School year system in the UK/Gluttony

[festuco]

No: HPFGUIDX 128801


> Tonks:
> Well I didn't realize that there was so much variety is the US. I 
> went to school back in the dark ages in a small town. We had 
> different building for the K-6, 7-8, and 9-12. And 7-12 did not have 
> recess. Can you imagine the sorts of trouble that age group could 
> get into by having recess? And this was in the 50's, early 60's, 
> when the worst that would happen is some older kids might sneek off 
> to have a cigarette. I can't imagine it today!  Kids in what the US 
> calls Jr. High (7 & 8) would pick up some very bad ideas from kids 
> in 9-12. And that(Jr.High) is the age group that are most 
> impressionable, so IMO they should be kept seperate. 

OK, big question mark here. Keeping age groups separate because they
might pick up bad ideas? So what happens at home? Need siblings to be
kept separate too? Should children not talk to their older siblings
friends? Or only with a parent there for fear of contamination? Should
they be forbidden to watch TV programs with older children in them?
And why would children of 9-12 have bad ideas? Especially the kind
that cannot picked up from TV, books, newspapers or the internet? I'm
sorry to say, but to mee this seems a rather paranoid view of
children, motivated by fear and seeing the worst,instead of a positive
view that gives children role models in growing up.  

What we see in Hogwarts is what I know from my school (age 12-18).
People usually hang out with their peers, not with much older children
as they are not interested in having younger ones around them. Unless
there is a family connection. In case of Harry, we see him having
contact with Fred and George through Ron, and a bit with the memebers
of his Quidditch team.

Gerry