Dialogue: How pupils make schools, not the other way round

By SHELLEY BRIDGEMAN

It's that time of year again when some schools can vaunt their academic successes with pride while others shuffle off into the corner wearing dunces' caps.

School certificate results broken down school by school have just been released by the Qualifications Authority and every school's percentage of grades is on show for all to see.

There are no great surprises about which Auckland schools rated the best. St Cuthbert's (private girls') College was first with 34.4 per cent of A grades, while Diocesan (private) School for Girls was next with 29.9 per cent.

Before the teachers at those schools start slapping themselves on the back and shouting "jolly hockey sticks," perhaps some thought should be given to the often-overlooked fact that it is the individual pupils who gained those marks.

"Oh yes," the teachers might reply. "But we taught them, so the glory can be reflected back to us and, by extension, to our schools." Oh ... really?

Hang on a minute. There's another factor that has more to do with location and "nature and nurture" influences on the pupil than anything the school itself might do.

St Cuth's and Dio are slap-bang in the middle of the rarefied and leafy Auckland suburb of Epsom. And we all know that you could buy a small car for the annual fees paid to send a pupil there.

Therefore, we can assume a couple of things. First, the parents of these girls aren't short of a buck or two, or at least have an income sufficient to sustain a lifestyle that includes opting to pay for education when the state supplies it free of charge.

Secondly, the proportion of these parents who are professionals - excuse the archaic term - would be relatively high. Doctors and lawyers are a dime a dozen in that part of town, as well as in other exclusive suburbs nearby. From the jobs these parents have, we can also assume two things: they have the ability to pass exams themselves and, most significantly, they have a belief in the value of education.

After all, without a good education where would they be today? Their diligent studying and successful exam-passing has brought them more rewards than probably many of them ever dared to dream of - big, old houses with underfloor heating, landscaped gardens and camellia trees set on manicured lawns, European cars, exotic holidays and, of course, a good education for their children.

And, by hokey, those children will get a good education. Not only will they be sent to the best schools but their parents will use every weapon in their arsenal to ensure their investment is not wasted.

"You'd better pass your exams. I don't pay all this money to see you hanging out at the mall."

"If you want a new car, Jemima, you'd better do well at school. How will you ever get to university if you can't even pass school c?" And so on.

The parents have passed their values on to their children and probably impressed on them the dire consequences for mucking up at school.

"How will you ever get a good job if you don't study and then how will you ever give your own children a good education without a sizeable income?" Thus the cycle is complete.

So the pupils at these so-called top schools have had the value of academic success well and truly conveyed to them by their parents - sometimes overtly and sometimes in more subtle ways. And this, of course, more than anything the school does, guarantees a certain attitude towards exams and learning. These pupils could be sent to almost any school and they'd still shine in school certificate.

A cursory glance at the rest of the results shows many schools with a Christian or Maori focus scoring particularly poorly for school certificate results. This simply reinforces the argument.

The fact that these parents have chosen to send a children to such a school is evidence that they possess values other than the passing of exams and the material success to which it may lead.

Rather, in their choice of school, these parents have been guided more by religion and culture. And rather than impressing mainly the importance of a good education on their children, they've emphasised the value of family, culture and spirituality.

While the pupils in Epsom are doing their prep on the latest laptop computers, these other children might be in a church or on a marae, nourishing their spiritual life.

So, to all those top-scoring schools: please stay behind and write 1000 lines, "Perhaps our pupils make us, rather than the other way around."

* Shelley Bridgeman is an Auckland writer.