In these 'interesting times' how good is it to hear that someone you admire shares your views?
This quote is from an interview by Sinclair Mckay with "Horrible Histories" author Terry Deary (Telegraph, 1st September 2009):-
Deary is profoundly opposed to schools. That is, to the institution of school itself – to the extent that he will never accept an invitation to give a talk in one.
“I get 200 requests a year and the answer is no,” he says. “I detest schools with a passion. I’d rather cut off my left arm and eat it with Marmite than go into a school. And I don’t even like Marmite.
“Schools are an utter waste of young life. Learning things that will never be any use to you. The only reason they are there is to keep kids off the street. They were a Victorian invention. The Industrial Revolution took kids from their families and made the parents work in factories long hours. Then they said, ‘we can’t have these little kids working here.’ So what do we do? Lock them all up in the same room all day and we’ll call it school. I spent hours learning trigonometry, physics, none of which prepared me for life. Relationships, talking to people, managing money, planning your career, how to help someone who has cut their leg open. I have had to learn these things by default.
“There won’t be any schools in 25 years. There will be mentoring. Older people passing their skills on to younger people. Teachers know nothing about life and the real needs of pupils.”
Go Terry!, Go Terry!, Go Terry! ....
Unfortunately, not to burst your bubble or anything, Mr. Deary has responded to request from home educators by saying that he thinks kids need to be in school. Or, at least need to be checked on by the authorities. So, damned if you do, damned if you don't with him, I guess.
ReplyDeleteHi! ::waves slightly manically::