Asians and selective schools

[brendan]

haha poor epsilons

[bubble sunglasses]

 Somewhat related to what Eriny had to say, in Britain they used to have the "11+" exam to determine whether students would have an academic or technical education for their secondary years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleven_plus

[Matt The Rat]

Dad sat the 11+ exam.

[brendan]

oh what happened to him?

[bubble sunglasses]

 "That's how some parents see selective schools - castes that will define you as a person for the rest of your life. No wonder the pressure starts early."

 Hmmm, I've heard in Korea the school you went to has an important social function even after you've left [a premise of the film Oldboy], not sure how much that has to do with what you said.

[kurrymuncher]

(i might sound like a tool for saying this)...the most extreme place i see this culture going would be genetic testing/screening of foetuses in order to determine their likely aptitudes and abortions in the case of those foetuses who can't read at a 5th grade level.

watch gattaca, that shit happens.

[bubble sunglasses]

 I saw a book called "Future Files" which said it wouldn't be inconceivable in the future for, say, Nike, to offer promising looking foetuses a sports sponsorship deal

[kurrymuncher]

I saw a book called "Future Files" which said it wouldn't be inconceivable in the future for, say, Nike, to offer promising looking foetuses a sports sponsorship deal

I don't want to live in a world like that. the world will be truly fucked if that happes

[bubble sunglasses]

 "ive seen it many times. what im saying is that this environment of pressure makes that hypothetical seem freakishly likely by increasingly reducing children to their future social utility."

 It might be a case of parents using their children to achieve their own social ambitions

[orsel]

The debate is rapidly degrading to the slippery slope fallacy.



Sensationalism is boring.

[Matt The Rat]

oh what happened to him?

He was accepted into a grammar school. Then when he was thirteen, he came out to Australia as a ten pound tourist.

[vce08]

When are the new selective schools in Melbourne going to open?

[kurrymuncher]

When are the new selective schools in Melbourne going to open?

most likely 2010, from what I have read.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

There are many (not all) people from random government schools (I know I'm generalizing here) just don't really care about their academics. I went to an average government school before going to MHS, and it's not that the students were "dumb" or anything like that, but they just didn't care about study. Some of my friends are now doing VCAL, and the most of the rest aren't really that worried about VCE. Many of the top students got into MHS/Macrob, and the people remaining wouldn't really be affected all by this, but the people who got into MHS/Macrob gain a significant advantage in their studies.

If students don't care, then they won't really be affected by anything. People don't always need high VCE marks, there are many many other options. Why do students who want to pursue academics have to be hindered by those who want to pursue alternative (and just as viable) careers?

There are many high performing students who cannot make it into the 2 selective schools (3% rule!),so may as well make more selective schools to let those who wish to pursue high marks get the best environment they can get.

[shonakennedy]

^
thats all well and good. but what about those average students who will siffer from being around kids that dont care about those studies? what about the average joe who wants to do well, but is constantly distracted by his peers? joe, who lacks the motivation and skills he needs to do well becuse he is not pushed by his peers to do well. afterall, they dont care. and he is a nerd for actually giving a shit about his studies.