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Category Archives: education
Michael Gove and the Politics of School Uniform
We will support schools to introduce traditional blazer-and-tie uniforms, prefects and house systems.1 Michael Gove, parliamentary debate, 2010 Background Michael Gove, alumni of Robert Gordon College, Aberdeen, parades traditional values, which he claims to epitomise. He’s a Conservative cabinet minister. … Continue reading
American children on a subsistence farm, 1919
When not in school the Borlaug children did chores, rising before dawn and working until after sunset. Boys hoed weeds, dug potatoes, milked cows, stacked hay, hauled wood and water, fed chicken, cattle, and horses. Girls tended the vegetable garden, … Continue reading
Posted in education, Health, Literature
Tagged American subsistence farming, family culture, family life
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Boris Johnson meets Monty Python
Just when everyone thought satire was dead the UK’s morbidly obese Prime Minster decided to lead an anti-obesity campaign. It had taken a near-death Covid-19 experience to convince him that being morbidly obese was unhealthy. A quick learner with an … Continue reading
Posted in education, Film, Humour, TV sitcom
Tagged Black humour, Boris Johnson, Monty Python, Obesity
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Sir Philip Magnus School: The 1950s weekly games lessons appraised
I’ve written how I truly hated the weekly sports lessons on a previous occasion.* Summer was bad enough, with cricket and its incomprehensible rules. Winter was worse. Every week I waited, for the coach to turn up. Often I stood … Continue reading
Posted in Autobiography, education, School, Sport
Tagged compulsory education, compulsory sport, Cultural differences
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Book Review: James Hawes ~ My Little Armalite (2008)
I wrongly believed that this would stand in the tradition of Tom Sharpe and so looked forward to slap-stick humour. It isn’t Sharpe it’s a biting satire with lots of black humour. John Goode is a 45 year old university … Continue reading
Posted in education, housing, Literature, Review
Tagged middle-class angst, middle-class entitlement
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The Mozart Problem: Educating Exceptional Children
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
Posted in Economics, education, School
Tagged Alan Turing, Educational magic, exceptional children, Home-schooling, Ruth Lawrence
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Book Review: E M Delafield ~ The Diary of a Provincial Lady (1930)
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
Posted in education, Humour, Literature, Review
Tagged 1930s humour, daily life humour, fringes of aristocracy humour, Snobbery, social class humour
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Failing Maths at Sir Philip Magnus school, 1958
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
Posted in Autobiography, education, Mathematics, School
Tagged 1950s education, designed to fail, examination nerves
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A 1950s Ronald Searle cartoon
From Down with Skool by Willans and Searle
Posted in education, Humour, Literature
Tagged 1950s humour, corporal punishment, satire
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