You only have to listen to the news and commentaries on the radio (which I do as I travel from place to place at work) to hear that our British education system is responsible for all the ills of society, from pregnant schoolgirls to obesity. Pregnant schoolgirls because the teaching of sex education is apparently inadequate in our schools and so these poor ignorant girls have no idea…etc, etc. Obesity because schools are not teaching children about healthy eating and are not showing them how to boil an egg or prepare and cook vegetables.
So, remind me, where do parents come in?
Do they have no part in educating their children re these issues?
Maybe society has totally lowered its expectations with regard to the role parents should play in productively raising their children … maybe it’s OK to give birth and then hand over all responsibility to ‘the professionals’…
But on the other hand, surely families are the best place for children to learn about relationships and morals and healthy eating and exercise and so on and so on.
I have first hand knowledge that both these issues - underage pregnancy and obesity, and many others that schools are slated for - are being addressed by schools. That is, they are covering them as well as they can given the fixed time per week that they have to share between English, Maths, Science, Modern Foreign Languages, History, Geography, P.E./Games, Art, Music, Information Technology, Religious Education, Design and Technology, FoodTech (how to boil an egg…) and Personal and Social Education (including sex education).
So, I want to make a plea:
Let schools get on with what they do best, preparing young people for adult life by giving them a wide range of skills and knowledge so that they have a good foundation on which to build their futures.
And stop undervaluing and insulting parents by assuming they cannot give their children a good grounding in social values and basic life skills - like boiling an egg.
January 16th, 2008
Scenario 1: I was in a DIY store, trying to browse among the door latches but was unable to move along the aisle because it was blocked by three people: two men and a woman. They were obviously all together, chatting, one man leaning on the trolley they were sharing. One way or another it was impossible to get past them or get at the shelves I wanted. A couple of time I said ‘Excuse me… Can I just get past please’… that sort of thing. Not only did they not move at all, but one man gave me a look that you would normally direct at something under a stone. Now you may think I am describing loutish yobs… but no. I guess they were early 60s, well dressed and groomed and she had a very expensive handbag….
Scenario 2: As I’m going through a door I hold it open for the person after me, a young woman half my age - who sails through it… and past me - without a word. Should I have curtsied…? Mmm.
Scenario 3: I stop to let a loud, screeching, straggling family across the road in front of me in a busy supermarket car park. Mum is busy yelling at the kids but dad, bringing up the rear with a toddler, turns and smiles at me and mouths ‘Thank You’.
Just three examples of incidents from the last couple of months.. So what is happening in society? Is courtesy now dying or dead? Actually, it is still very much alive in pockets all over the place but often totally lacking in places where you would traditionally expect to find it.
But my pet hate:
When someone in e.g. a supermarket walks past you and just when level with your ear chooses that moment to yell at someone else in the shop. One day I’m going to scream back. Or are there any other suggestions?!
There appears to be no real pattern of rudeness… no one age group or social class is all one thing or the other. In the end it seems to be a very personal choice: whether to show courtesy in your words and actions towards others…or not. And with so many adults making poor choices which are already impacting on society… what hope is there for their children?
December 24th, 2007
When did I write my first post? Ages ago - and the reason there hasn’t been another is because I forgot my password. Which I have now found. That and laziness. However, I am here now and intend to hone my skills by writing about once a week. But before I go, let me say a word or two about courtesy: as a pretty aged person, I am almost falling into the trap of ‘When I was young we didn’t behave like that..’ or even better: ‘Young people nowadays!’ However I have not fallen into the trap, but instead have decided to do a little research as I have a theory that courtesy is often to be found in slightly unlikely places and is conversely often totally lacking just where you would expect to find it. But I’m keeping further thoughts for next time. Goodnight!
December 17th, 2007
This is my first post - more soon!
September 11th, 2006