Talking about school

The git who spawned me was a nasty,ignorant piece of shite-but his mum was not so that`s where my genes come from.

But back to school. Never had children so what to say? What about the 11+? It gave me a chance to `better myself`as it were.

Or is that just nostalgia?-school was hard as there was no support from the git but I just about made it-without the 11+ who knows?

Re: Talking about school

Well we all had to go to school OG whether we liked it or not. In my day school meant different things to different folks depending on how much dosh the old man had, to the vast majority of us it was something you did before you left to go to work at 14, usually on a messenger bike. To the lucky others it was a place to set you up in life in a career of your choosing and good luck to them, I would never begrudge anyone a good education, some of my best friends are educated men so they tell me and they have the papers to prove it, but you can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear no matter how much daddy spends on them, thankfully nowadays things have changed for the better and everyone gets a fair crack of the whip (pardon the pun)

Re: Talking about school

A lot of people made it without the 11+ OG.
I have always maintained that common sense is more important than academic 'cleverness' I still believe that.

Re: Talking about school

I didn't pass my 11+ as most of my friends were going to the
Secondary Modern school so I went there.
Left school at 15 and taught myself all the jobs you do in a office as the
other alternative was working in a mill sewing.
Did well in that I always got a job. Started work full time again when I was
late 40's and had a good career in telemarketing for years.
Best thing I did was knowing I was intelligent but given no chance at school. I went to college at 42 and did a A level and 3 GCSE's and that
helped me get my good jobs in telemarketing plus I do have the gift
of the gab which is mine all mine
I notice your dislike of your Dad OJ. Lots of Dads were like that in
those days. They had been treated badly by their Dad, hard work,
and in my Dads case going to War for 6 years. He didn't like kids
much either although he did have 4.
Got on with my own life when I was old enough to leave home and
thinking back it was my Dad who missed out on having a wonderful
daughter not me having a wonderful Dad.

Re: Talking about school

I was really lucky. My dad was one of nature's gentlemen and if I have grown up to be half the man he was I will be very satisfied. Throughout the early years of my childhood I only ever saw him for a few brief moments each day apart from Sunday. He worked in a factory doing hard manual labour and always did whatever overtime was going to maximise the family income. When he got home at about 7.30pm, although he was tired and hungry, his first act on getting in to the house was to come upstairs and read my sisters and I a story, then kiss us goodnight. Only then would he go wearily downstairs for his dinner. Sundays were like a holiday because dad was home all day. On Sunday morning he would help my mum clean the whole house, and Sunday afternoon would be spent working in the garden on the vegetable patch before going indoors for dinner while listening to Journey Into Space or Dan Dare on the radio. Although we were a bog standard, hard-up, working class family, my mum and dad always believed in education and set a good example for us kids by being avid readers. They taught us to read before we went to school, so we had a head start by the time we got there.

Re: Talking about school

I also did not pass my 11+ , i could not wait to leave school, i thought you only went to pass the time of day.

Once i had left i had to figure out what i wanted to do, so I learnt to use a typewriter, then went to night school. I know what you are thinking but in my mind night school was to do the things that i wanted to do and not the things that i had to do.

Passed my typing exams which meant i could go and work in an office. From there i continued to progress and got my diploma in Management where i went on to bigger and better things.

Us folk are strange.

Re: Talking about school

I did pass my 11+ and of course my folks wanted me to go to Grammar school. I wanted to go to the Technical colege which was science & maths based. I was exempted first year, so started straight into 2nd form, so did my O levels at 14/15 and found they were a doddle. I ran out of steam at A level and being a lazy sod, just about managed to get enough for University entrance..

I did reasonably OK and had a good career in Engineering & IT. In spite of this, my mother was always telling me how well other people were doing and how I should have gone to Grammar school etc... This was for HER benefit, not mine. If I did somethin 'wrong', it was all "what would people think of HER" and if I did something 'right', it was "Look at me, I'm a good mother". She never acknowledged my success.

As the poem goes.. "Man hands on misery to man"

Re: Talking about school

[QUOTE=carol;518163]A lot of people made it without the 11+ OG.
I have always maintained that common sense is more important than academic 'cleverness' I still believe that.[/QUOTE]

So true !

Re: Talking about school

Of course I have no clue what an 11+ is..

Re: Talking about school

@Audrey11 - back in the '60's when most of us here went to secondary school (What you would call "High School") there was a tripartite system of secondary education. At age 11, children took an examination (the 11+) the results of which determined if you went to Grammar School (the most academic), Technical School (academic but with a science & technology bias) or Secondary Modern (non-academic, vocational). This system was in place until it was finally abolished in 1976 and all (state) schools became "Comprehensive" Schools where (the theory goes) mixed ability teaching would improve the educational attainment of the least bright. (In my view the opposite has been the case and the comprehensive system has been a disaster for bright working class children).