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> I think people who have only had contact with better schools do not realise how bad the bad ones can be I grew up in a poor rural area and my wife an upper c

by _yb2s 2y ago

> I think people who have only had contact with better schools do not realise how bad the bad ones can be I grew up in a poor rural area and my wife an upper class coastal community, both in the USA. It’s amazing to compare and contrast our public school experiences. I was just trying to survive a situation that was both psychologically and physically abusive, with public humiliation rituals, solitary confinement, and gangs of bullies that cornered and robbed people and violently punished social non conformity- I still feel terror remembering it decades later. Even the lessons were nonsense propaganda- science classes literally focused on creationism, history class on “states rights,” etc. She was in a playful relaxing environment that included regular upper class leisure activities like sailing, skiing, and horseback riding, and had well equipped science labs with teachers that were passionate about science.

cladopa 2y ago
It is probably more about the difference between women and men experience growing up. Women usually do not face violence directly. They face other problems though. Don't believe for a second that growing up in an upper class environment does not have social dynamics. I grew up in one in Europe. In an upper class school there are bullies as bad as you could find in a lower class one, probably worse, because they have resources and connections to create harm. And sometimes their parents are worse than them. Do not idealise what you have not live. You could go skiing and they can choke with the ski poles. This happened to one of my friends because he criticised one guy.
- _yb2s 2y ago
  You are not understanding the extent of violence and abuse I am talking about, and how it was systematically led and encouraged by the teachers and staff. I’m not talking about just bullies being at the school- or normal boys dominance and fighting - of course that can happen anywhere. Despite going to a poor school, my family was well off, and I had personal experience with other environments including Boy Scouts, summer camps, etc. that still included normal social dynamics between boys with plenty of fighting, etc. but that is absolutely nothing like what I am describing above.
pixl97 2y ago
While I didn't go to more wealthy schools as a child, I grew up in a 'middle class to poorish' rural area in the midwest and moved to a poorish area in the south. I'll use your own words to describe the change in the experience >I was just trying to survive a situation that was both psychologically and physically abusive, with public humiliation rituals, solitary confinement, and gangs of bullies that cornered and robbed people and violently punished social non conformity- I got the full 'the science teacher is the bully coach and believes the world was created 6000 years ago, and if you were one of the kids they liked you could commit crimes, and you were not liked then crimes could be committed against you' experience.
- _yb2s 2y ago
  That word for word describes what I experienced- we could have been in the same class
graemep 2y ago
At least in the UK creationism is a rarity. The huge difference between good and bad schools exists though. My kids were home educated up to 16 and then went to a sixth form college (school for 16 to 18 year olds) that is pretty good and well funded with some really good teachers (the physics teachers are outstanding - one that taught by older daughter now works for CERN, the head of department has a PhD, and they are all passionate about the subject). its not immune from league table pressure, the curse of education in the UK.

by _yb2s 2y ago

cladopa 2y ago

It is probably more about the difference between women and men experience growing up. Women usually do not face violence directly. They face other problems though. Don't believe for a second that growing up in an upper class environment does not have social dynamics. I grew up in one in Europe. In an upper class school there are bullies as bad as you could find in a lower class one, probably worse, because they have resources and connections to create harm. And sometimes their parents are worse than them. Do not idealise what you have not live. You could go skiing and they can choke with the ski poles. This happened to one of my friends because he criticised one guy.

_yb2s 2y ago
You are not understanding the extent of violence and abuse I am talking about, and how it was systematically led and encouraged by the teachers and staff. I’m not talking about just bullies being at the school- or normal boys dominance and fighting - of course that can happen anywhere. Despite going to a poor school, my family was well off, and I had personal experience with other environments including Boy Scouts, summer camps, etc. that still included normal social dynamics between boys with plenty of fighting, etc. but that is absolutely nothing like what I am describing above.

pixl97 2y ago

While I didn't go to more wealthy schools as a child, I grew up in a 'middle class to poorish' rural area in the midwest and moved to a poorish area in the south. I'll use your own words to describe the change in the experience >I was just trying to survive a situation that was both psychologically and physically abusive, with public humiliation rituals, solitary confinement, and gangs of bullies that cornered and robbed people and violently punished social non conformity- I got the full 'the science teacher is the bully coach and believes the world was created 6000 years ago, and if you were one of the kids they liked you could commit crimes, and you were not liked then crimes could be committed against you' experience.

_yb2s 2y ago
That word for word describes what I experienced- we could have been in the same class

graemep 2y ago

At least in the UK creationism is a rarity. The huge difference between good and bad schools exists though. My kids were home educated up to 16 and then went to a sixth form college (school for 16 to 18 year olds) that is pretty good and well funded with some really good teachers (the physics teachers are outstanding - one that taught by older daughter now works for CERN, the head of department has a PhD, and they are all passionate about the subject). its not immune from league table pressure, the curse of education in the UK.