17 Jul
2018
17 Jul
'18
10:43 a.m.
On Tue, Jul 17, 2018 at 03:21:43PM +0200, Liam Proven via cctalk wrote:
[...]
But then, when I look at school examination papers
from 50 or 100 years
before I was at school, *I'm* terrified. I feel like I am retarded, compared
to schoolchildren of the turn of the 20th century who were expected by 11 to
be fluent in 3-4 foreign languages, to play several musical instruments, to
be able to confidently quote literature in multiple languages, and so on.
That's an extraordinary claim that sets off my bullshit detector. Snopes offers
this commentary: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/1895-exam/
50-100 years before you were at school would be roughly 1870-1920, which is
right at the start of both state-provided schools and compulsory education. The
UK only raised the school leaving age to 11 in 1893. Truancy was rife, because
parents still expected their children to work instead and contribute to the
household. The average child was very poorly educated if at all.
Children actually taking examinations at age 11 are already on the academic
track for those who are both clever and rich enough to continue their education
further. It may even be the entrance exam for a posh public school. Your
average working-class oik is never going to get anywhere near that exam paper.
For fun, have a crack at some of the recent exam papers given to 13 year olds
hoping for a scholarship: https://www.etoncollege.com/KSpapers.aspx