Pre-Hogwarts education and the Weasleys

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 7645

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, nlpnt at y... wrote:

> Given the Weasley parents' attitudes towards Muggles and Muggle
> culture (not to mention the number of kids underfoot!), why 
> didn't the Weasleys send their kids to a Muggle primary school?

1) Arthur and Molly seem SO IGNORANT of Muggle culture that it 
would be incredibly difficult for them to figure out HOW to enroll 
their child in a Muggle school, buy Muggle school supplies, etc. 

I really believe that MOST wizarding folk are not as ignorant of 
Muggle culture as the Weasleys are.

2) Arthur's fondness for Muggles is a patronizing kind of fondness. 
For example, when explaining the Muggle-repellent spells around the 
World Cup stadium in GoF, he remembers to follow up his remarks 
about Muggles with something like "Bless their little hearts". When 
he asked Harry about electricity and telephones, his commented was 
"Amazing how they've been able to get along without magic."  

Thus, from him to send his CHILDREN to be educated by Muggle would 
be like an American business person in a Third World country who 
admires the local people for their folk songs, their handicrafts, 
their friendliness to strangers, sending hisir children to be 
educated by the local people in folk songs, handicrafts, food 
gardening, forest hunting instead of sending them to a school that 
would teach them the courses required for college admission, like 
chemistry and calculus.