What's best for children - to be just one of the average but in an academically selective environment - or one of the top, in a more mediocre school? By 'best' I mean for self-esteem and fitting in, in life beyond school.
I was a very 'big fish' in a tiny pond, at my school and rose to the top, leading me to believe in my abilities and potential. My DCs, on the other hand, are at an academically selective school with some incredible 'competition' from peers who are already 'shining' on a national level, in all kinds of ways, academically and otherwise.
DCs will never be 'top' or 'the best' at this school but probably would have been, at a school like the one I went to. Whilst they know they can't be too thick to have got into this school at all, they do have a sense of being 'average' and 'mediocre' compared to their peers. They're not going to win awards and prizes and they do compare themselves to their peers and 'put themselves down'.
Does this mean that they have a more realisitic view of themselves and life and won't be 'shocked' when the competition increases further at university and beyond - or will they misguidedly consider themselves incompetent, just because they've spent the whole of their school careers comparing themselves to people who are likely to achieve 'great things' in their lives?
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'Small fish in a big sea' - or the opposite?
22 replies
BlogOnTheTyne · 12/06/2013 10:34
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