To insist that drama is not a valid choice for GCSE's

[FaintlyBaffled]

....when the student in question has never expressed the faintest interest in the subject in nearly 14 years
DS has his heart set on taking GCSE drama. I maintain it's a bonkers choice given that his only acting experience to date was as a leaf in a school assembly in yr2.
To compound this, he is planning to give up a subject that has interested him since he was a toddler, as it falls in the same block as drama. He has a natural gift at this subject and has just received glowing reports in his most recent review.
I'm wary of opening hostilities over something that I can ultimately win in the short term (I have to sign the form to say I agree with his choices) but that he could win in the long term by flunking the subject. We've so far agreed not to do anything until we've discussed this in more detail with the school, but he's unusually truculent about the whole affair. AIBU to put my foot down and insist that he doesn't "waste" an option on this?

[nosswith]

So, OP is the drama teacher fairly young (or young looking for her age), attractive, and is your son called Emmanuel? Or is there a fellow pupil he likes?

[Goldenhedgehogs]

I would not stress about this, we have been there with my daughter and in the end the additional out of hours stuff put her off but even just a year later I struggle to remember what she did instead! Let him have this freedom to choose as in the long run it will probably not matter

[GlummyMcGlummerson]

If you watch and enjoy tv and films then I can't possibly understand why you wouldn't think drama was a valid choice?

[CarterBeatsTheDevil]

I did Drama, I also did history, I chose neither of them for A-level choices but Drama ended up being a lot more relevant to my career, which involves a lot of speaking in public. I wouldn't write it off - I would say it is the only course where you'll really be encouraged to express yourself and have fun at that level and where those things will actually be the learning. I was very academic and both my parents had colossal expectations and frankly Drama was a blessed relief.

[JingleCatJingle]

How did it go OP? Am in a similar position but after reading this thread I shall encourage him to do Drama if he likes!

[Trumpetboysmum]

Lots of !! Not list !!

[BubbleAndSquark]

I took drama despite being very shy and having no interest up until that point. I ended up getting an A, and it helped hugely with my confidence and ability to work closely with people I didn't know well, put ideas forwards and speak infront of others.
Depending on whether or not those things come naturally to him it could be a very good base for building skills.

[dingdongdigeridoo]

I found GCSE Drama really helped me come out of my shell as a teenager. I wasn’t great at acting, but enjoyed directing and backstage work. I enjoyed how it tied in with English lit, and the workshop were the highlight of my school week. The drama kids tended to stick together at my school, which helped me make friends where I’d been quite shy in the past.

[Trumpetboysmum]

TBH university seems so far off I'm not going to do more than generally encourage ds to take subjects he enjoys and thinks he will do ok in . After all it's him that has to do the work not me ( and ds has to take 11 GCSEs ) At present he does seem to know what he wants to do ( which is more than most of his friends) and success in that field has little to do with academic success at school ( apart from 2 Es at A level) . So much can and will change between now and then ( and beyond) and it's never too late - it might get a bit more complicated but what you choose to do at 14, 16, 18.... doesn't have to define your whole life . With that in mind I would say to OP if he really wants to do drama for a good reason ( not just being with his mates!!- though this would seem a good reason to list 14 year olds) then go for it

[BubblesBuddy]

My DDs both did Drama at GCSE and nailed A grades. They had an amazing teacher and hardly anyone got less than A! It really does help with confidence and team working. Obviously it helps if the school has a track record in Drama but now he is a senior, perhaps he will get a chance to be in the school play and there will be a Drama GCSE production. If he likes music, then perhaps performing is in his DNA?

GCSEs are taken into account at good universities and it can be as much as 30% weighting. However Drama won’t harm anything and if he responds well to (hopefully) excellent teaching, he has everything to gain. Teaching is the key by the way.

[ToffeePennie]

I did gcse drama. I also did history, geography, film studies and creative writing.
(As well as a language, English Lang, English lit, triple science, ict, maths and pe which were all compulsory)
When I got to A level my college allowed me to do: history, English combined, drama and theatre studies, film studies and creative writing.
I have since been to uni and have a major-minor in film studies and English combined.
I have done three additional teaching qualifications that each are the equivalent of a university degree.
I’ve started my fourth degree -equivalent last week and with these skills I plan to open my own business in the medical field.
In my experience, at 16 it’s silly to try and guess what you are going to want to do with your life. Better off choosing things you will enjoy with a good syllabus that will interest you, rather than something lacking syllabus wise or taking a subject just because your “good at it”.
Sounds to me like your son might want to challenge himself!

[Bodicea]

Oh I would also add look at the gcse history syllabus and the teacher he will get before helping decide.
I adored history. It was one of my fave subjects until I took it at GCSE. The syllabus was largely the industrial revolution - the driest subject ever. I also got lumbered with a terrible teacher who I hadn’t come across before who made it even duller. I got a not so brilliant grade in the end as I just lost interest and did the bare minimum. Better to get a decent grade in drama than an average grade in history.

[Youshallnotpass]

When I picked my GCSE topics I would have been furious if my parents had butted their noses in. Not your future, not your choice. Butt out.

I say the above as a father as well.

[BitOutOfPractice]

If universities are going to start looking at GCSE results...

They aren't going to start. They are, already. What else (apart from potentially unreliable school predicted grades) to go on? This is one of many results of the death of the AS

[SluttyButty]

GCSE drama can be a really good choice to help boost confidence, it did exactly that in my dd (she’d never expressed an interest in it either). It’s not all acting so she really got to grips with the backstage and directing bits of it. Result was when she got an A she was a far more confident person generally and that’s helped with her A levels too and going forwards to uni. He may regret it later on but you can’t really force them into something they are against (I did with my eldest son and I deeply regret pushing him into an academic subject to please myself).

[grouchymamabear]

As said by many PPs, it is ultimately his choice which GCSEs he wishes to do and he doesn't need to justify his reasons for wanting to do so.

Please remember that this is his first opportunity to really make his own decisions about his future and that you know your son as your son, not as the man he is becoming so arguing that he has shown no interest is irrelevant. He's the one who will be studying drama for the next two years so let him if that's what he really wants to do.

[londonmummy1966]

My mother made me do subjects I didn't like at O level - when she tried the same stunt at A level the school pulled her up over it and I got my way.

I have always loved history and did a history degree but I HATED it at GCSE and A level as I was interested in Romans and Tudors etc and we had 4 years on the second world war instead. My jammy best friend at uni skipped GCSE for that reason but got to do A level as it was the Tudors... so if he doesn't want to do it at GCSE as he hates the syllabus then I think he should have a chat with his teachers about this (it won't have been the first time they have heard it) and ask if he could still do it at A level if he wanted to.

Both my dc are taking drama - one wants to be a musician so it will be good for stage presence etc. The other has no idea what she wants to do so I think it will be a good choice as it will help with public speaking etc and support her English Lit.

I guess you will have a much better conversation with hi if you tell him you will support whatever decision he finally makes but think it would be helpful to chat through the pros and cons of both in a rational way?

[Trumpetboysmum]

If universities are going to start looking at GCSE results then partly I think it has to be about choosing what you would enjoy (and then hopefully work harder at!!) and also making sure that you have studied the right sort of subjects to be able to pursue courses at A level and beyond. This is really hard when they are so young- ds is choosing his currently and he is still in year 8 (3 year KS4). He is absolutely convinced that he wants a career in music and so to some extent as long as he gets good enough grades to go onto study A levels he will be fine (the music side of things is sort of taken care of and currently he would only need two Es at A level to go to music college!!) However I keep telling him that he also needs to keep his options open. So maybe triple science rather than double to keep science / STEM courses open as options at A level. At his school careers fair a lawyer pointed out that grades were the key so to study things you enjoy, and a degree student currently working at BT pointed out that she was now studying on the technical stream with her company but had arts A levels. The company was more interested in a willingness to learn than specific A level subjects- so that all made me feel better and it is possible to change your mind.

[purplelass]

DD is doing GCSE Drama, it's 80% written now I think so is quite academic (much to her annoyance!)
IMO it's better to let them pick their own GCSEs as they're more likely to get good grades in subjects they enjoy rather than what they 'should' be doing and it's the total amount of passes which employers will see on first glance...

[Rhubarbginmum]

I think drama could be useful for confidence and public speaking. Do they not have to pick a reserve choice? DD has to chose history or geography, the three sciences are compulsory and he has a choice of art subjects, history geography or languages.
I wouldn’t go in all guns blazing with him but would discuss with the school.
I know a mum whose very stubborn son insisted on choosing PE in his options yet did no after school sport etc.
She signed his form to say he could do PE then phoned the school and they said they would make sure he didn’t do it.

[Tink2007]

YABU trying to make his choice for him.

When I had to choose my options my mum ultimately left the decision to me. She talk with me about them, listened to my pros and cons for each and let me decide. As it should be.

[BitOutOfPractice]

Universities look very closely at GCSE results now. Very closely indeed.

I have a history degree so my bias is towards that subject.

However I am also a parent of teens and I know that trying to force them to do something they don't want to will end in tears - yours

[Bodicea]

It seems a bit strange that a core subject such as history is in the same block as drama. But anyhow. Let him pick what he wants. I don’t think I even asked my parents what gcse’s I could do. I just told them. He is old enough to make his own decisions.
Incidentally I didn’t do drama gcse as it wasn’t an option. But did do theatre studies alevel along with science subjects. I know work in a science related field. The theatre studies gave me another dimension and did me no harm whatsoever.

[Paperthin]

Great post JustOneMoreStep.

fWIW I think that your DS should chose what he wants and thinks he will enjoy. Don’t have an argument / debate with him, they are HIS GCSEs and he needs to chose his own path. Both of my DC have done PE GCSE it’s not a doddle subject anymore, they are both academic kids. But they both enjoy the subject and the opportunities it brings.

[Fishlegs]

Really sorry, haven’t read the full thread, but drama is a brilliant subject for GCSE.

I went into sciences and then medicine and I still use the techniques that I learnt during my drama GCSE when giving lectures or presentations.