Re: study of red****rting (late entrance to kndergarten)

In article <23be84dlv6nj4np7h3q04gp04mp21g88nj@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
 Rosalie B. <gmbeasley@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> What is a school captain?  What is a dux?  Kind of like a
> vice-captain?

Australian primary and high schools have elections for a representative
body.  
When I was at school you elected prefects and boy and girl captains and 
vice-captains.  Prefects, traditionally, were responsible for minor
discipline 
-- silence on stairs, order in the canteen, that sort of thing -- and the 
captains (or vice-captains, if the captains were unavailable) --
represented 
the school students at public events.  Speeches at prize-giving
ceremonies, 
give flowers to retiring teachers, conducting the Anzac Day ceremony, etc.
 
The s****ts captains represented the high school at formal s****ts events
(they 
were usually athletic people), but as I was so uns****ty I have no idea
what 
this involved.

These days, students elect a Student Representative Council which can make

suggestions to the school administration on improvements to 
facilities/activities, runs school functions, etc.  At my son's primary
school 
the school captains are joint presidents of this body.  At any rate, they
are 
immortalised in gold letters on a wooden board, usually some years after
they 
have departed!  Elections are considered im****tant for development of an 
understanding of our system of government (as I've mentioned, we have 
compulsory voting).

A dux is a student who gains the highest overall result in the final year
of 
school, primary or high.  We normally referred to the one who came second
as 
the Runner-Up, and that name often went up on the board as well.

I was a prefect in high school and our privilege was a small room of our
own, 
with an electric jug and probably a toaster.  It was nice on wet days, but
not 
all our friends were prefects, so I don't think I spent a lot of time in
there 
really.

I did have the privilege that having a good character brings with it -- if
I 
went to the toilet or library, I was never stopped and challenged, just 
greeted.  At that stage, we didn't have formal p*****, just verbal teacher

permission.  At DS1's primary school, the children never go anywhere
alone, 
but only in pairs, so a classmate always accompanies a child to the
office, 
sick-bay or toilet.  I don't know if the older children go anywhere alone 
during class time (DS1 is 7 and in Year 2), but I think not.

-- 
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia 
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/