The
Career-learning Café
www.hihohiho.com
the magazine
points of departure
motivation for learning
updated 22nd March 2006
ALAS,
FOR HIM - AND THE OTHER ONE!
What
Smith and Jones might have said about learning at school and learning
for life
"Remember
Cynthia Brown?"
"What old Brain-Box Brown?"
"Yeah. Thats her."
"Good old Cerebral Cynthia... What about her then?"
"She left school last Friday."
"She didnt!"
"She did!"
"Well I never. Whod ave thought it. Got all her qualifications
now then, has she?"
"Not really, no. She says shed like to do a few more, but the
head teacher says shes had a fair crack of the whip, and she ought
to move on to something else before her next birthday."
"How old is she?"
"Thirty-two."
"I suppose shes got a job?. All those letters and calls finally
paid off, eh?"
"Well, no. Actually, shes going to college."
"Is she?"
"Thats right. Shes going to do woodwork. Shes says
she wants to frame her certificates and make a big table to stand em
all on."
"I did woodwork at school."
"Did you?"
"And Welsh."
"Of course!"
"And religious knowledge."
"What did you think you could do with that lot then - be an undertaker
in Aberystwyth?"
"Nah! I was no good at the levels, you see."
"You mean the spirit levels - in woodwork?"
"No not that! You know - O-levels, A-levels - I could never get up
to any of those levels of theirs."
"Well nowadays, of course, its your GCSEs and GNVQs?"
"GV... whats?"
"G-N-V-Q.s Theyre your, er.... Grant-maintained...
er National...er..."
"Yeah? Go on then."
"...Er Very-important Qualifications - thats it.
Good stuff are GNVQs; help you get a job."
"What job? Theres no jobs round ere. If there was,
Cynthiad have it by now."
"So you dont believe in education then."
"Well theres no point is there."
"Not a lot to show for it?"
"Not really."
"Didnt enjoy it much?"
"Well its less fun than sex and..."
"I know - ...and it takes less time! But Im not talking about
fun. Im talking about the - you know - the joy of learning... the
challenge... the curiosity... the interest... getting to grips with knowing
how things work... and what it all means..."
"Oh that!... We didnt do much of that at school."
"Bit
of a waste of time really, would you say?"
"Well, now that you put it like that."
"Well Ive got news for you."
"Whats that then?"
"That learning you didnt enjoy much..."
"Yeah?"
"...and that you didnt get much from..."
"Yeah?"
"...and that turned out to be a bit of a waste of time..."
"Yeah?"
"Well, the government wants you to go on doing that for the rest
of your life.
Reprinted,
with permission, from the Journal of The National Institute for
Careers Education and Counselling
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