Category Archives: education

Karl Marx studied in this room

Posted on July 9, 2020 by
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The Mozart Problem: Educating Exceptional Children

Posted on July 2, 2020 by

He was playing the harpsichord and the violin at the age of five, and writing little pieces of music.* Introduction Mozart’s father was a musician and realised Wolfgang was exceptional. Leopold home schooled his son, constantly expanding his musical frontiers. … Continue reading →

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Book Review: E M Delafield ~ The Diary of a Provincial Lady (1930)

Posted on June 29, 2020 by

Through the magic of Amazon’s pricing policy this costs 99p on Kindle. On the other hand if you wish to buy all five of the ‘Provincial Lady’ series you pay only 49p! Obviously it’s your decision but I risked 49p … Continue reading →

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Failing Maths at Sir Philip Magnus school, 1958

Posted on May 28, 2020 by

In June 1958 our class was told about the annual mathematics examination. This didn’t fill me with enthusiasm. I feared exams and I especially hated maths. Our teacher, Mr Jones, a hard Welshman from the Rhonda, made the announcement with … Continue reading →

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A 1950s Ronald Searle cartoon

Posted on April 30, 2020 by

From Down with Skool by Willans and Searle

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Thornhill Road School: my first day in 1949

Posted on April 2, 2020 by

My first day in infant school in 1949 wasn’t the best. I wasn’t used to being bullied by adults. My two older brothers had told me horror stories in our shared bedroom. “You have to obey orders straight away… if … Continue reading →

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Washing on the Front Room Table

Posted on March 29, 2020 by

Just before bedtime, We boys had to be washed The bowl of hot water, soap, flannel and towel On the table, waiting for each boy Dad would select one of us Never the same one twice, in line A soaped … Continue reading →

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Wittgenstein as a school teacher

Posted on February 17, 2020 by

Jonathan Rée writes insightfully about Wittgenstein’s life and work, but he does skate over one crucial detail (LRB, 21 November). After six years working in village schools in the Austrian Alps, Rée remarks, Wittgenstein ‘gave up teaching and returned to … Continue reading →

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Always listen to teacher

Posted on January 27, 2020 by
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Education divides society by wealth

Posted on January 27, 2020 by

Economists have found that many elite US universities – including Brown, Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton, and Yale – take more students from the top 1% of the income distribution than from the bottom 60%. To achieve a position in the top … Continue reading →

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