*Helps pull the same oar*
I don't have any children of my own (probably for the best), but I did notice, as I was growing up, that the various other parents endured by my own parents had different views on their children's futures.

My own parents, like yourself, encouraged us to do our best, to work hard, to speak properly and above all, to be nice people, but wanted us to be happy wherever we were. My sister and I went quite happily through the state education system. The sperm from which I started had obviously been swimming in a good end of the gene pool, because, at the risk of sounding immodest, I showed a promising ability in science and was looking to do quite well.

The "other parents" spent a lot of time sweating their kids to get into the local grammar school. Yes, we had one of those ghastly "11+" systems. And if their kids didn't pass that test, they looked to the local private schools.

And every time I spoke to these parents, there also seemed to be an undertone to the standard questions of "how's school?" and "so which subjects are you taking for GCSE/A level?"

The undertone was, of course, "how well are you getting on in your state school? Can I justify the extra expenditure of sending my brat to the private school instead?"

In short, I became their state school control model.

How did we get to such a revoltingly elitist state? (Amusingly, I recently found out that one of these parents has been writing occasional columns for the Daily Mail...) I'd like to think that my own parents got their priorities right when raising their progeny.
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 4 Feb 2009, 10:15, 1 reply)

Hmmmm
I think elitism is good. We ought to be encouraging people to aim high. The problem arises when it's impossible, or next to impossible, for kids with a poor choice of parent to break into the elite.

I'd rather have fewer people in university, none of whom has to worry about debt because they get a grant, than more people generating debt - not least because that's a recipe for bright working-class kids to have dropped out after a year while their dumb middle-class flatmates stay on.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 4 Feb 2009, 10:35, closed)

Yes and no.
I'd rather have fewer people in university - the loss of the grant system was a great tragedy, and we're at risk of seeing the degree become worthless. I get as annoyed as the next man when I see the proportion of Oxbridge attendees who've just farted their way out of public school and onto a degree course, forsaking some genuine talent whose parents couldn't stump up the fees.

However, what also riles me is middle-class parents, like those I've just described, sweating and driving kids who really aren't that bright and would benefit far more from a proper childhood.
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 4 Feb 2009, 10:40, closed)