Linguist, lexicographer, radio host, public speaker

Children who are neither specially gifted nor famous are given preference

“The families sitting in the dim room add up to maybe 60 people altogether. That is a lot of people among whom to spread only a little bit of luck. Each year the bilingual school admits 100 children to its primary classes. Fifty places go mainly to Americans, with a small proportion of them allocated through an ‘international list’ to children who speak English as their mother tongue. This list also has a sister, a waiting list. But it is the other 50 places that are hotly contested. They are so coveted that only a raffle can ensure a modicum of fairness.”

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Grant Barrett