I don't really like dwelling too much on myself (I'm an oddity rather than typical) but I do feel impelled to comment on the sudden demand to expand the old grammar school system in the UK on the basis of it 'giving intelligent but poor kids a leg-up' (http://www.theguardian.com/education/grammarschools). Having medical problems (long vanished) I 'failed' the 11+ twice in days when grammars and secondary moderns both stalked the land. In spite of this (due to a lot of hard work and teacher-led help which at no stage involved a grammar school), I went on to become the first person in my family to go to university, was appointed Professor of Zoology at an early age, generated more than 200 scientific publications on a wide range of topics, chaired the national body of university heads of Biological Sciences and even (1980) got a silver medal for medical science sponsored by UNESCO and WHO. I would just like to make 2 points. The first is that really poor kids are at a disadvantage in this selective system as many parents pay for coaching of their children (homes also vary greatly in terms of the provision of learning aids). I also feel that selecting at a specific age precludes late developers and kids who just happen to be hit by the tests at a difficult time.
This blog may help people explore some of the 'hidden' issues involved in certain media treatments of environmental and scientific issues. Using personal digital images, it's also intended to emphasise seasonal (and other) changes in natural history of the Swansea (South Wales) area. The material should help participants in field-based modules and people generally interested in the natural world. The views are wholly those of the author.
Saturday 7 March 2015
Bad Grammar?
I don't really like dwelling too much on myself (I'm an oddity rather than typical) but I do feel impelled to comment on the sudden demand to expand the old grammar school system in the UK on the basis of it 'giving intelligent but poor kids a leg-up' (http://www.theguardian.com/education/grammarschools). Having medical problems (long vanished) I 'failed' the 11+ twice in days when grammars and secondary moderns both stalked the land. In spite of this (due to a lot of hard work and teacher-led help which at no stage involved a grammar school), I went on to become the first person in my family to go to university, was appointed Professor of Zoology at an early age, generated more than 200 scientific publications on a wide range of topics, chaired the national body of university heads of Biological Sciences and even (1980) got a silver medal for medical science sponsored by UNESCO and WHO. I would just like to make 2 points. The first is that really poor kids are at a disadvantage in this selective system as many parents pay for coaching of their children (homes also vary greatly in terms of the provision of learning aids). I also feel that selecting at a specific age precludes late developers and kids who just happen to be hit by the tests at a difficult time.
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