I muse on the issue of class quite a lot. My kids went to a "prep" school but I went to a primary school. I say "homework", friends say prep.
I know about tuck and lights out because my sister won a ballet scholarship and went to a rather austere boarding school when she was 11.
From our experiences, I wouldn't recommend it. There's nowhere like home and your own room when you're growing up, I think.
My sister had to share with five other girls in a draughty old dorm that was about as welcoming as a dentist's waiting room.
I think us state school kids had it easier, in those days. We finished at 3.50pm and just walked 10 minutes home. We thought we had it hard if we did two hours of homework, but our weekends were our own.
My daughter has to do all this "character building" stuff. Camp outs in the rain, meeting academic targets etc etc.
And what about gap year travel? Adventure travel is popular now and there's much to be gained from new experiences taken out of the comfort zone. But what about the down side?
I went straight to college from school, although I had travelled as a youngster with my dad's work. He was a pilot in the RAF and then the airlines, so we went to some exotic places.
But adventure travel means something different today and I think demand may be increasing. But I have to be honest. As someone who years ago did a lot of long haul travel, I appreciate the simplicity of time spent closer to home. (but that's not exciting, I hear you cry.)
Your thoughts?
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2 comments:
I've always had wanderlust... there's nothing I like more than upping sticks and moving on to the next place, the next people, the next adventure. In the past 8 years we've lived in Europe, Asia, Australasia, Africa and North America and we're already looking at the next great leap forward. I can think of nothing worse than being in one place for an extended period of time - but I realize that this makes me an oddity. Guess I just fear familiarity - it means that I stop questioning. That said - prep school reeks of decay, mould and desperation to me.
I used to live somewhere different every few years. But my hubby was always "against" travel when we were younger. He thought it was a waste of money as all you could take away was the experience.
Seems ironic now that he last year drove across Russia and has a new-found wanderlust. At least living in different places you are intergrating with local people.
I've lived in the same place for 12 years, something that's scary and strangely comforting.
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