When I was in elementary school, I went to private schools (had a maid, even) and was never, ever shamed for putting my nose in a book. Kids did not play with the geeks as much, but they did not shame us, just left us alone. It wasn't until I was in public school that I experienced being shamed frequently for enjoying knowledge. And here I am, with every history lesson I research to homeschool my child, seeing exactly why the wealthy were encouraging the poor to shame education.