simoncoles.org   Simon Coles Personal Blog

The Telegraph has an article about how the “Professions” have been told to cut down on the number of Private school people they take – apparently this is discriminatory against people from State funded schools.

This makes me cross.

Let me get this straight:

• My parents paid tax, and part of this is meant to pay for education
• They decide they want the best for their children
• So they pay for a better education for their children (Mum was a teacher herself- this was an informed decision)
• Their children don’t take up the state-provided place (thus presumably saving the state money)

And because of this, I should be discriminated against!

There’s a whole bunch of people popping out of private schools, who’ve had a better education than that can be provided by the State, and we don’t want to utilise all that human capital – all that potential – for the good of the country – just because their parents paid extra for their education????

If that’s the case, we’re all screwed. Because we’ve created a country where the parents who invest in their child’s future causes their child to be punished, and the parent who pisses away their money is given a helping hand.

I’m really sorry – my parents sacrificed a huge amount to make sure their children got a good education. Apparently that’s something to be apologised for, and I shouldn’t do for my children?

Surely the solution is to figure out what makes Private Schools better, and replicate that in the State sector??

Surely there’s a big hint that parents are more willing to invest in their childrens’ future – if they feel they are getting something back??

Why can’t we all do better, rather than dragging everyone down to a level of mediocrity??

We should judge people on their merits, not on where they came from. Discriminating against applicants just on the basis who paid for their education is just as idiotic as judging them by gender or age.

Ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous.

Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn – and many others to come, I am sure. They allow us to share fragments of our lives.

For myself, and my social “network” the sharing is mainly amongst our peers. My children are still learning to read, although as they do they notice what Mummy and Daddy are doing on computers, and get interested in what we’re writing. At the moment that’s a something we can easily control, just by switching windows or shooing them away. Josh (8 years old) thinks that Twitter is silly because you can only use 140 characters, but he does have his own blog although he doesn’t know he can subscribe to Daddy’s.

What happens when they get their own Twitter and Facebook accounts? And we can see them, and they can see us?

Currently, I write without concern for what my children might think. But in a few months I will probably have to explain every Tweet I make, every blog post, to my eldest Son. That will probably change what I write, but it will also mean he gets exposed to a version of “Daddy” which I’m not sure we’ve ever had to deal with before.

I introduced a friend of mine, who has teenage and adult daughters, to Facebook. Their Facebook world was very peer-centered, and I am sure it was a little shocking for Mom to have free access to that. Their one message to me (I’m “Mom’s friend” – a very “I don’t know what to do with this” bucket) was “Thanks, now you’ve somewhat ruined Facebook”. Which is fair.

What happens when our children see everything we write to our peers? If we do the Social Transparency thing right, I’m sure there’s some interesting ground there.

What happens when my kids get their own accounts, talking to their peers? And we see it all?

What happens when my colleagues kids start following me on Twitter, or subscribing to my blogs? Do I need to take account of that? Do I lose something when I do so?

Historically the relationship between Parent and Child has been pretty compartmentalised. That’s going to take a hit if the kids on the same social networks as the parents. Similarly, the Work Vs Home compartments disappear if your partner, children etc. are on each other’s Twitter or Facebook list – and those of your colleagues. (and even worse, if they choose not to be!).

I’ve always thought that the Work Vs Home distinction is somewhat artificial, something that’s only arisen in the industrial revolution. Perhaps the social networking revolution is taking us back to where we belong, but it will be a shock for us all. I’d like to think the end result is richer, more understanding relationships – but there will be uncomfortable moments. Perhaps we’ll emerge with a greater understanding of each other and our various roles in life, which can’t be bad.