A school for scandal

Posted by Lewis on October 17, 2005

In Reply to: A schooling brat posted by Sharon M. on October 16, 2005

: Can someone please tell me if there is an expression "a schooling brat", and if so what is its meaning? I found the phrase mentioned in relation to a boy, a bastard, who was referred to this way.

'spoilt brat' is more common for describing an intemperate youth. -ling was more common as a suffice centuries back and it is unlikely that they would have doubled up the consonent to make it schoolling had they meant a person at school, as opposed to the process of education. It sounds like an expression between 3 and 5 centuries ago for an unpleasant school-child. as a matter of history, schools were not a systematic education system and many were dam-schools, where a woman of the town (or more normally village) would look after children and if they were very lucky teach them their letters. apart from the rich and through the church, schools were most often nurseries rather than places of education.
As an aside, I think that the misleading term 'public school' referred to the fact that as most of the rich employed private tutors for their children, it was unusual for there to be a place of education to which a number of people could send their children. because there is a state education system to which the public have free access, 'public school' (exclusive and expensive) and 'private school' (fee paying) mean in effect the same thing - a place for the 'haves' to continue hegemony through the 'old boy' and 'old girl' networks.

whilst it appears inevitable that such networks will dominate the ruling of countries, in 'free' countries supposed to be based on merit, the ability of a group to bring together the next generation of potential leaders to the exclusion of equally talented people is 'unhealthy' IMO.
yet at the same time, I also believe that people should have the right to purchase education should they so wish. full of contradictions, me.

anybody know the answer?

L

• A school for scandal Smokey Sto er 17/October/05