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While the fundamental goals are relatively standard, there are significant differences among schools. One of the more important differences is the balance different schools maintain between competition and cooperation. Many schools foster the competitive spirit, both in academic work and sports and even in recreational activities. Children are told just how they stand in their form. Many schools prepare Form Orders (class standings) which are often posted on school bulletin boards or even published in school magazines, allowing comparisons by the parents and children. Some schools tend to give greater emphasis to cooperative activities, but it is probably safe to say that prep schools in general more vigorously encourage competition than schools in the state sector. Even so, more and more schools 'stress that they are seeking to turn out a happy, well rounded child. The goal of encouraging and rewarding achievement runs deep in the ethos of most prep schools, founded as they are to prepare children for the public schools. Many schools were founded by men educated at public schools and a considerable portion of the staff came from the public schools. One difficult decession is how to reward achievement without discouraging those who do not achieve as fast as the others. Sometimes the decession seems relatively obvious. The general approach at most prep schools is clearly to reward real achievement and proper behavior. Some educators would no doubt agree with the mother described above and ttempt to avoid discouraging young children. On the other hand it may well be more of a kindness to ensure in a secure environment that a child begins to understand his strengths and weekness to assess his capabilities in a realistic way. What educators sometimes loose sight of is that it is not just the clever who succeed in life. Motivation and character often more than make up for lack of innate intelligence.
Many schools foster the competitive spirit, both in academic work and sports and even in recreational activities. Children are told just how they stand in their form. Many schools prepare Form Orders (class standings) which are often posted on school bulletin boards or even published in school magazines, allowing comparisons by the parents and children. Most schools maintain many sports teams which play other schools. Considerable emphasic is placed on these competitions and great prestige is conferred on the boys who excel in these competitions.
Some schools tend to give greater emphasis to cooperative activities, but it is probably safe to say that prep schools in general more vigorously encourage competition than schools in the state sector. Even so, more and more schools 'stress that they are seeking to turn out a happy, well rounded child. As one headmaster at a boys' school explained it, "we seek to develop a boy capable of forming independent, well reasoned judgments with an inquisitive unbiased mind."
The goal of encouraging and rewarding achievement runs deep in the ethos of most prep schools, founded as they are to prepare children for the public schools. Many schools were founded by men educated at public schools and a considerable portion of the staff came from the public schools. Today a smaller portion of the staff comes from the public schools. More teachers are now women and most were not educated in public schools. Never-the-less, a strong influence continues to exist.
Modern trends and the increasing role of parents in the school have forced many schools to reassess their program in a variety of ways. Many headmasters increasingly find themselves confronted with solicitous parents demanding some special treatment for their child. Often it is the same parents who selected the school becauause of the more demanding academic program and the stricter discilpline.
One difficult decession is how to reward achievement without discouraging those who do not achieve as fast as the others. Sometimes the decession seems relatively obvious. One headmaster as an example describes a parent who asked her girl be included in a special treat despite the fact that she had been repeatedly naughty and had built up an uneviable number of black stars (bad conduct marks). The parents reasoning was that if the child was not included she would be discouraged. This reminds us of a story Evelyn Waugh was fond of telling about one of his daughters who went to a convent school. One term she returrned home proudly wearing a medal which she explainned was for swiming. Her surprised father took her on an outing, rowed out on a river, and dropped her over the side of the boat. She sank like a rock and had to be ignominiously retreived. Waugh subsequently wrote to the Reverend Mother that she had received the medal under false pretenses. "But it was not for swimming, " the Reverend Mother wrote back, "but to encourage her to swim." Children like adults are endlessly variable. That mother and the Revered Mother described above may have well been correct. Those involved in education know there are no fast rules. A treat or punishment may have the desired effect on one child and percisely the opposite effect on another.
The general approach at most prep schools is clearly to reward real achievement and proper behavior. One headmaster explains his educational philosophy, which many prep school headmasters would no doubt concur, "We are not, for better or for worse, equally endowed, and the laggards are more deserving of sympathy than blame. ... if the independent school stands for anything it is the encouragement of excellence, rewards for the industrious and conscientious, and the intolerance of the second rate. If we reward the mediocre along with the excellent, we delude the former and embitter the latter. One feels that Karl Marx might have approved .... If life is to be a rat race, let us try to ensure that our rats run the fastest."
We recall visting one boarding school in the Midlands and speaking with a cheeky little group of 12 year olds in form V. They were most chatty about their school and anxious to show up their favorite haunts to be photographed. With them was Martin who was still wearing shorts like the younger boys. Walking back from the cricket pitch Martin walked along with us. Martin was an avid photographer himself, anxious to show us some photographs he had taken himself. Some of the shots were very good indeed, especially some of his school studies. We spoke for some time and opened up to us. I still vividly remember what he told us. Unlike his mates he was still in form IV as he had not been promoted. "You see, I'm not very clever," he told us. That struck me especially as it is not the sort of thing an American boy would say. Granted the word "clever" is used somewhat differently in the States, but still an American boy would not generally not admit that he wasn't academically very smart which was what Daniel was saying. What struck me particularly was it was clear that Daniel was not terribly depressed by his observation. it seemed that he had simply realistically assessed himself and was determined to succeed anyway. He explained how he was working harder to do. better this year. One of the great advantage of a prep school is that the small classes make it possible to give boys like Martin the individual attention that came make an enormous difference in their academic achievement. In addition, the schools can usually find some area in which every child can achieve some success. Martin, for example, regularly photographed school events
and was enormously popular with the other children, in part because of all the photographs he took. The school provided a small dark room where Daniel and a few other boys were able to develop and process their own black and white photographs.
Some educators would no doubt agree with the mother described above and ttempt to avoid discouraging young children. On the other hand it may well be more of a kindness to ensure in a secure environment that a child begins to understand his strengths and weekness to assess his capabilities in a realistic way. What educators sometimes loose sight of is that it is not just the clever who succeed in life. Motivation and character often more than make up for lack of innate intelligence. Employers note that it is often not the most talented and capable that proves the most effective employee, but that individual who is willing to roll up his sleeves and do seriously apply himself to the job at hand.
