Opinion: Falkirk schools have so much to offer young people

There’s been lots of time to reflect in recent months – when we’re not all involved in our lockdown projects.
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There’s been lots of time to reflect in recent months – when we’re not all involved in our lockdown projects.

I’m feeling rather lazy compared to some friends and family who have been transforming houses and gardens, learning new skills and generally making good use of all their unexpected free time.

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Many of them have been furloughed and my excuse for not being so proactive is that I’m still working.

The only project I seemed to get involved in were home baking – when I could get the ingredients – and trying out new varities of wine. Neither of which have done my for my waistline I hasten to add.

However, on a more positive note I have been determined to improve my cultural knowledge, well okay, read all those books that I’ve always meant to read and watch the classic films on TV!

The libraries, museums and galleries are all still closed so what else can I do?

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But one virtual exhbition that caught my eye and has had me enthralled is the National Library of Scotland one which shows how women have evolved in the last century.

Apparently it has already toured cinemas around the country, including the Hippodrome in Bo’ness but I must have missed it and I’m thankfully been able to catch up with it on the Her Century website.

It’s a real eye-opener as to how things have changed over the years – and sometimes not that long ago.

The points raised have started some interesting discussions between my mum, daughter and myself. Three generations who have seen so many changes over their lifetimes and, for someone like mum, these changes have been massive.

But even for me there’s been so many.

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For instance, Emma couldn’t believe that girls didn’t do any technical subjects when I went to school.

“Really, so what did you do,” she asked.

“The girls did cooking and sewing classes, while the boys did woodwork,” I said. “We didn’t think anything of it at the time. That’s just what you did.”

However, her reaction did make me wonder if women of my generation had missed out on opportunities that might have set them on a completely different career path.

I’m happy to tackle a bit of decorating or DIY in the house when needed, but is it something I might have discovered that I had a flair for if there had been a chance to try my hand at woodwork or metalwork at school?

Who knows.

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My mother said that when she was at school it was still rare for women to go on to further education, rather they were directed down the route of clerical or shop work. Both invaluable but again, you wonder at how people’s lives could have been so different.

Nowadays with equal opportunities and schools giving our children and young people so many chances to discover a vast variety of subjects, 
the world really is their 
oyster.

Here’s hoping that those who have had their education disrupted in recent months get everything back on track quickly to grasp those opportunites and use them to ensure they have a happy and productive future.

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