Towards a practical resolution for pupils past and present

Discussion of the children's schools in the UK.
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Stanton
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Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:23 am

Postby Stanton » Sun Mar 05, 2006 8:19 pm

Please see my post on the Experiences at St Vedast thread.

Free
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Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:30 pm

Postby Free » Tue Mar 07, 2006 10:50 pm

<delete>
Last edited by Free on Wed Oct 05, 2011 10:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ross nolan
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Joined: Fri May 20, 2005 5:10 am
Location: Melbourne Australia

"Truth" and reconciliation

Postby ross nolan » Tue Mar 07, 2006 11:36 pm

Free and others,
I am probably the one guilty of first using the analogy to the South African truth and reconciliation commission -- do not overlook the small fact that the S.A. commission took place AFTER the repudiation and cessation of the foul doctrine that it addressed.

The SES/SOP are STILL peddling their foul doctrines which, despite their repetition of their devotion to the "Truth" are nothing like truth in fact nor are they truthful in their description of their activities, teachings and objectives.

You surely cannot expect someone to accept an apology that they were lied to and deceived by the same people who continue to carry out the same abuse on others ?

I refer not only to the conduct of the St James 'junior' schools but to the bulk of the SES/SOP adult schools who peddle the same claptrap disguised by vague and deceptive but beguiling terms that are designed to appeal to persons with a sensitive and inquiring bent .
In one instance I personally know of a government unemployment office employee was going to send a person having depressive problems along to the school of philosophy " because it sounded just like she
needed" Adults can be vulnerable and exploited as well as children.

The S.A. truth and reconcilliation commission was dealing almost exclusively with adults but similarly had to overturn a form of brainwashing conveyed by repeated assertions of dogma (blacks are inferior, you have no rights, the law says you are second class , etc etc)
and brutal physical enforcement at regular intervals to impose 'order' -- any 'truth' that has to be forcibly imposed and resorts to the exercise and holding of authority and brute power is clearly not inherently accetable to it's subjects or acts by consent or persuasian -- could you expect blacks to 'reconcile' with the apartheid regime and teachings whilst it was still being applied and defended ? (If not then why expect it with the SES ?)

The teachings of the SES and SOP, whether in junior schools or in adult classes are in no way a "study of philosophy" or for the betterment of the community they are offered to -- they are essentially religious,dogmatic,misrepresented, worthy of ridicule and unhealthy in both mental health terms and the body behind it is not altruistic or charitable but bent on the acquisition of power,money and influence -- it continues to do much harm to it's 'victims'.

Until that harm STOPS and the wrongdoing STOPS then any valid comparison with the truth and reconciliation commission in South Africa has to include Nelson Mandela still in a cage and his compatriots living in fear of ongoing abuse.

Forgiveness has to follow CHANGE and an acknowledgement of having been doing wrong.

The means of disseminating the warped SES doctrine via the schools (day or night) might have changed slightly (less brutality ) but the essential purpose and dogma has not.

Ross.
Skeptic

Jerome
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Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 7:26 pm
Location: LONDON

Postby Jerome » Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:16 pm

FT & daska

sorry for the lateness, only checked this thread. Yes, as I have stated before (bravo for digging out the good old trusty quotes) yes I do want the truth to be told, as do the majority of my peers if only to put an end to this whole wretched business. I agree with james that some sort of reprimand should be handed out, but as I wasn't at the other end of the gun my idea of a reprimand is completely different from yours.

Jerome

nilsabm
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Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 7:31 pm

Postby nilsabm » Fri Apr 28, 2006 9:29 pm

Given the lack of willing SES/school member response to this thread on reconciliation, I gave up asking for opinions and signed the open letter.

However: Chittani wrote

I'd like to make a practical proposition that might help to move things forward for everyone.

There are a fair number of people who were pupils at St Vedast or St James and who now either work at the schools, have worked there, or are members of the School of Economic Science. These people have a very different perspective on what happened to the older people in those organisations. Most of them have a lot of criticisms of the way things were and still are, despite their continuing involvement. Partly, this is because none of them are in really responsible positions that would allow them to implement change. One might say that this last fact is responsible for the lack of progress at St James over the past couple of years.

They have been meeting with the former heads of St James in recent weeks, and what they have had to say has, I am told, "stunned" the head teachers. Obviously, the heads could have taken the message on board before, but I think hearing it from their own has brought it home. I wasn't present as I'm not ex-St James, but I've recently witnessed unprecedented conversations in which these people have said to senior figures in the School such things as: "let us teach our subjects, not philosophy", "we need impartial governors who are not in the SES", and that "the SES must apologise for what happened". Again, the message got through.

These people are, in my opinion, the key to St James (and the School) finding its way out of the present impasse. They know how bad things were, and want change, but they are trusted by the Governors and senior School tutors. Some of them have become radicalised recently because of this board and the Report, and others are more conservative, but I think everyone is unhappy with the present state of affairs.

So the suggestion would be to arrange a meeting between some of the complainants and a select group of their ex-schoolmates, just to see what could be done. From what I have seen, there is a wide agreement between both groups already as to the changes that need to take place. If both groups could satisfy themselves as to the bona fides of the other, then I think everyone here would agree that a resolution would not be too distant.

What does anyone think?


I am glad, if this information is true, to see that the school is finally coming to realise that the experiences recounted by ex-pupils on this site have not been fabricated and that their calls for meaningful change are based on serious concerns.

So thank you for passing on this information Chittani - I sincerely hope this isn't another SES smokescreen!!!

It would be useful for those of us here, to see an outline proposition, put together by ex-pupils still within the organisation, of what changes they think should/could be made both within and outside the schools, posted on this site. Many here have, of course, signed the open letter, so have already stated the course of action they think should be taken.

daska
Posts: 270
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 8:29 pm
Location: UK

Postby daska » Mon May 08, 2006 4:53 pm

concerned-parent wrote:I utterly support the call for the governors resignation, because of exactly this; "they did nothing to ensure we were safe when we were at school". They should go because of this, full stop.


From "Stanton: "...otherwise the children will be harmed"" 8th May 2006

BoeingDriver
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 9:55 am

Postby BoeingDriver » Mon May 08, 2006 8:22 pm

Daska,

Exactly.

Question is: When will they see this?

"There are none so blind as those who will not see".


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