MY GRAMMAR SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
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I am a very proud and determined mum of one son who is now a graduate aged 28 years old. Born, raised and a native of Leeds in the UK and an ex-secondary school teacher, tutor, trainer and homeschooler. This blog gives my opinion, tips etc on homeschooling from 3 years old up to the age of 18 years old, in general and not just in the UK - where Iam located. These views will be unbiased and updated at least 5 times per week. If I think that something education-related is rubbish, excellent, angers or is funny or sad, I will say so in no uncertain terms. I will also give opinions not just on homeschooling, but on teacher, school, pupil and backup educational support and performances etc..... This is a blog for everyone that is interested in education a lot of content relates to the USA. So come in .. take a seat, relax and give us a read and give your opinions.
This is the 5th in my series of articles of why I decided to homeschool my son, based on my experiences as a child in the public school system. Please read my other articles in this series of why I decided to homeschool. The articles in order are:
ARTICLE 1 - My Reasons I Started Homeschooling
ARTICLE 2 - My Nursery School Experience
ARTICLE 3 - My Primary School Experience
ARTICLE 4 - My Junior School Experience
MY GRAMMAR SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
The Junior School that I attended had around 400 pupils. Imagine then the culture shock as I left Junior School and entered this large intimidating Grammar School which had approximately 800 pupils in mixed gender classes. I had exchanged the intimate atmosphere firstly of my Nursery School of 40 pupils to a Primary School of approximate 200, to a Junior School of 400 and now to a Grammar School of 800. In the Junior School at age 11, I was one of the senior pupils, but here in the Grammar School, I was in an unfamiliar environment that I felt was impersonal, hostile and intimidating. In my 4th year at Junior School, I had been in a class where the class teacher had been the main teacher in most subjects. All of that was about to change.
Dressed in my mandatory school uniform, I left home and arrived at my new school. A very large imposing building consisting of a basement, in which I found out contained a large metalwork classroom and a further classroom and a fully-equipped Woodwork Room. The Ground Floor consisted of 2 Physics Labs, 2 Biology Labs, 2 Chemistry Labs, 2 Classrooms (1 of which was designated for RE), the Headmaster and the Headmistress’s Studies, with an impressive public entrance with a large expensive hand-crafted carpet laid strategically on the floor in front of a gilded-engraved role of honour of ex-pupils that had died in the 2 World Wars. The next floor up consisted of a hall, which was used for Assemblies and classrooms; and the top floor consisted of a Gymnasium, store, classrooms and an Art/Craft Studio. An Annex to the school, a detached 6 bedroom, 4 Reception Roomed Georgian house, and located 100 yards from the perimeter of the school playground wall, was used for Drama and Art and also for the storage of Drama props and scenery.
I proceeded into the large main school building and followed the poster directions that were strategically placed on the walls, giving directions to go up the stone steps, through to the Hall. Where once again I and many other ‘new starters’ were assembled. There was a sea of new, strange faces and I desperately tried to seek out any of my friends from Junior School, or any other recognizable pupil from my Junior School who may be there. I was lucky enough to find 3 – all from the same Junior School, but 2 had been in a different class from me and all 1 had been in the same class. I let out a deep sigh of relief, as I quickly went to join this little sub-group, in which we all let out excited cries of desperate relief, these 3 friends I made, would form a bond which would remain firm and stand the test of time, throughout our stay at Grammar School. I did however, feel very sorry for those wallflowers, I had no one to turn to.
One of the teachers came into the Hall and shouted something – but no one really heard over the mass of voices. The teacher’s shout and loud clapping of her hands showed that she demanded that we all be quiet and pay attention to what she was saying. She asked us all to sit down and everyone complied. She introduced herself and welcomed us all to the School. Her first introductions were to the dreaded ‘Prefects’, who marched out by announcement. These were both male and female, but the majority were male, all 6th form pupils who acted as ‘Teacher Assistants’ and Trustees of the school. Their job was to ensure that all pupils adhered to all school rules. We looked in awe at them. Some of them sneered, narrowing their eyes, some smiled with little waves, the rest were totally disinterested, with their arms crossed and frequently looked at their watches and rolled back their eyes.
The next introductions made, merited their own introductions – the ‘Head boy’ and the ‘Head girl’, who, were informed were especially chosen by the Head Teachers (on what basis we were never told). This Head boy and Head girl were in authority over all Prefects of their respective gender.
The next introductions made were to the respective subject teachers, the Deputy Headmistress and Deputy Headmaster, the Headmistress and then finally the Headmaster, who made a grand entrance dressed in all his academic robes, where a pathway had been vacated by all those stood at the front and we were all ordered to stand as he entered the Hall as he strutted up to and behind the Lectern. We were informed that we must always stand when any member of staff entered or left anywhere in the school that we were sat.
The Headmaster looked down his nose as he spoke in his posh southern accent, his speech and manner matching his look, was short, abrupt, distant and dispassionate. Not unlike a senior politician, with a self-promoting agenda. He exited as quickly and with the same amount of pomp and circumstance that he had appeared, not once looking any of us in the eye.
As the teacher started reading out our names as to which class we were being allocated to, I quickly realized that this was going to be my second introduction to ‘streaming’. However, I found out and quickly deduced, that this streaming was not based on individual ability, but based on socio-economic and class distinctions. We were divided into 4 streams. Forms 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D. I was put into class 1C , on my own and my friends, were put into 1D. I was totally devasted.
This is really where my resentment for the public education system started, as I naively thought that all new starters in the Grammar School system would be treat equally, based on individual merit, ability, effort and the results obtained in the 11+ exam. I had scored 97% in the 11+, teachers always spoke out and reported on my excellent efforts, merits, outstanding attitude and good manners. Why was I then being deprived of this equality of opportunity; how much higher could one get in the 11+, not much higher and realistically, how many of the other pupils in Forms 1A and 1B had obtained an 11+ score above 97%? That taught me my second invaluable lesson. That equality of public education for all, was an ideal in theory, but certainly not in reality; especially if you’re parents were personal friends of the Headmaster, or that they had contributed quite generously to school funds etc….
Our Form Teacher was a very pleasant gentleman in his late 30s. We attended this form gathering, twice a day. Once in the morning upon arrival and immediately after lunch. This I saw as just for taking registrations, to accompany you to twice weekly assemblies and to give out messages passed on concerning other lessons, homework due, school events and extra curricular activities. Theoretically, your Form Teacher also acted in a pastoral role for you, but due to the time constraints, I knew after a few attempts, not to bother asking, enquiring, suggesting, or airing any concerns that I had, as I was always fobbed off with some excuse or another. The most common used was his time constraints (but no alternative time was offered), the next was to tell or ask your parents ‘they will have to sort it out’ and you’ve been here long enough, you’ll have to sort it out yourself…. you’ve got to learn to sort things out for yourself. My resentment was building up and little did I know, these rapid psychological and personal physical changes were due to my adolescent changes of puberty, which even at 11 and the inequalities that I had so far suffered, fuelled my volatility and resentment. I desperately needed pastoral time and attention, but I also needed to be left on my own on occasions, to find my own way, without fear of being penalized.
In our first form class and at the beginning of each new academic year, we were given weekly-fixed timetables of the lessons we would attend, the classroom it would be located in and the name of the teacher who would take the class. Unlike Junior School, we were allocated 1 exercise book per academic subject per academic year. Any additional exercise books you needed, which was usually 3 to 4 per year per subject had to be purchased from the school. School text books for each academic subject, essential equipment, stationery, mathematical tables (Logarithms, Sines, Cosines etc.) and a pencil case large enough to keep them all in, all had to be purchased by your parents.
The curriculum in the first year reinforced and expanded on what we had been taught in the the fourth year of Junior School and I felt a bridge between primary and the introductory phase of a Grammar School education. Music was no longer taught, but had been replaced by Drama, a single 40 minute class per week, in the school’s annex, a Georgian 6 bedroom, 4 reception room detached house.
Art, PE, Games, RE, Maths (no mental Arithmetic), modern foreign languages (an extension of beginners French language, beginners German and Spanish), Latin, History, Geography, Home Economics, Craft, Dancing, English (which had now been separated into English Language and English Literature), General Science (a basic introduction into the segregated subjects of Physics, Chemistry and Biology). After- school fee-paying clubs of Swimming, Chess and Badminton were also available.
Once again, I excelled in Maths (to the great joy and satisfaction of my Maths teacher), but also in Art, Swimming, Maths and Home Economics.
During my education at Grammar School, I found that most subject teachers had unrealistic expectations concerning the impact and implications of the quantity of homework supplied to individual pupils, there seemed to be no consideration for the individual pupil’s workload, each subject teacher only been concerned with their subject area and homework completed for them. I would on occasions, be given homework for 3 to 4 academic subjects to be completed and handed in for the next day, each would take approximately 1 to 1.5 hours for completion), but I desperately wanted to succeed, be creative, independent, inventive and to be able to think for myself, but I also knew I had to be punctual, dependable and hardworking and to accept the authority of each of the teachers who taught within their subject areas; but not in sarcastic, cynical, unfounded and derogatory comments made against myself or my parents.
Once again, except in Maths, I found that I was not sufficiently challenged or encouraged, or to provide me with the opportunities to participate in all aspects of school life. As previously described, there was no provision for the right conditions at school like a study or homework/quiet room for studying, except the school library, where only 6 tables and 6 chairs per table were available, which were nearly always occupied by 5th and 6th formers studying for exams, with the Librarian’s always insisting that they have priority over all seating.
Some of the hard-core Grammar School teachers still believed that Grammar Schools were the privilege of the upper and middle class elite and would grade and stream a pupil accordingly; believing that a pupil in a ‘A’ stream form/year was only able to produce grade ‘A’ results, for any subject, even though they may produce a ‘C’ grade performance and vice versa with a pupil in a ‘C’ stream form/year, which happened in my case.
Unfortunately, in addition to social class discrimination, most academic subject teachers whether male or female, practiced sexism in the classroom, in which they favoured male pupils, by asking and directing more questions. Male pupils were given more time, attention, concern and were encouraged to dominate subject class discussions and giving them more help. Whilst female enthusiasm for the subject area was suppressed, most became introverted and sat at the back of the class in silence. I refused to be one of those introverted females and usually obtained better marks than male pupils in my class. However, rather than been an advantage, this worked against me, because as I spoke out in class and refused to accept the silent role, I was accused by those same teachers of ‘attempting to hog the limelight’.
The bullying experienced in the the Junior School intensified and with the introduction of some ‘Prefects’ that abused their power by being not just verbally abusive, but physically and mentally.
The rest of my Grammar School education continued as it started. In the 3rd year we were offered options on what subjects we would take at ‘O’ level and I was surprised that I had been streamed into 3B. I personally obtained 7 ‘O’levels, stayed on obtained 2 ‘A’ levels at Grade A in Applied Mathematics and Economics and obtained quite a few unconditional offers for Universities.
This article concludes my series of articles on why I chose to home school my son, based on my personal academic experiences within the public education system.
However, my blog will continue on issues related to education and home schooling.
Please revisit for my next and final in this series, on the reasons why I chose to homeschool my son based upon my recollections of my personal school and academic experiences.
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