There was once a famous professor who was concerned with education
and the wider community. Professor M.V.C. Jeffreys, who died in in 1984 aged
84, when talking about society and culture, maintained:
Education, properly understood, is an activity of the whole
community. At the same time the greatest contribution that the school can make
towards the realisation of this ideal of the educative society is the education
of its members in the meaning of community.
The Professor wrote this in 1950 well before the advent of the
Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and all the other ways that exist, at the moment, for
parents to communicate. Once parents start on eleven plus work with their
children they have the ability to choose to join and become fully fledged
members of the `Eleven Plus Community’.
Somewhere, along the way, some parents may be faced with
helping their child understand some different types of eleven plus questions.
Mrs Henry, the mythical elven plus parent, wants to buy some
new eleven plus books for her daughter.
There is a special offer from one publisher. `Three eleven
plus books at £9.50 each for the price of Two!
She scrolls down the page and sees an advertisement from a
different book seller – but the same publisher. `These eleven plus books are
only £8.90 each. Special offer – but one and get one half price.’
Mrs Henry turns to her daughter. “Well dear, should we get
these books or these?”
Her daughter rapidly considers a number of choices. Does her
mother want her to work the answer out on price or on educational value. She
offers a rather non-committal answer.
The mother, on her mobile phone, tweets a friend and also poses
the question on face-book.
Her daughter, meanwhile, is far more community orientated
than her mother and simply phones a friend. Her friend asks her what the
options are. The girls agree that while buying more eleven plus books could be
desirable it may be more valuable to the community to pass all their eleven
plus books on to the wider community.
“But Mum, we want to educate the community.”
An epiphany comes in mysterious ways!
