Stephen Fry once said that he didn’t much have an opinion on corporal punishment or fagging but he did know that the first generation of British men not to go through it presided over the loss of Empire.

I spent my teenage years attending a rather brutal Australian boarding school, closely modeled after Eton and Harrow. I agree with Stephen Fry - I don’t know whether I think it’s good for kids to grow up in that tough environment. But I do know that it leads to a toughness and confidence that will be extremely useful in their later lives.

One of the worst things a school can do to its students is leave them with the impression that the world is a meritocracy where great things always happen to nice people who play by the rules. That’s what TV is for.

Kids need to learn how to use their judgement to deal with problems themselves, to stand up to people, to yield when yielding is artful, and work hard to get what they want. It’s much harder to learn these skills when teachers or parents continuously control every aspect of your environment.

(thanks to indefensible for the quote)
Cite Arrow reblogged from indefensible
Tags: decline and fall english school 9 notes | | Sep 20, 2009
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