Lily Burnett

About Lily Burnett

http://www.colby.edu/directory_cs/lkburn23/

Posts by Lily Burnett:

Do Academics Even Matter Anymore?

April 25, 2023

Private schools typically boast of their incredible academic resources, intensive curriculum, and professional faculty. While they may not be necessarily wrong, students and their families do not always choose their private education on the basis of academics. Through researching Everdeen in Australia, it has become more apparent that there may be a difference between what schools advertise and what students seek in their private or elite education.

When asked about their education at Everdeen, Australian students spoke widely and excitedly about extracurriculars, particularly sports. It was only when academic classes and programs were addressed directly that they were open to discussing their academic experience. This observation from a series of interviews has made me wonder what is more important at these elite schools: extracurriculars, social life, or academic opportunities.

Based on these student interviews, it may be assumed that Everdeen students find more value in their extracurriculars than in their academics. While both extracurriculars and academics are required, sports and the performing arts, for example, provide these young adults with social outlets and the opportunity to make meaning of their place in their little school bubble. As one pro-private school journalist notes, “Among their benefits, they allow your child to grow. They stimulate them with new ways of thinking and help them develop self-confidence. They teach tolerance and emphasize teamwork, lessons a child needs to learn to be a successful, well-rounded adult” (Buice 2019). In this sense, private schools are valuable for lessons in socialization and the development of the self.

So, based on this perspective on the importance of extracurriculars, do academics even matter anymore? Well, of course, they matter to the degree that they are required and for the development of skills. However, it could be argued that in the contemporary world, social, cultural, and economic capital may be more important. As described by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, these forms of capital enhance someone’s status within society and elite institutions reproduce social hierarchies. Nowadays, networking scores good jobs, and extracurricular activities make someone stand out on a resume. Perhaps, then, it is not necessarily the academics that families are paying thousands of dollars for. As found in our research at Everdeen, some students consistently report highly of their social lives and extracurriculars outside of class while lacking passion for their academic courses. While they may just be procrastinating teenagers who would rather be playing soccer or dancing on stage, it can also be telling that they love their schools based on their activities outside of class.

Works Cited

Bourdieu, Pierre. 1996. The State Nobility: Elite Schools in the Field of Power. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

Buice, David. 2019. “Extracurricular Activities at Private Schools.” The Dallas Morning News. Accessed April 6, 2023. https://www.dallasnews.com/sponsored/2019/10/01/extracurricular-activities-at-private-schools/#:~:text=Among%20their%20benefits%2C%20they%20allow,successful%2C%20well%2Drounded%20adult.

Private or Public?

Lily Burnett / Globally Elite /

April 4, 2023

In researching the Australian education system, I was intrigued to learn the little differences between public and private schooling. Specifically, I was surprised to learn that public and private/independent schools receive government funding (Courtney Facts 2023). I found this fact about the Australian education system interesting considering the advantages many private school students receive.

As someone who has only ever attended public school, my knowledge of private education consists mainly of stories from friends who attended elite schools or stereotypes about such educational institutions. Before formally learning about elite education, I assumed that private schools were mostly funded by generous donors and through tuition payments. After learning about the Australian education system, however, I now understand that the government is responsible for contributing to all forms of schooling in the nation. Additionally, I learned that Australian private schools must follow the same guidelines as public schools (Exfin 2022). With this in mind, I wonder what attracts students and their families to private schools when they could receive the same academic information at public schools.

To answer my own question above: perhaps privileged families are attracted by the promise of fancy bells and whistles that private schools offer on top of the standardized forms of education across Australia. According to our research, Australian private schools boast of modern sporting facilities and excellent teaching staff (Courtney Facts 2023). That said, are these private school resources the only attractive qualities of elite education? While top-of-the-line sports fields and intelligent teachers are impressive, perhaps elite families are choosing Australian private schools over public schools to stay within a particular social and cultural circle. Indeed, as we have learned in class, Pierre Bourdieu suggests that elite class cultures are reproduced by the exclusivity of achieving high status in society (Bourdieu 1996). Through attendance at private schools, Australian elite students are receiving particular lessons in social and cultural capital that less advantaged students at public schools receive. Here, young elites maintain their elite status by attending private institutions where they have access to specific knowledge and resources that are only accessible to the upper classes.

Ultimately, learning about the Australian education system has brought up questions about the equality of private and public schools. It appears to be a case in which private schools attract students and families with higher economic capital. In the case of Everdeen, students are urged to embrace their global citizenship. However, by attending a prestigious private school, are these students really engaging in a culturally diverse community?

Works Cited

Bourdieu, Pierre. 1996. The State Nobility: Elite Schools in the Field of Power. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

Courtney Facts. 2023. “Are Private Schools Better Than Public Schools?.” ABC News Australia.

Last modified January 19, 2023. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-20/ are-private-schools-better-than-public-schools/101867070.

Exfin. 2022. “State or Private Education.” Accessed March 13, 2023.https://www.exfin.com/state-private-education

Same-Sex Schooling

Lily Burnett / Globally Elite /

March 9, 2023

While learning about Everdeen, an elite private school in Australia, I came to understand that this particular institution utilizes gender segregation in classes. I find this interesting as someone who attended a co-ed public school. My experience of high school education is seemingly different in many different aspects as compared to Everdeen but gender segregation stands out to me the most. Much of my own education experiences are in part related to collaborating with people of all identities, including those of gender. With that being said, I have only ever heard of all-boys or all-girls schools, so the idea of both boys and girls existing on the same campus but not learning in the same classroom is puzzling. Ultimately, my research so far has made me wonder: what are the benefits of same-gender classrooms?

In our research project, my group members and I divided up interview transcripts to read and analyze. Violet, one student interviewee, noted that she was aware of the gender split, especially beginning in her younger years at Everdeen. She reflected upon her earlier education saying that she was grateful to not have had classes with “stupid boys.” However, as she got older, Violet recognized how she preferred having a class with boys because she believed collaboration with them would prepare her how to work professionally after graduation from Everdeen. While Violet’s reflection seems to be socially oriented, I wonder if she is also thinking critically about the purpose of same-gender education.

https://tenor.com/view/boys-boys-are-gross-gross-gross-boys-cooties-gif-5621549

It is also interesting to consider the role of gender segregation at Everdeen which instills the importance of becoming a global citizen. In this case, students of all identities are taught lessons about becoming a person who understands and is aware of the global world. However, after reading through Everdeen students’ interviews, I was intrigued as to how splitting classes based on gender prepares students for the global world. If an Everdeen student is supposed to learn about the global world, wouldn’t this involve gaining knowledge on the changing perspectives of gender identities? Violet, our interviewee, spoke again and again about global citizenship being about understanding various cultures. Therefore, perhaps recognizing various gender identities is not a significant part of being a global citizen.

With that being said, what does the future hold for gender-segregated schools? Specifically, I come to think of the changing world in which we live where the gender binary is being abolished. In many societies and schools, students of all ages are encouraged to explore possibilities of identity, regardless of the standardized definitions of gender, race, etc. that many of whom have grown up learning. I wonder how the students at Everdeen who do not identify as a girl or boy are educated. Overall, after learning about a gender-segregated school, I have grown more curious about the benefits and impacts of the system on students in an ever-changing world.