Very interesting to read a thread about my old school
I didn't have an issue with the House Captains board saying '2008: Lord Derby' or whatever below the '2007: JA Smith' etc
Pat yourself on the back for not having an issue with that. None of the boys there have an issue with it either. In my year there was one Lord, two Viscounts and a couple who, despite their youth, were officially known as Mr. Surname. They were all nice, and called by their first names by the other boys, surnames by the beaks (teachers in Eton-speak).
But if your boy is really the brightest star, (and I do mean the brightest star) and had for example, never touched a rugby ball or a football in the past 13 years of his life, there is yet an Eton house specially dedicated to such a boy, rounded or otherwise whereby he selects himself. The house is ?College?.
Not quite true ? while the Kings Scholars do go there, it is actually a very sporting house as well, and some boys who hate sports do go to other houses.
Housemistress
This must be a new development ? in my day there were only Housemasters. Are you sure it wasn?t the Dame of a house (matron in Eton-speak)?
E.g., the D&T man said 'So this project was done by our A Level students'. Heels: 'So would this have been done by the oldest children?' I would say that it's a great advert for an expensive education that she scrubbed up so well otherwise really.
In her defence, it could have been done by people in the first year of their A?Leves ? C Block ? which wouldn?t have been the very oldest.
I don't know what Eton Fives is without looking it up. I put that down to my poor state grammar education.
I didn?t know what it was until the first time I was shown how to play it, apart from a brief description in Roald Dahl?s book about his Repton days.
Teaching them to be entitled
It doesn?t ? it is very much hammered home how fortunate the boys are to go there. Whether the lesson is wasted or not is another metter.
Schools like Eton do not even let you come home every weekend and if a parent can visit it is at a distance to watch a match.
The parents could visit anytime, and visit their son in his room if they wish.
One thing I notice about the Eton parents is that there is precious little objective analysis of the school.
This is very true. My parents got annoyed if I said anything less than that I loved the place whenever I was asked if I enjoyed it. Whilst it was fine, it certainly wasn?t preferable to holiday time ? most schoolboys find the same.
educating the whole child, not instructing them for tests. I would say that Eton does that
I think I would agree ? there are so many other activities you have to try at first, and then have the option of doing later.
Serious question: the parents (colleger, peteneras, ingrid...) who really know Eton, what would you say are the downsides of Eton?
Not everyone is suited to boarding school, very expensive, housemasters not really aware of what was going on in their houses with regards to bullying (don?t know if this is true for other schools), incorrect but enduring perceptions of the place and pupils from people who haven?t been. I might think of others with more time
Parents, by the way, do NOT really know Eton unless they went there.
my ds is at university with a lot of ex etonians ....he says they 'don't mix'
Mix with him or mix with anyone? I can only go for the ones I know, but they don?t have this problem.