GCSE Choices 2013 (exams 2015) support thread

GCSE option evenings are a bit of a strange experience, just have to get through the last one with DS3 now...

Yes it was def 'cringey'i feel like if I mention it I am one of 'those' parents with the perfect child. And then there is ds2... Ha ha!

We have one of those DS2 types 5. Middle School here though so they don't get him at High School til Year 8.

DS1 wants to do German but not French. Tomorrow evening could be interesting/cringey

Ds1'sfrench teacher went on about how good he was etc, and asked if he would be doing French, ds1 very tactfully said he wasn't sure... At home we know he hates French and it was never an option.

Tbh the evening wasa bit embarrassing for ds1and us as his teachers raved about him and wanted him to do their subject.I am thrilled he is doing so well but worry he has set the bar high for his siblings, ds2starts there in sept and he is a very different child... Bright but 'spirited'....

Sounds bit scary cream. I know his Art teacher wants him to take it but he doesn't want to do Art. Same with Geography.

sparkling it is worth finding out teachers think your DC would cope with the subject.

IME you also get an idea of your child's popularity in the staff room. At DS1's option evening the teachers were implicitly shouting 'pick me', 'pick me'. whereas for DS2 it seemed to be the opposite

I think I may Sparkling!!

I remember it well from DS1 - it is chaotic!

OMG Horse, that should be um, interesting. You may need

Ours is Parents Evening and Options combined, we have appt style here - everyone ignores that and it's a massive free for all

I will have my elbows at the ready.

Yes it was chaos, we had specific time slots but everyone seemed to ignore them and it was a free for all :(

One teacher we didn't get to see but he really impressed me actually by phoning me up during half term! And we had a lovely chat despite the mad things being noisy, he has three kids himself so got the half term chaos! I was impressed he took the time during the holidays to call me and he was very helpful :)

One bonus was free tea/coffee and biscuits at our evening!

Thanks 5. Was it chaos like Parents Evenings can be-with big queues for the teachers?

sparkling I found it quite helpful to talk to the teachers and see what they thought re ds1 taking their subject at GCSE. Obv some are compulsory but re the optional ones it helped to get an idea on hoahr is currently doing and how he could be expected to do in GCSE and to find out a bit more about what theory entailed coursework/exam wise and what would be co red re history/geography etc. Our problem was that actually as ds1 is a top set student and expected to get a and a* grades that all the teachers are Keen for him to do their subject.

He has chosen now. 8 compulsory and then history, geography, computer science and statistics.

Is there any need to see the teachers? And if so which do you see and what do you say?

We have an hour's talk in the hall to start with tomorrow. It's going to be a long night....

My ds won't know until May.

Dds school are faffing us around. Should have had her choices last week. Now we will find out maybe this week more likley the week after.
Dd is climbing the walls! She is desprate to know what she's got. It's rather hilarious that whenever a brown envelope has arrived in the post she asks me to open It as it must be her options and then a meltdown when its a Amazon order.etc!

Hope your all good and your dc will know.soon

DS not able to take History due to option blocks. He had chose GCSE Law a a reserve option (but was not expecting to need it). Now tells me he really does not want to study law GCSE, but is thinking of asking to swap to Latin. I'm not sure how best to advise. Just wondering what others would recommend.

Yep, and teen boys too.

Sparkling, I was well into my 30s before I'd worked out what I wanted to do. Thanks to evening classes etc I had been able to chalk up loads and loads of knowledge since I was 18, so getting a degree was pretty straightforward - and they still had grants (I think I was the last year to get anything like it, paltry as it was. WHen my friends had gone to Uni and I had gone to work - 70s - the grants were more than I earnt!).

OTOH, my younger brother knew when he was 11 what he wanted to do. DH was about the same age.

My daughter has known what she wants to do since she was less than 5.

Despite those 3 people, though, I think it's exceptional to know for sure what you want to do when you're only 13 or so. Though quite a few of dd's contemporaries want to be famous

Dizzy DS1 has just had the mother of all strops. He has just come in from footy training and asked if he can have a carton of Orange juice. I said to make himself some squash. Huge explosion.

I still don't know what I'd like to do