Back to Britain, blogging and bird fluAnd it's back to rainy old Cardiff again.
After spending the winter getting paid to go skiing every day, i now find myself paying to be given work to do. It's a sharp contrast and one that my body has violently protested against by conracting bird flu. Or the Ebola virus. I'm not sure which but its definitely one of them, because a hardman like me doesn't moan about being ill. Oh no.
I think it must be the change of air. Over Christmas i was working for a ski club in Wengen, Switzerland. They very kindly pay me to lead groups of teenagers for the day, on the assumption that i won't lose any of them, or resort to corporal punishment to keep them in line.
To be honest, the thought crossed my mind more than once. The kids i was teaching were that special breed of mansion-dwelling, corn-fed, pony-riding boarding school brats who are supremely confident in their own opinions. Now, i don't claim to be a street urchin, but there's something about boarding school that can really damage a child's concept of manners.
It's odd, because that seems to be the reason why their parents send them there, to learn discipline. The reality is quite the reverse though. If you attend an ordinary day school, you know that any time you do something wrong, you'll have to face your parents. Any form of miscreancy is therefore met not just with punishment, but with that awful 'I'm so disappointed in you' look that parents mastered long ago.
At boarding school though, the only consequence of misbehaviour is punishment. It must be endured, but does it really inspire guilt? From the behaviour of some of my young charges, i think not. Indeed, it seems to inspire a supreme confidence in never being wrong about anything.
I don't mean to be harsh on the kids themselves. Most were nice at heart and they could sometimes be a pleasure to ski with. But it shocked me to see how sheltered they are, how little they know of life outside the walls of whatever prestigious establishments they attend. Even worse is the thought that some of them will never know an existence beyond those close-knit establishment circles.
All of this points in one direction...i do not believe that boarding schools should exist. In fact, i'm not in favour of fee-paying education at all. As a product of the private system, i feel that i've had benefits which i would not have had if my parents had been less well-off. That seems instinctively wrong. Surely, all people ought to start life with the same opportunities as far as education is concerned.
Say that to any parent who has put their child through the private system and you'll get the same answer. 'There isn't a decent state school in the area and you can't muck around when it comes to your own kids.'
Well, i understand that sentiment. But i also understand that it takes bravery and sacrifice to change society for the better. I only hope that i will be able to stick by my principles if and when i am a parent myself.
I despair of the education system changing for the better under the current administration. Faith schools and trust schools seem like disastrous ideas to me and i wish Ruth Kelly the best of luck in getting ousted from her job as soon as possible. I can only hope that future governments will look more closely at the discrepancies between the schooling experienced by children in this country. Only then will we see something akin to a completely fair education system in Britain.
I would welcome people's comments about state vs. private education, because i know it's an issue that people feel strongly about. Parents' comments are particularly welcome.
