank Chalk entitled "Its Your time you're wasting".
It is a humourous indictment of all that is currently wrong with state education in this country.
I thoroughly recommend it to the house!!

SB

Will I have time to read it whilst carrying out my socialist culling duties on CUK?

[shaunbhoy]

It is a lack of confidence that I would add that is greatly down to the paucity of education they have received from the schools they attended.

DA,
I strongly suggest you get hold of a book by a guy called Frank Chalk entitled "Its Your time you're wasting".
It is a humourous indictment of all that is currently wrong with state education in this country.
I thoroughly recommend it to the house!!

[DodgyAgent]

No, I'm married to a teacher and close friends with several others.

And if you think logically for a second DA, it'll be clear that the only parents who tend to come in to visit the teachers are the ones with a problem. In my experience, this is far more likely to be the middle-class parents than the chavvy ones.

I suggest that your perspective will change when you have children. Teachers do not necessarily make good parents, and yes I also know plenty of your middle class stereo types, but these are dwarfed by the numbers of parents who like me enjoy having children irrespective of whether they are gifted or not, and rightly demand the best from their children's teachers- my children are not particularly gifted.

I am not sure what your point here is, but I would suggest that "chavvy parents" probably do not care so much about their children or that they lack the confidence to demand the best from their schools - I would think it is more of the latter. It is quite easy for intelligent teachers to intellectually bully anyone who challenges them who lacks personality/intelligence/confidence . It is a lack of confidence that I would add that is greatly down to the paucity of education they have received from the schools they attended.

[d000hg]

B***ocks. You read too many newspapers who will only ever report extremes of behaviour.

No, I'm married to a teacher and close friends with several others.

And if you think logically for a second DA, it'll be clear that the only parents who tend to come in to visit the teachers are the ones with a problem. In my experience, this is far more likely to be the middle-class parents than the chavvy ones.

[MarillionFan]

I'll have you know that when I was 13 I was considered 'gifted' and a child prodigy in mathematics and the sciences, and was already proficient in programming in BASIC. After 5 years of public school I considered myself lucky to get into Leicester Poly.

I believe the word used was 'special'.

[DodgyAgent]

I think middle-class parents are just as bad as chav parents - in fact more so since they take an interest and are convinced their child is 'gifted' but not being nurtured correctly when they aren't recognised as a prodigy.
Parents who take an interest are both a blessing and a curse A bit like when one of your users says "I did a bit of coding macros in Word, I think your database could be improved..."

B***ocks. You read too many newspapers who will only ever report extremes of behaviour. they are hardly like to feature a headline saying:

"Shock horror middle class parents are reasonable in expectations of children"

[psychocandy]

I'll have you know that when I was 13 I was considered 'gifted' and a child prodigy in mathematics and the sciences, and was already proficient in programming in BASIC. After 5 years of public school I considered myself lucky to get into Leicester Poly.

**** all wrong with leicester poly. I went there !

[psychocandy]

Hang on, you play rugger don't you?

Calling it rugger = owning up to liking it up the tulipter....

[EternalOptimist]

I think middle-class parents are just as bad as chav parents -

we covered that ^

for some, boarding is just a more expensive form of child neglect

[Mich the Tester]

Coming from a poly boy tester, that's a bit rich.

I'll have you know that when I was 13 I was considered 'gifted' and a child prodigy in mathematics and the sciences, and was already proficient in programming in BASIC. After 5 years of public school I considered myself lucky to get into Leicester Poly.

[sasguru]

Yes, after all he's a Microsoft Certified Notepad Specialist.

Coming from a poly boy tester, that's a bit rich.

[Mich the Tester]

That's the impression I have, TBO

Yes, but you're probably smaller than me, so there.

[OwlHoot]

.. people might get the impression I have 'unresolved issues'.

That's the impression I have, TBO

[Mich the Tester]

I think middle-class parents are just as bad as chav parents - in fact more so since they take an interest and are convinced their child is 'gifted' but not being nurtured correctly when they aren't recognised as a prodigy.
Parents who take an interest are both a blessing and a curse A bit like when one of your users says "I did a bit of coding macros in Word, I think your database could be improved..."

Some of them, yes, especially when they use their kids as accessories for social climbing. You only have to read the utterly nauseating 'round robin' letters we recieve each year at christmas. 'Young Hamish is off to Radley having passed his Common Entrance Examinations with flying colours! He'll be starting on 14 GCSEs so he'll have to work ever so hard; he says he wants to be a merchant banker when he leaves school, so he'll need good grades! Ollie's finished at Radley and he's off to California to achieve his dreams in filmmaking! Apparently the film's something to do with 'Fluffy' or 'Fluffington Bear'; obviously a childrens film and I'm sooooo looking forward to being invited to the premiere!'

Sometimes I feel like screwing those round robin letters up into a ball, going round to people's houses and then kicking them right up the place where all the other tulip comes out. But then, that would be violent and people might get the impression I have 'unresolved issues'.