Hello people of the internet! Strap in, because I fancy chatting aimlessly to you about school. So consider this one a bit of a ramble. If you’re new here and was totally expecting traditional “business” style emails from Teddy Eva Scents, then you are very much mistaken. This is simply just waffle. Lots and lots of waffle. Let’s go!
Just a ramble about school...
I fancy talking about this because for some reason the topic of comprehensive school came up with me and Rachel and then I did what I always tend to do, and that’s go off on a tangent and talk bollocks.
It kinda just got me thinking about WHY the kids should even go to comprehensive in the first place? Or at least all the way to finishing it.
Personally, I think when most people hear a question like that they instantly get a little bit defensive - Rachel did have her “fuck sake, here we go” face on when I said it. But going to comp is just one of those things that you’re supposed to do, and things we’re supposed to do are deeply intertwined in our brains, so we naturally have a more defensive view on them.
But seriously, I really don’t understand the benefits to comp these days.
Before I start, I want you to sit there and genuinely ponder one question:
What’s the PURPOSE of comprehensive school?
Like what is it that it hopes to achieve?
Is it to get qualifications so you can get a job? Is it to get a broad base of education to better serve you in life? Is it to make friends and be social? Is it to learn how to be a good worker so you can get a regular job?
Probably some combination of all of that. But it’s incredibly inefficient at doing ALL of those things.
Side note: I think comps are about TWO things:
Getting higher pass rates so they can get better funding
Teaching kids to become workers
That’s it.
You might have individual teachers with a genuine passion for what they do, but the system as a whole is a little more… well, systematic.
“You need to go to comp in order to get GCSEs so you can get a job.”
True. But can we all admit that that’s bollocks? We don’t ask about GCSEs when we hire, and I can’t imagine many jobs really caring that much.
And you don’t need that many GCSEs in order to get a job or progress on to college either. Typically you only need 5 GCSEs at A*-C in order to get into college. So why then are we forced to do more? Why not just do 5 and work on them sooner? If someone focused on 5 subjects I’m pretty sure they could get GCSE ready a few years earlier.
And if you wanna say comprehensive school is about giving pupils a broad education for life then allow them to drop more GCSEs and do “life” lessons instead. Have real life people come in and take a lesson on savings, investing, video editing, business, washing stuff, what to expect when you have your own house, how to look after to kids.
OR, HEAVEN FORBID… Have wanky “subjects” that are simply just there for FUN. Have a fucking movie class, or comic book session. Let the kids decide what they’d like to do and use some of that sodding budget you have to allow them to do that.
Why can’t a kid who’s dead set on a certain career path just focus on 5 subjects and that’s it? Drop all the bollocks, and take their GCSEs at 14 and move straight onto college? You’re literally robbing them of HOURS of their life every day making them sit through lessons they don’t care about, to learn things they’ll never need.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for a basic level of education. We should all have a good understanding of maths, english, science, and all the rest of it. But let’s be honest, after the basics we’re kinda learning shit for the sake of it.
It’s like the schools have gone “ah fuck, we’ve got them for 4 more years, let’s teach them about rocks.”
I don’t need to learn about photosynthesis, or the anatomy of a cell, or whatever the fuck Zinc is on the Periodic table. If you’re balls deep into elements then absolutely learn about Zinc. But if you tried to teach me about it then I’d tell you to Fluorine, Uranium, Carbon, Potassium, Oxygen, Fluorine, Fluorine.
That spells out FUCK OFF on the periodic table.
I guess learning can be fun.
What would I do instead?
I’m not going to get into a whole “what I’d change about schools” rant because A) I already kinda have. And B) I’d only end up making this a hell of a lot longer than any of you lot would want. I dare say a good amount of you like a nice long one, but let’s not take the piss.
Although I would change the holiday system. If you genuinely cared about the kids and the family then why would you want to FINE SOMEONE for taking their child on a sodding holiday that was more affordable? I’m guessing that the schools funding is impacted by attendance rates too then?
Moving on…
For me, all I’m going to do is simple. I’ll just tell the kids that they genuinely don’t have to go to comp if they don’t want to.
You don’t need it.
I’ll help you with GCSEs if you want them, and I’ll help you find what you’re passionate about and do whatever I can to help you pursue it. Oh, and if you want a job, then I dare say I can teach you something to do at Teddy Eva Scents. After all, once you hit 13 you can go on payroll.
Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT going to force or steer the kids into the business. If they’re keen, interested, and able to do something, then by all means I’ll find them something. PLEASE GOD make one of them have an interest for VAT returns!?
But these days education is unbelievably easy to access, and Chat GPT has only made it easier to digest as you can literally have a conversation with it about anything - apart from erotic stuff, it doesn’t like that.
Now imagine what AI will be like in 5+ years time.
Give it a few years and you’ll probably have your very own digital tutor who will remember past lessons, be able to contextually respond to questions, and be available 24/7 for 1 on 1 lessons.
So if the main purpose of comp is education, then that’s gone. There’s a better way of doing it. One where you can do it YOUR way, on your time, studying the things YOU want.
I will say this…
Literally my only concern over “homeschooling” at comp age would be the socialising part. You probably would struggle keeping school friends if you suddenly just stopped going. Sure, you’d then pick up friends from classes/sports/groups you join - which ironically you’d have more time for when you’re not knackered from school and have homework to do.
Side note: I would happily write letters to the school saying she’s exempt from homework. If you wanna teach kids about the real world then don’t make them do work outside of work unless you want to compensate them.
So for example, Isabelle has ballet friends, and then school friends. I dare say she’d do more classes of varying things and make friends that way. Who knows.
Other than that, that’s it.
But yeah… I guess this has just got me thinking…
Sorry about the waffle. I guess sometimes I like thinking about why we do things. Maybe we should question more things more often. School is one of those things that easily gets my back up - which is probably weird from someone who did well in school.
I just have strong feelings about some elements of school. I guess I just hate the idea of someone trying to box someone in and make them do stuff that they don’t like, just to get an outcome they haven’t asked for.
So yeah, there’s an absolutely pointless email for all of you. The unsubscribe button is around here somewhere, feel free to hit it on the way out 😂
Much love,
Ross & Rachel x
I agree with this so much it made me make a Substack account just to respond. I was bullied badly at school, left there with no friends and minimal GCSEs. Went to college after a year and was able to focus on what I really wanted to do, re-sat my maths GCSE and I've been making use of my Public Services BTEC (make of that what you will) ever since. Forcing kids to sit through hours of schooling that they either won't remember or won't use is useless. It's time the whole system had a shakeup and the kids were put first, not the budgets
School is based on values and needs of over 150 years ago and has not been updated since. Nursery and preschool is to prepare children for socialising and for recognising their own name, then primary is to learn to read, write and socialise more. Secondary is to prepare for testing of what you have learnt in primary and the first three years of secondary… then college is to build on any specialties or likes you may have in the hope that you will ‘never work a day if you enjoy what you do’… uni is then for those that decide to know more - for better or worse.
The only things that have changed are in the workplace… entrance to basic jobs may be easier in some ways, but to be above minimum wage and respected some companies prefer degree equivalent and above - so how do we do it? We need a complete overhaul of the schooling ideas and values, which in turn should filter through and change what is taught, how it is taught, and hopefully improve overall outcomes and achievements of the children and young people themselves. Your whole newsletter this week just happens to be a huge passion of mine… I will stop there though for now as I can chat about this in depth and bore most people to death…
Viva la revolution 😎