Belligerent ghouls
run Manchester schools
spineless swines
cemented minds
Sir leads the troops
jealous of youth
same old suit since 1962
he does the military two-step
down the nape of my neck
I wanna go home
I don’t want to stay
give up education
as a bad mistake

The Smiths, Headmaster Ritual, lyrics Morrissey / music Marr, album Meat is murder, 1985

PROLOGUE

Do these verses remind you of your own school days? Of dimly lit, long, seemingly endless corridors, of crammed classrooms, uncomfortable chairs, and too heavy school bags. How did you experience school? As a happy, interesting place full of interesting conversations, discoveries and challenges? Or as a place of practicing discipline where the form is often more important than the content? Schools have always been a mirror of society. They have raised and educated children in a manner that has been consistent with the needs and values of that same society. Today we live in a time of lifelong learning and new media that greatly facilitate access to information, education and communication, but schools did not change significantly in terms of either content or environment.