Many years ago Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) wrote about
education. He believed that one of the purposes of education was to bring
liberty and happiness to a child. (Explain that to a tired and upset eleven
plus child trying to complete a paper after a long day at school!) He thought
that if a child was permitted to suffer the consequences of his or her free
activity he or should learn by experience what made happiness and freedom.
This was called the `discipline of natural consequences’. A child
could do what he liked at school but he had to pay for it. He was allowed, for
example, to kick the Head in the shins – but the Head could kick him back – and
the Head was likely to have bigger boots!
Rousseau pleaded for the need for the right sort of environment
for learning.
All these years later we can, possibly, continue to learn a
little from this original thinker. Eleven plus children, when possible, should
be free and happy. They should be able to learn from their mistakes.
