Thank you for filming and sharing this with us. It's important for parents to film these occasions in schools which have been stereotyped by the media and popular culture. This shows that Eton is just a school like any other school. It just happens to have kept its traditions at a time when others are abandoning them. Traditions are important even as we pursue progress and modernisation. It's also great that Eton is moving with the times on social issues. That makes the school even more attractive for parents.
When I first learnt of Eton College at the age of about twelve I couldn't believe a small number of boys of my age were going to have such an education. I did not want to believe and I just could not believe such a School was going to continue for my generation too. Just as it had done so for countless generations of boys before us. I simply couldn't understand why all the parents and all the adults wanted it to continue. Couldn't they see how unfair and unjust this was? Couldn't they see how such schools were going to perpetuate inequality in society? Couldn't they see that the class system was going to continue if you allow some boys to have such an advantage and privilege within education? It is difficult to explain, and as a teenager I never thought I would say this, but as you become older you slowly begin to see for yourself the important role a School like Eton plays in education. You begin to understand and also to acknowledge the invaluable and incalculable role such a School plays in educating each generation. Above all else you begin to see how special it would be if it continued. Not only for the next generation. But also for the future generations of boys who will follow after them.
Thank you for your comments, Neil. Another point to make to Eton's critics is that the school is constantly changing and modernising itself. Some of the criticisms would have been valid a few decades ago. The school now only recruits on merit and has an extensive bursary system in place which the school is doing its best to expand.The modern Eton is certainly a different school to what most people would imagine it to be.
1. The school is not elitist. More than 25% of boys there have massive discounts due to their inability to pay for them. 80 have no fees at all. They don't stand out from the crowd, and neither do those who come from posh families. As @Luzborough Lane said, although your generation was mainly chosen by their class, this has changed. 2. Even if it was elitist, shouldn't you have the right to give your children an education that you want them to have? Arguably, one of the greatest things that you can do with the money that you've worked for is to give to your children. Also, where do you draw the line? If it is immoral to give your children a better education than most, then surely you should ban inheritance since that is also giving them an unfair advantage. And if you think inheritance should be banned, then surely you should think that you should be unable to give anything to your children, as this can also seem unfair. It seems the only line that you can draw on this is communism, which if you believe in is fair enough. I won't try to pretend that I think political opinion is the 'correct' one, but I hope that you can see that there aren't many other better options.
I'm not sure how this popped up on my you tube suggestions but places like Eton are examples of everything that is wrong in the UK today. Where one group of boys born into privilege have such an advantage over an other group solely because of how much money their parents earn. You only need to look at the amount of PM's that have came from Eton or other equivalent schools to gauge that this is not a true reflection on society. How would someone attending a school like this know how it feels to survive on minimum wage and make dessions based on this ?
Dear Michael, thank you for your comment on my video - I think it deserves the same answer that I gave to the last person who commented (see above). Essentialy your comment might have been valid before the year 2000, but this school has moved on a lot since then.
@@luzboroughlane7948 I dissagre with your point. I am well aware that Eton does have scholarships but it it is still out of reach for the vast majority of students from working class backgrounds , regardless of their academic ability. Essentially Eton is an elite teir in terms of education and the students it takes in is not a reflection on the majority of the country.
@@michaelmclaughlin5125 I don't think it's supposed to be a reflection of the rest of the country. Although it is extreme in privilege, I'm glad that there are people who can experience such fortune and I aspire to this because the alternative is so much worse: communism, where everyone gets the same but no-one has enough.
@@christie140 At no point did I put Communism as the alternative however socialism certainly is. As a teacher who has worked in both the public and private sector I have seen students fail to achieve their aspirations simply because of where they come. I have absolutely nothing against on a personal level students or the families that send their children to schools like Eton. It is however a flawed system. Places like Eton provide a network or "old boys club" that allow students into positions not necessary on merit but from where they come from. As I mentioned in a previous comment the number of prime ministers that came from this school and others like it are a prime example of this.
Thank you for filming and sharing this with us. It's important for parents to film these occasions in schools which have been stereotyped by the media and popular culture. This shows that Eton is just a school like any other school. It just happens to have kept its traditions at a time when others are abandoning them. Traditions are important even as we pursue progress and modernisation. It's also great that Eton is moving with the times on social issues. That makes the school even more attractive for parents.
imagine how many future PM's are in this video
This is Monty Python material. Good work on the camera Bertie.
When I first learnt of Eton College at the age of about twelve I couldn't believe a small number of boys of my age were going to have such an education. I did not want to believe and I just could not believe such a School was going to continue for my generation too. Just as it had done so for countless generations of boys before us. I simply couldn't understand why all the parents and all the adults wanted it to continue. Couldn't they see how unfair and unjust this was? Couldn't they see how such schools were going to perpetuate inequality in society? Couldn't they see that the class system was going to continue if you allow some boys to have such an advantage and privilege within education? It is difficult to explain, and as a teenager I never thought I would say this, but as you become older you slowly begin to see for yourself the important role a School like Eton plays in education. You begin to understand and also to acknowledge the invaluable and incalculable role such a School plays in educating each generation. Above all else you begin to see how special it would be if it continued. Not only for the next generation. But also for the future generations of boys who will follow after them.
Thank you for your comments, Neil.
Another point to make to Eton's critics is that the school is constantly changing and modernising itself. Some of the criticisms would have been valid a few decades ago. The school now only recruits on merit and has an extensive bursary system in place which the school is doing its best to expand.The modern Eton is certainly a different school to what most people would imagine it to be.
@@luzboroughlane7948 How is it different?
You commented this on another video. Are you just copy and pasting?
1. The school is not elitist.
More than 25% of boys there have massive discounts due to their inability to pay for them. 80 have no fees at all. They don't stand out from the crowd, and neither do those who come from posh families. As @Luzborough Lane said, although your generation was mainly chosen by their class, this has changed.
2. Even if it was elitist, shouldn't you have the right to give your children an education that you want them to have?
Arguably, one of the greatest things that you can do with the money that you've worked for is to give to your children.
Also, where do you draw the line? If it is immoral to give your children a better education than most, then surely you should ban inheritance since that is also giving them an unfair advantage.
And if you think inheritance should be banned, then surely you should think that you should be unable to give anything to your children, as this can also seem unfair.
It seems the only line that you can draw on this is communism, which if you believe in is fair enough. I won't try to pretend that I think political opinion is the 'correct' one, but I hope that you can see that there aren't many other better options.
Give it up
I'm not sure how this popped up on my you tube suggestions but places like Eton are examples of everything that is wrong in the UK today. Where one group of boys born into privilege have such an advantage over an other group solely because of how much money their parents earn.
You only need to look at the amount of PM's that have came from Eton or other equivalent schools to gauge that this is not a true reflection on society. How would someone attending a school like this know how it feels to survive on minimum wage and make dessions based on this ?
Dear Michael, thank you for your comment on my video - I think it deserves the same answer that I gave to the last person who commented (see above). Essentialy your comment might have been valid before the year 2000, but this school has moved on a lot since then.
@@luzboroughlane7948 I dissagre with your point. I am well aware that Eton does have scholarships but it it is still out of reach for the vast majority of students from working class backgrounds , regardless of their academic ability. Essentially Eton is an elite teir in terms of education and the students it takes in is not a reflection on the majority of the country.
As
@@michaelmclaughlin5125 I don't think it's supposed to be a reflection of the rest of the country. Although it is extreme in privilege, I'm glad that there are people who can experience such fortune and I aspire to this because the alternative is so much worse: communism, where everyone gets the same but no-one has enough.
@@christie140 At no point did I put Communism as the alternative however socialism certainly is.
As a teacher who has worked in both the public and private sector I have seen students fail to achieve their aspirations simply because of where they come. I have absolutely nothing against on a personal level students or the families that send their children to schools like Eton. It is however a flawed system.
Places like Eton provide a network or "old boys club" that allow students into positions not necessary on merit but from where they come from. As I mentioned in a previous comment the number of prime ministers that came from this school and others like it are a prime example of this.
Eton stopped being "Eton" a few decades ago. Consequently there is no reason to send a boy there now over other schools.
Lol poshos