If your 17 year old wanted to take a day off school to attend the student funding march on Wed would you condone it

[mrswoodentop]

What it says really,ds1 ,17 ,very politically aware wants to attend.Its a school day,independent school so I need to write to say we are authorising him to have a day off.

Dh violently against ,very angry with me for even thinking about it ,treats ds like a naughty little boy.I am more ambivelent,I am proud of him for feeling strongly (dh thinks that because he wouldn't go on his own that he just wants a day off school with his friends),I think that this issue is going to have a profound effect on his life and in a way I am quite proud of him for wanting to have a voice, also proud because he has thought carefully about the issues and wants to hear both sides and yes he wants to experience something big ,something new,to be there if you like.But and and its a big but he has to have day off school,he's not a definate oxbridge candidate ,his grades aren't perfect he can ill afford to miss a lot of school,but one day? I don't know,dh has said no and he's agreed so I suppose its over but perhaps we are doing him a diservice (sorry not sure of spelling)

Well said lifeinlimbo. When did we get so individualistic in our thinking? My parents both left school at 14 but I can never recall them resenting paying their taxes for the education of others on the basis that 'they hadn't benefited so why should they pay for anyone else?'. If you extend this logic to other areas of life what a selfish society we would become - I don't personally and directly benefit from many things my taxes are spent on but I'm happy to pay as member of society.

just back to the original question (sorry I can see it has moved on) - I more than happily sent some of my a level students off to this, they came to ask if they could leave the lesson early, maybe his school will feel the same? I (like you I think) thought it could have been a better 'learning' experience than one day at school and also useful!

no it would show that i had failed as a parent and raised a left wing moron

Read a really silly comment in our local paper of the same theme 'why should someone pay their taxes to support someone else doing blah blah'.

It was about a proposal to charge for parking overnight. Restaurant, theatre owners were against this but a member of the council said 'why should a mother doing her shopping in the day pay to subsidies people parking to go for a meal after 6pm.

As a parent helping to support 1 child at uni already (BY WORKING44HR WEEK)AND WITH 2 more to through higher education I APPLAUD and wholeheartedly agree with your son's wish to demonstrate against the trippling of tuition fees and reduction in teaching provision.
As 1 of a 2 parent "squeezed middle" family I think it is imperative that an alternative be found to the trippling of fees if we are to avoid a ripping away of opportunity for enrichment and advancement of at least the next 2 genaerations.

Let's be clear,the rich do not have the monpoly on brains.The proposed changes to funding higher education will cause an internal English "brain drain" which will have drastic effects on our country.

Something quitew qorrying - I saw an advert in the window of Fired Earth, for a part-time retail sales assistant. £5.65 and hour. Wnated someone well spoken, well-presented, good with maths, and educated to degree standard.

To work part-time in a shop FFS?

The trouble is, the country is awash with unemployed graduates, so they can ask for that, and will probably get it. If you are under 30, to not have a degree is becoming a marker of being a bit useless and apathetic, which we all know is wrong, wrong, wrong.

To the OP - yeas I'd support him - very proud of daughter no 2 who went from sheffield - looking forward to the day of action on the 24th!

kate, what is the day of action?

I'd be proud.

Hi abouteve - day of action see
www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/11/students-protests-national-24-november

also
anticuts.com/

"Something quite worrying - I saw an advert in the window of Fired Earth, for a part-time retail sales assistant. £5.65 and hour. Wnated someone well spoken, well-presented, good with maths, and educated to degree standard"

If they are to be educated to degree standard, then surely it would be expected they'd be at least 21 (assuming a three year course). Which would make that £5.65 below minimum wage and therefore illegal.

Thanks Kate.

Kate, any advice on how a group of year 12's can make their stand? To be fair our lib dem mp is voting against this in December so no need to have a go at him.

My (younger) daughters (15 and 12 are going to talk to friends and the sixth form, put up leaflets and try and coordinate some sort of action so they march out and down to the uni and join in with whatever they're doing - they're a bit nervous but are also going to talk to sympathetic teachers - and see how it goes. So many people are angry that I reckon they'll get a reasonable turnout - they are however going to avoid talking to senior management about it at the moment and are under strict instructions to say that it's a collective - dd3 (15) wants to say "it's an anarcho-syndicalist commune" but I think she's been watching too much monty python!
all the best

Damn, we don't have a Uni anywhere near. Will let DD know and they might come up with something.

The other thing school kids could do is have a sit down and have as their demand that the school management make a statement opposing the cuts? just an idea