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AIBU?

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

196 replies

FaintlyBaffled · 19/02/2018 20:09

....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?

OP posts:

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Aragog · 19/02/2018 20:19

Dad is taking drama GCSE and will be taking A level drama all being well. She does do drama weekly and has done since being young, but at a small theatre company and nothing professional in any way shape or form. Some of her classmates don't do drama outside of school. Drama GCSE IN SOME WAYS IS LIKE English Literature, though there is more practical work - however you don't have to have acting as your focus. You can be assed on costume or set design, behind the scenes stuff. Likewise with your coursework element.

He was a little unsure before she started - think the old 'is it a proper gcse type approach - but the school open day where we went to the presentation for each subject and read/heard more about it, soon put his mind at rest.

What are your concerns?

Amoregentlemanlikemanner · 19/02/2018 20:19

Ah, you want him to do music instead?

Aragog · 19/02/2018 20:19

Dad should read dd

toffee1000 · 19/02/2018 20:19

My brother did drama GCSE and Theatre Studies A-Level, having not been in a show at his school till then (they seemed to mostly do musicals which were not his thing). One less academic subject, particularly at GCSE, really isn’t going to affect much.

mogloveseggs · 19/02/2018 20:19

Dd will be doing drama gcse. They do it in school from year 8 and she loves it. Life’s too short not to do something you enjoy.

Minxmumma · 19/02/2018 20:19

I would say let him go for it. As a parent with a dd at uni doimg her final year in drama and already enrolled on her teaching course next year I can honestly say I had the same opinion as you but as it was she flew.

It isn't all acting, is a fair chunk of stage management, english lit and other stuff. He might love it

Butterymuffin · 19/02/2018 20:20

Could you agree with him doing drama but get him to drop a different subject instead?

thecatsthecats · 19/02/2018 20:21

Drama should, if nothing else, build confidence and clarity in public speaking.

I did German, and have used it exclusively for holiday chat.

alibongo5 · 19/02/2018 20:22

Both my son's did drama GCSE though neither were particularly interested in acting as such. My eldest did it partly, as others have said, to have something different to study.

The teacher emphasised at the time that it wasn't about becoming a famous actor but that students who studied drama were generally more confident and it helped them prepare for things like presentations which are part and parcel of academic and work life later. Interestingly, he also mentioned that almost all of the head boys and girls at that school took drama.

By all means discuss the pros and cons with your son but ultimately let him decide.

grannytomine · 19/02/2018 20:23

One of mine did music and drama. More stress than physics, chemistry, biology, maths and English put together. The working together bit was a nightmare as she was with someone who decided to go on holiday for 2 weeks before their performance so rehearsals were challenging. Rubbish drama teacher and the music teacher left and they couldn't find a replacement.

I don't know why your son wants to do it, presumably he has his reasons, but it is giving me palpitations thinking about how stressful I found it let alone my DD.

FaintlyBaffled · 19/02/2018 20:23

Ooh more replies
My rationale is that he's never shown any interest (despite me suggesting StageCoach etc when he was younger) and it's a big undertaking if he finds it's not for him.
And I'm not exactly dissing drama, if it was an interest of his then I would say go for it. The dropped subject (which bizarrely is history) has sort of muddied the water in a way.

OP posts:

Yawnyprawn · 19/02/2018 20:25

YABU sorry OP. When I think back on all the people I went to school with, the ones who were successful and found happy, fulfilling careers were the ones that found their passion and worked hard at it. Not necessarily the ones who were 'gifted'.

For example, an old schoolfriend of mine ended up in a successful band touring the world. He wasn't the best musician in any way. But he loved it and stuck at it and still works in the music industry now. I can count dozens of people who were more gifted than him who haven't had that kind of success.

Passion is everything, and that's something everyone must discover for themselves.

toffee1000 · 19/02/2018 20:25

Hm. I never had option blocks at my school and neither did my DB, they seem like a PITA from what I’ve seen. I guess I understand why schools use them but they rather dictate what a student does, it’s not exactly free reign.

grannytomine · 19/02/2018 20:25

Drama is very good for confidence If it goes well, if it doesn't it is a great confidence destroyer.

Slightlyperturbedowlagain · 19/02/2018 20:27

I was just wondering if he has had enough of the subject that has interested him since he was a toddler....He has a natural gift at this subject and has just received glowing reports in his most recent review.
Maybe he is less enamoured of this subject these days than you think and wants to redefine himself?
Sometimes it’s easy to label (even in a nice way) childrens’ abilities without updating them, for example my mum still classes me as ‘the practical’ child and my sister as ‘the academic’ one, despite the fact I work in academia and my sister is a hands on medic. It’s all to do with making fairy cakes when we were children apparently it drives us both crazy.

Yawnyprawn · 19/02/2018 20:28

Just re-read my post and don't think I explained what I meant very well. Sorry! I mean your son has to find his own way, even if that means dropping something he is gifted at for something unknown. Drama could be a great thing for him if he is that enthusiast about it.

Wishing you all the best.

MuttsNutts · 19/02/2018 20:28

I really wouldn’t advise “putting your put down” with a 14yo over this.

Ultimately they are his choices, not yours.

Trumpetboysmum · 19/02/2018 20:29

Ds is hoping to take drama alongside music next year. First and foremost he's a musician and he won't ever have time to do lots of extra curricular drama activities as he spends his whole life playing the trumpet. But he likes it and although it's far from being one of his strongest grades I fully support him taking it as I want him to enjoy what he does at school, plus it will help with the whole performance aspect of music . Interestingly drama doesn't clash with history at ds's school so he can take that too - I hope . Really his choices are all going to be about what fits with music though I think we find out what can go with what this week

gillybeanz · 19/02/2018 20:32

OP my dd has done the same, no Drama for many years and decided to take it as an option.
I'm hoping that she doesn't do the same with History or Geography, she opted out of these at end of y8.

MuttsNutts · 19/02/2018 20:32

And if he is “unusually truculent” about this, maybe you should listen. Just maybe it is something he feels strongly about and something you shouldn’t dismiss because he didn’t want to do Stagecoach - that doesn’t mean he isn’t able to develop an interest now.

RavenLG · 19/02/2018 20:32

Unless he has ambitions to be a history teacher it's not going to affect him that much (and it's a GCSE, so it probably won't anyway!) just let him get on with it.

papayasareyum · 19/02/2018 20:32

I must admit I’d be curious as to why he’s interested in it now when he’s never shown interest before! Does he fancy the drama teacher or is a girl he likes taking it?!! Whatever the reasons, as long as he has some kind of interest in drama, he’ll be fine

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Bluelady · 19/02/2018 20:35

Are parents now choosing their kids' GCSE options? How the world has changed.

LIZS · 19/02/2018 20:36

Just make sure he is aware that a significant proportion of the marks (60%+) are now based on written exam analysing text in performance . It is not all hanging around and putting on a performance, although maybe he would be interested in the tech or stage management role rather than acting.

Zaphodsotherhead · 19/02/2018 20:37

Let him do it, drama is very good for building their confidence.

Btw, it's not a girl, is it?

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