Just discovered this! From ex pupil of Girls school

Discussion of the children's schools in the UK.
Shout
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Postby Shout » Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:05 am

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Last edited by Shout on Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:41 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Daniel Gregory
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T.s

Postby Daniel Gregory » Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:50 pm

Hello T.S,

Just wanted to say that in six years of schooling at St Vedast boy's, I was caned, slippered, rulered, kicked, slapped around the face and even had my hair pulled out by a teacher. I was reduced to sobbing tears in front of my class once and depressed often but I am not convinced that any of these memories are as bad as the dress saga you wrote about a few days ago.

I am not suprised by it though. Some of the teachers (not all) from St V. and St J. back in our day seemed to lack any sort of imagination regarding discipline and motivation with regards to children. I wander how many of the worst teachers regarding this subject had children of there own. I can think of a few myself who didn't........

Take care T.S and write about more of your worst memories 'cos you need to get them out of your brain and into the open. You know it makes you feel better!

Danny Gregory :microwave:

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Postby a different guest » Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:01 pm

the primary aged girls at the Sydney school get some "special" treatment. This from the John Colet school site (and it was well buried too).

Their teachers are also selected because they themselves are on this search


so the teachers are ALL ses

The senior girls this year [1999] have been looking at a number of topics which include qualities such as forgiveness, obedience and its practical relevance


and this from a 10 year old
When I obey instantly what anybody asks of me, I feel light and happy." (10 yrs old )


scary huh?

Tom Grubb
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Re: T.s

Postby Tom Grubb » Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:19 pm

Hi Daniel,

Good to see your name here! I remember you from my St Vedast days.

Tom

Daniel Gregory wrote:Hello T.S,

Just wanted to say that in six years of schooling at St Vedast boy's, I was caned, slippered, rulered, kicked, slapped around the face and even had my hair pulled out by a teacher. I was reduced to sobbing tears in front of my class once and depressed often but I am not convinced that any of these memories are as bad as the dress saga you wrote about a few days ago.

I am not suprised by it though. Some of the teachers (not all) from St V. and St J. back in our day seemed to lack any sort of imagination regarding discipline and motivation with regards to children. I wander how many of the worst teachers regarding this subject had children of there own. I can think of a few myself who didn't........

Take care T.S and write about more of your worst memories 'cos you need to get them out of your brain and into the open. You know it makes you feel better!

Danny Gregory :microwave:

Tom Grubb
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Postby Tom Grubb » Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:27 pm

a different guest wrote:and this from a 10 year old
When I obey instantly what anybody asks of me, I feel light and happy." (10 yrs old )


scary huh?

Really scary! It's such an unnatural thing for a 10-year-old child to say. This is the sort of dangerous, stupid and fascistic rubbish that the SES tried to brainwash children into believing thirty years ago at St Vedast. It seems it's still happening...

Tom

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Postby a different guest » Tue Feb 15, 2005 10:19 pm

Tom - there are also interesting differences in the poetry they have on the website of the Melbourne school - I may be wrong but I am assuming the poems on the left are written by girls and the poems on the right by boys.
http://www.erasmus.vic.edu.au/poetry.html
also the graduation speeches
http://www.erasmus.vic.edu.au/speeches.html
why is the boy the "school captain" while the girl is the "girl school captain"? Interesting that she thanks McLaren.

Tom Grubb
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Postby Tom Grubb » Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:33 pm

Yes, a different guest, it's very interesting (and rather sinister) stuff. Thanks for pointing it out. There's something rather creepy about the poetry, isn't there? Obviously, the pupils have been given models (Shakespeare? Kipling?) but it's still frightening how forced, moralistic and dogmatic a lot of it is, especially the boys'(?) stuff:
"Be not too gaudy in the lifestyle that may please,
So that debts will not bring you grovelling to your knees."

And the speeches are really weird. Here are some sentences from Michaela's speech. Do these sound like the words of someone who has been taught "to have an open mind"?

"In a way, Erasmus brought me down to earth and helped me realise that there are other people in the world than myself."

"The maths we do is based on the ancient Vedic system which I have found much more efficient than the newer version. Old is gold they say."

"It is clear to me that Erasmus has not just been my school, it has been my second home."

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Postby a different guest » Wed Feb 16, 2005 3:53 am

Tom Grubb wrote: but it's still frightening how forced, moralistic and dogmatic a lot of it is, especially the boys'(?) stuff:


Not to mention turgid.

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Postby chrisdevere » Wed Feb 16, 2005 12:55 pm

Guys I agree the graduation speeches are abit scary and allude quite clearly to SES grooming. However I do think you are being a bit over sensitive on the poetry, it may not be quite to your taste. but personally I would say it is quite good. I think you might be trying to read a bit too much in nto it????
Christopher de Vere
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Tom Grubb
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Postby Tom Grubb » Wed Feb 16, 2005 6:24 pm

chrisdevere wrote:Guys I agree the graduation speeches are abit scary and allude quite clearly to SES grooming. However I do think you are being a bit over sensitive on the poetry, it may not be quite to your taste. but personally I would say it is quite good. I think you might be trying to read a bit too much in nto it????

You may be right. If I'd seen similar poems on a state school's website, I might well have had a different response. I agree that the poems are good, by the way. The children have obviously put a lot of thought and work into them. But, reading Akshay's and Aleks's efforts again, there still seems something quite creepy about them!

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Postby a different guest » Wed Feb 16, 2005 10:20 pm

just on the poetry - and what you might not pick up being poms yourselves, is the OVERT englishness of the imagery of the girls' poems.

Bit odd for an aussie school don't you think?

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Postby chrisdevere » Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:22 am

I do not think you can blame the SES for making people overtly english. Even if you could what is wrong with aspiring to the virtues and qualities of ones mother country. When there is a shared heritage and culture, and common bond. Many of the worlds great poets are English. Australia was also founded by the English as an English Colony. There are great Australian poets too E.G. AB Patterson who is one of my all time favourites. However it is natural for Australians to look to the Mother country for history and culture, whilst also developing their own culture.

I think the speaches much more scary! the poem where the boy refers to self and truth. Could be SES crap but just as much could not be. I think they are quite good. Criticising a childs poem (Of which they are problaby very proud) smacks a bit of us starting to sound like characters from Arthur Millers the Crucible!!! Witches everywhere...... Burn them!!!!!

P.S. I am Australian by Birth and citizenship, but still fiercly proud of being decended from settlers who sailed from England.

p.p.s Pom is most likley derived from the term "Prisoner of His Majesty" and therfore best applied to people from Sydney or Tasmania! ;o)
Christopher de Vere
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Postby a different guest » Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:58 am

what is wrong with aspiring to the virtues and qualities of ones mother country


mother country? ROFL you ARE out of touch aren't you.

Australia has its own identity now and is quite proud of it. The only people who stll talk about the "mother country" are generally found in nursing homes.

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Postby Goblinboy » Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:51 am

chrisdevere wrote: However it is natural for Australians to look to the Mother country for history and culture, whilst also developing their own culture.


Now surely that's flame bait Chris. You can't be serious. Agree that there's a legacy of some shared culture, but viewing the UK as "the mother country" in Oz is mostly limited to a handful of rather odd Monarchists (which, unfortunately, include the current PM).

chrisdevere wrote: I think the speaches much more scary!


Yup. But also a bit sad - neither they nor the boy's poems come across as authentic child's voices - they have the forced and cliched style of people apparently groomed to be little adults, rather than children.

Notice how the boy's poems are active, paternal and commanding in style and substance, and how the girl's pieces are essentially passive and descriptive. More toeing of the party line, it would seem.

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Postby chrisdevere » Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:54 am

Do i detect a touch of republicanism? :o) I can assure you that I am nowhere near nursing home age, nor is my younger brother or any of my cousins. (I being the exception now live in England, they all live in Australia). Although our ancestors settled in OZ about 200 years ago England is still very much the mother country to my whole family and most of our friends too (Well Scotland is for some of them). I think in the same way an Indian who lives in England despite being English would still consider India his mother country.

I think a majority of Australians still feel England the mother country having voted in a referendum to keep Her Majesty the Queen as head of state for Australia?
Christopher de Vere
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