| The other day, I made a mistake. The first thing | | | | the argument behind this and of course up to a |
| you do when you make a mistake is to admit to | | | | point it makes sense, but what it boils down to is |
| it and correct it with dispatch. I stated that the | | | | an attempt to negate stress entirely, or at least |
| person who first coined the word 'Stress' was | | | | as much of it as is possible. |
| named Hans Sdye. This is wrong. The gentleman's | | | | Surely, this is a bad thing. I can remember feeling |
| name was Selye, a Slovakian born in Komarno in | | | | very nervous when I had to start at a new |
| 1907. The article that contains this mistake will be | | | | school. However, I found I could fit in quite well, |
| corrected also. | | | | especially at my public school, and what should be |
| Since we're back on stress, I thought it might be | | | | remembered is that schools are microcosms of |
| interesting to discuss the stress that I and others | | | | society and give children the chance to learn to |
| experienced when we went to school, all of 60 | | | | mix with their peers, thereby giving them a form |
| years ago, and compare it with the stress that | | | | of apprenticeship for their eventual and inevitable |
| children today might suffer. | | | | emergence into the adult world. |
| Now hands up all those who've read 'Tom | | | | To attempt to shield children from stress entirely |
| Brown's Schooldays.' My schooldays were similar, | | | | is to do them a disservice, since sooner or later |
| but while I suffered a fair amount of bullying at | | | | they're going to have to find jobs, which could |
| my preparatory school, this was not the case at | | | | well entail moving away from home. If they |
| public school. | | | | haven't had any real experience of meeting and |
| Understand that in England, public schools are large | | | | mixing with different children, then it seems to |
| private schools, such as Eton, Harrow, | | | | me that they're at an immediate disadvantage. |
| Westminster, etc. What we call public schools | | | | This is where I have my doubts on |
| over here, are State schools in England. | | | | home-schooling. Just how much interaction with |
| I won't enter into the forms of discipline we had | | | | other children do these kids who home school |
| to endure in those days. Suffice to say that | | | | have? I don't doubt the academic benefits for one |
| things are very different now. | | | | moment. From what I've heard, children from this |
| I began my school career at kindergarten, where | | | | type of environment do exceptionally well. But |
| I remained until I was about eight years old. From | | | | academic achievement isn't all there is in life. |
| there I went to preparatory school and thence to | | | | If, for whatever reason, children haven't had a |
| public school at the age of thirteen. From that | | | | great deal to do from the point of view of |
| point of view, things are much the same today. | | | | interaction with others, then their eventual |
| The question is whether children are made to | | | | experience of the big wide world could be |
| suffer excessive stress due to this business of | | | | devastating. Maybe they go to college, having |
| changing schools. | | | | been home-schooled for all those years, and they |
| The particular discussion about which I was | | | | find themselves in an environment so totally |
| reading was the stress of changing from, say, | | | | different from that to which they're used, that |
| middle school to high school, and perhaps it would | | | | the ever-open door of depression welcomes their |
| be better to let children start at one school and | | | | poor beleaguered minds. |
| then go all the way through to K12. I understand | | | | |