Amongst my favourite Smiths Lyrics that captured the feeling of stern faced draconian teachers hellbent on using physical violence instead of teaching harmoniously.Belligerent ghouls
Run Manchester schools
Perhaps the main problem is the idea that you have to be good as something to do it. I think there's a lot of this in school. Being afraid to fail at something, especially in front of other kids. So a lot of people don't try, because how can anyone take the piss when you don't care yourself?I loved school on the whole and did very well out of it and have gone a few degrees as well now. Made life-ling friends there and loved most of the subjects and had some great teachers.
One thing I wonder about though is that I HATED some subjects. Anything craft like, woodwork, sewing, tech drawing etc I fucking hated and was no good at it. I never enjoyed those classes and I'd get really down doing everything wrong. I figured out early that I would never make things and would prefer to do something I was good at yo earn money to buy shit like aprons from people who are good at making them. In effect, I learned Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and the Invisible Hand as a 12 year old through exposure to shit I hated! :) my Mum still has a wonky mugtree I badly made!!
As I've got older and have a son, I will never make him do shit he's not into. Concentrate of stuff you like - if he hates crafts like me then you shouldn't make anyone do it.
I was lucky that I loved PE and was good enough at sports to be ina few teams, but some kids hated PE like my best mate who - looking back - has something like dyspraxia. He shouldn't have been made to do it and he learned to hate sport as much as I hated crafts.
People should just be allowed to learn what they want and not be forced to learn subjects they hate.
I sometimes think that school days are wasted on the young though :)
I agree with a lot of that - wanting to do something, at any level, is great if you are wanting to do it.Perhaps the main problem is the idea that you have to be good as something to do it. I think there's a lot of this in school. Being afraid to fail at something, especially in front of other kids. So a lot of people don't try, because how can anyone take the piss when you don't care yourself?
I have a friend who's pretty sporty and good at most sports, but he'd always refuse to come rock climbing with us, and I'm convinced that the main reason was because he didn't want to be the shit one in the group at a sport, because he was so used to being one of the best.
We need to make it okay to be in a shit band, to be an actor who's only good enough to be in an amateur dramatics version of Dick Whittington, to write crap poems, to make a shit spice rack in woodwork class, to play five-a-side with another bunch of overweight, middle-aged blokes with no co-ordination. We have this attitude, particularly in education, that if you're never going to make a living doing it professionally, that it's worthless. That's why no-one has a hobby any more.
I'm not sure about that mate. A couple of reasons. Firstly, I think it teaches kids that if they don't enjoy something, they can just not do it. That's a very poor life lesson, because even the most amazing job in the world (which most people don't get) will have elements that you hate but still need doing.I agree with a lot of that - wanting to do something, at any level, is great if you are wanting to do it.
I'd also give people the option of not doing ANY subject if they aren't into it. If you don't want to do maths then don't study it - you will learn it through other means rather than in a classroom etc.
All valid points and totally taken them on board. I guess my view is that if you're into space etc you will learn maths anyway as part of your interest in it - I learnt algebra teaching myself how to code as a kid for example. I guess I'm just using my experience really.I'm not sure about that mate. A couple of reasons. Firstly, I think it teaches kids that if they don't enjoy something, they can just not do it. That's a very poor life lesson, because even the most amazing job in the world (which most people don't get) will have elements that you hate but still need doing.
The other issue is that subjects at interrelated and build/rely on each other. You're not going to study cosmology without a serious grounding in maths and physics, for example. You're not going to study film and media studies without decent English literature/language skills. So if a kid can opt out of these early on, then you're limiting their choices later.