Regency era life lessons

Introduction

This is not one of my usual book reviews.? But then again, this is not one of my usual books nowadays.? Tom Brown’s Schooldays is a cornerstone of my childhood (more on this later).? It has directly, and no doubt subconsciously, influenced the man that I have become today.? I took the summer to re-read it and it spurred some thoughts that I determined warranted writing down, especially given many will be heading back to formal education this week.? Please feel free to share your reactions with me.

Seeing things from a different perspective

I must have been a pre-teen the last time I read/watched this.? Reading it again as a man gave me a completely different perspective.? Tom, East and Brooke were undoubtedly the heroes back then, whereas now I look at figures like Dr Arnold as the ones to aspire to be like.? Revisiting something you learned from once doesn’t necessarily just re-enforce the original learning, but can open up things you’ve never seen before.? After all, a man cannot walk through the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and he is not the same man (Heraclitus).?

Is there anything you’ve previously experienced that you could do with revisiting, to see if it opens up new benefits for you?

Real heroes don’t wear capes

“Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say in front of your mother or your sisters” (Squire Brown).

Words that my own father instilled in me at a young age.? I haven’t always lived by them, but they have always been there.? And, as a father, reading them again has made me reflect on who I’m presenting to my children as people to look up to, respect and seek to emulate.? Are they real, flawed people (Tom Brown’s Schooldays is wonderfully full of real people – none of them are perfect), or are they a glittering, saccharine sweet, Hollywood, polished version of a hero – flawless and unattainable?? There’s the phrase ‘not all heroes wear capes’ – well, in my view, no real heroes wear capes.

Who are we presenting as those to look up to today?? To ourselves, our children and our teams?? Do we need to rethink what good looks like, and try and pick the best bits from multiple flawed people to seek to present the best realistic example that we can?

What is ‘education’?

Tom Brown was certainly not an academic, yet, I would argue that he received an education and then some in this book.? Because learning is more than knowing facts, it’s about learning to solve problems (like when Tom and East resolved the Flashman problem), becoming independent, how to build personal relationships…? I propose in the UK, where a lot of the time the focus and emphasis on schools seems to be as exam factories, some of this is missed.? I had some great teachers at school, and, whether deliberately or otherwise, they were at least as concerned with building character as delivering results. Sometimes it’s difficult to value those intangibles, but they are an integral part of ‘education’ to me – I am still considering how I promote this more widely than my direct circle of influence, but it’s something that is regularly weighing heavily upon my mind.? Any suggestions from people reading this would be gratefully received!

Conclusion

I feel like there’s loads more I could write here, picking up specifics, but the above are my overall reflections on the book which are hopefully accessible to everyone.? Happy to receive feedback on anything in the above.?

P.S. If you are going to read the book I’d recommend skipping the first couple of chapters, which are a very drawn out description of Regency age Berkshire.

P.P.S. For those interested, there is a broad overview here (although some of it doesn’t actually mirror the events of the book): https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2008/sep/20/booksforchildrenandteenagers