Sinister: H.E.

[Mark Hester]

Several of you have suggested that it might be better for people to wait
until they are in their mid-twenties before going to university when they
are more mature and know whther they really want to be there. I thought
I'd better try to oppose this argument, diplomatically of course! I did all the
things that those who say they 'wasted their time' (re going to nightclubs
etc) did, but worked bloody hard as well and then had to endure quite a
long period of unemployment as I graduated in 92 when there wasn't
exactly a lot of work about. It was interesting reading the sleevenotes to
IYFS which says quite a lot on this subject (in stark contrast to the
crassness that you get on most albums) where mention is made of
Sarah and Isobel's arts degrees not being worth the paper they're
printed on etc. "But you could always temp for a while. or teach."

 This made me laugh as people were always saying this to me when I
was on the dole! As if it was some sort of soft option for people who
didn't know what they wanted to do! I thought, bloody hell, this is the
most important job in the world.... a person is entrusted with determining
the future of a generation (part of it, anyway) and this is how the
vocation is regarded! What hope is there! It just so happened that
teaching was the one thing I knew I DIDN'T want to do. Plus the fact I
knew I wouldn't be any good at it. I thought back to the teachers in my
school who couldn't control the class and thought, "Yep, that would be
me". The dreadful thing was the teachers who were in that situation
were dubbed 'floating teachers' and simply covered when other
members of staff were away. There was one guy who was into
amateur dramatics, the kids found out and used to down tools and
refuse to do any work until he sang for them! As I remember the kids
wound these teachers up in part because the 'floating teachers' made
promises the kids knew they wouldn't keep. They would tell miscreants
"If you do such and such I'll tell the headmaster" and the kids would just
go "Yeah, right."

The other irony in all this is that I was a good all-rounder at school (for
that read 'spod') and so was spoilt for choice when it came to 'A' level
choices. I chose science subjects because I thought there were better
career prospects! 

For me, there was a great contrast between school and uni. The
difference was chiefly one of respect. When I first arrived in Bristol, I
thought "Why is everyone being nice to me?". I still don't fully appreciate
why this was, but attributed it in part to growing up in suburban London,
which I think has a dehumanising effect. I have made this point to some
people and they've regarded it with scepticism, but I still think there's
truth in it. It can be measured by how many people thank the driver when
they get off a bus. In London, no-one does, in Oxford its about half and
half and in Bristol it is pretty well everyone.

I wonder what other people's experiences of this sort of thing are?
Certainly a Glaswegian guy I met in Bristol contrasted the Glasgow
Underground with the London one (on the former strangers speak to
each other and on the latter its very rare for this to happen).


Mark.

--------------------------------------------------------

Mark Hester
Engineering & Technology
Elsevier Science Ltd
The Boulevard
Kidlington
Oxon OX5 1GB
UK

Tel. +44 1865 843296
Fax +44 1865 853319
E-mail m.hester at elsevier.co.uk

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.             Listen, this is pish, I think I'll leave
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