> But in France, saying these is an anathema, people can get insane we encourage kids to excel, in silly things such as just being fluent in English, useful in Math, generally aware of physics, careful about historical precedents or able to follow a discussion on philosophy.
Mass education is still a relatively new thing. Has there ever been a time when we successfully taught that to the large majority of children? Part of me wonders whether it is a reasonable goal. I don’t think the UK ever achieved the equivalent.