to think some people are too hung up about education?

[CarrieDaBabi]

not saying it's a waste of time at all.
i do value education and hope my daughter has every chance possible.
but i feel some people are overly hung up about it all.

but is possible to not do that well at school but to go on to well in life.
lots of business owners and entrepreneurs did not excell academically

and whos to say who is happier out of say the average hairdresser or the average doctor.

[brimfull]

I think most people will say they want their child to fulfill their potential.

Nowadays though parents are expected to have a lot more input into their childs education. In fact input at home does help your child to succeed at school.

I blame the national curriculum. Means they cover topics so quickly at school that if a child misses something they inevitabely fall behind. This is where a parent can help.

I am pretty laid back about education but I think but I agree with you some people get waaaay too involved .

[onagar]

There seems to be an obsession with tests these days and with tutoring to pass them. As though it were a race which only one person could 'win' and failing was a fate worse than death.

I do think it's good to teach them as much as you can and as much as they can take in, but that includes lots of things not taught in a classroom.

School is not ALL there is.

[castlesintheair]

I agree. It's particularly pushy where I live (or maybe it's just everywhere now). Waiting for DD1 at gymnastics on Sunday and a 3 year old was being tested on same level of 'word walls' that my 6 year old gets given at school. Then waiting for DD2 at same place on Monday, an 18 month old being shown flash cards (picture and word).

[blinks]

i agree wholeheartedly carriedababi.

[MrsNorthman]

Yes I do. It hacks me off. Fed up with hearing about it. Probably helps I love DS's school but I am of the opinion "you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink". I did crap at school. But since then I think I've done quite well in life. It's not the be all and end all that alot of parents bang on about. There are parents on here looking into Grammar Schools when their child is still only 3 years old in my opinion.

[noddyholder]

I agree too.Life can throw up all sorts of things A good education should be everyones right but there is more to life and lots of people find other paths to success.I had a v traditional education and can honestly say the career I chose was nothing to do with what i learned.

[princessparty]

castleintheair-I wonder if you go to the same gymnastics place as me.there is a mum there who gives her young DD not stop academic coaching !

[castlesintheair]

princessparty: RGA?

[Nancy66]

Hmmm - don't agree with that one.

If you come from a poor background - education is one of the few things that can turn your life around.

The better edcuated you are, the better the job, the better the job the higher the salary, the higher the salary the easier life is.

Yes, there are people like Richard Branson who have no qualifications and become billionaires but those people are few and far between.

Most people with a duff education and no qualifications end up in low paid work - if at all.

[thedollshouse]

I agree. In our area fortunately the schools are all good. The angst amongst parents determined to get their children into the "best" school is silly. They will stress about a 7 point difference in the SATS league table. I also have a friend who has been sending her dd to Kumon English and Maths since she started Reception. Why? We don't have grammar schools so she doesn't need a competitive edge, her parents are Oxbridge graduates so I would be very surprised if their dd struggles academically.

Ds is only 5 so I am just letting him be, according to his teacher he is doing well and is happy, that is good enough for me. Like dh he is an August born and dh said that he didn't really find his level until the end of primary school. One of my friends constantly boasts about her dd's academic progress, because I don't give examples of ds's budding genuis she seems to have assumed that he is not doing well when the reverse is true. I don't talk about it because hearing details of other childrens progress is dull.

[CarrieDaBabi]

o wouldn't particularly agree with "the higher the salary the easier life is."

like i said, whos to say who is happier out of say the average hairdresser or the average doctor?

yes maybe the people that become billionaires are feew and far between but the people that do well in life are not.

plus there are other jobs you can do to earn a good wage even if you didn;t do well at school. such as trade type jobs etc

alot of it also comes down to strength od character and how resourceful that person is imo

[HesterPrynne]

I agree, Carrie.

Leaving all levels of SN to one side, I think those parents who make the most noise are those whose children need the least interference.

It's so hard not to be dragged into it though, when teachers want you to padlock DCs to a computer for two hours a night, or they'll fail to 'reach their potential'.

All the pressure on GSCEs angers me as well. Yes, the system is letting down those who fail to get their 5 As to Cs, but again it's unlikely to happen to those children whose parents who most articulately shout.

No GCSEs are not the be all and end all at 16. Many, many 17/18 thrive in college once they know what they want to do, have something specific to aim for and can drop all the rest they are forced to endure in school

[Merle]

I agree with you CDB re. relative happiness. I often wonder if being highly qualified etc, is more trouble that it's worth.

I think it makes a difference if the parents are graduates. I think that if you've been to higher education you tend to think of this as a benchmark and so want it also for your children, hence the pushiness.

[OtterInaSkoda]

There's more to life than qualifications, but education is precious imo. So I guess that's a YABU from me.

[CarrieDaBabi]

yes relative happiness, that's just what i mean.

[Nancy66]

I deliberately didn't say 'happy' I said 'easier.'

Having money makes life a whole lot easier, it just does. It's naive to think otherwise.

Money doesn't magic away woes, of course it doesn't, but it's fair to say that many of the things people stress about are related to not having enough money.

[CarrieDaBabi]

i know you didn't say happier.
i know you said "the higher the salary the easier life is."

i wouldn't agree.
depends on how stressful your job and life is.

[allothernamesinuse]

I used to think so long as my DS was happy doing whatever job he chose to do, then that was enough, but as time has gone on, I am seeing a bigger picture.

It is all about balance imo.

My DS may very well be happy to have a job which requires less qualifications, lets say for example a shelf stacker at a supermarket, but would he be happy with the kind of lifestyle that this job will probably give him. He wont be spending every waking moment at work, so when he is not at work, is he happy to be unable to afford to live in comfortable surroundings, have a reasonable social life, or drive a car, ,maybe travel abroad on his holidays or have perhaps 3 or 4 DC, instead of 1/2. 63+

Whether we like it or not, money talks, and most jobs which are well paid require either qualifications, or risk.

I suppose it all depends on what standard of living we want.

There are very few people in comparison, who have no qualifications at all, but go on to have a successful career doing what they love to do, and being paid handsomely for it.

I am by no means saying people should work in jobs they hate, but there is a balance.

Lets be honest, how many people do you know who have no qualifications who are in fantastic jobs and are genuinely happy with their standard of living. Even a hairdresser has to be trained and requires experience and qualifications. (Since you mention hairdressers.)

It is difficult enough to find a job at all atm with qualifications. Multiple that 10 fold if you haven't got any.

Just my opinion though.

[GooseyLoosey]

Its not the hang about about education that is the problem, its hang ups about tests and results. Everything has to be measureable.

Education is always a fab thing - the more you know the better, and I don't just mean accademic things, I mean about plumbing and bugs and anything at all. However, the more exams you have, is not necessarilly a good thing for everyone.

[allothernamesinuse]

FWIW I don't personally know anyone who has 'not done well at school' and who has then gone on to be a success, unless they have gone onto further education and studied, or got some sort of further education via an apprenticeship etc.

[GenevieveHawkings]

"The better edcuated you are, the better the job, the better the job the higher the salary, the higher the salary the easier life is."

That may have been the case, once.

These days every child seems to get a hatful of GCSEs, A'Levels and then goes on to study for a degree. The whole having a degree thing has become seriously devalued and the employment market is now swamped with graduates.

So, where a graduate might once have been assured of a great job, with prospects for progression and a good salary thus ensuring a comfortable life, this is now far more uncertain.

I bet you that your average server in MacDonalds or KFC, or checkout assistant in ASDA or Tesco these days is emminently well educated and qualified but those qualifications have only secured them a job earning the minimum wage and in the current market are unlikely to secure them much more.

They'll be lucky if they ever earn enough to pay off their student loans - let alone have a comfortable life.

[crazycrazy]

I do think that some parents focus on academic success at the expense of teaching/encouraging some very valuable life skills

For example when looking to progress within your career, it's the life skills that will set you apart from others, not the exam results. Beyond the age of 22 or whatever, no-one cares what grades you get compared to someone else. It's the confidence, self-belief, independence, proactivity etc that count

[allothernamesinuse]

Genevieve I agree with you, which reiterates my point that people who don't do well at school, and do not go onto further education have practically no chance of getting a decent job if the people who do have the qualifications can't even find decent paid work.

[fernie3]

I have been amazed since my daughter started school how hard some of the parents have pushed their children to get ahead with reading, writing etc. I really dont see that them learning to read and write a few months earlier is going to somehow make them more succesful as adults. Yet for some of the others mums it is practically a job in itself.
With my daughter I want her to be what she wants, if she wants to go to university then I will help her do that if she doesnt - thats her choice (although i would encourage her to have an alternative plan!)

[southeastastra]

my ds(16) is atm doing his gcses, he want to go to university to do a course in some sort of computing. he is predicted to get mostly Bs. reading some of the threads on here, he may as well give up now and join the army.

depresses me. why shouldn't he be able to study for a certain career that others take as a given?

it's like some people enjoy keeping others in their place.