To recoil from social media pics of students holding up cut outs saying '9' and 'we did it' in their pics

[indisposed38]

I just feel it all looks a bit naff. Does the 9 mean ' I got 9 gcse' or does it mean ' I got grade 9s?'. What's wrong with just having a nice, smiley group pic? Why do they need these silly props ?

So we’re not to celebrate achievement in life case someone else didn’t do well. Very odd point of view. except that’s not actually what I said is it?

*Outside of my kids' secondary school they have an electronic sign visible as you drive past where they post announcements, sports scores for school teams, etc. In the spring the students who are going to uni the next fall can submit a copy of their offer letter and for a few weeks the board will show a rotating list of who will be attending where - John Smith - Wesleyan, Mary Jones - Columbia, etc.

It's purely voluntary and I think a nice way to acknowledge their achievement. It also never fails to cause a huge conflict on social media from the parents of those who are not going on to uni or who are going on to a less well known uni.*

This is also a place where you have bumper stickers boasting of your kids' achievements...

NoCauseRebel

Sorry, I clearly need to go back to school myself because Im obviously missing your point. I read your opinion to be that broadcasting your success is hurtful to family, friends etc. who did not do well. Ergo, I thought you were suggesting we should not do so in case we upset them?

Sorry, for my benefit , could you clarify what you meant please.

Is this a good time to start quoting Rudyard Kipling?

"If you can meet with triumph and disaster..."

No - I like to see other people's success. I also remember how it feels and it makes me happy.

pippistrelle
Well, you’re clearly just attention seeking .....

Recoil is pretty strong response. I suggest avoiding social media if something like this does that. Last time i recoiled it was because some grim woman left a big shit on the toilet seat.

Fire don’t suppose that was at Kings Cross was it??

Oh I don't know... I'm an ex teacher and hav had years of being there for the cheers and tears...

BUT OMG!!! Soe of the pictires I have seen today.. young woman with a shell shocked look, hand over mouth, bright red in the face then that scrunched up, eyes tight shut pose... all the while bth parents lookng on with that anxious wannabe benevolent not smug look on their face.

So that's 3 people, one with a camera, watching the poor girl open her results... no presure there then!

And yes, I did recoil! I felt bloody sorry for her!

God you would hate my dh he had to open his a level results live on local radio . Think you can guess his headmaster rather excited their rural comp had managed to get a pupil into a rather famous university

Ooh! We had one of those too... poor kid was terrified he'd swear on live radio - he didn't but his dad did

'Recoil' ?! Bit strong :-) Let them have their excitement, does it really matter to you?

@Ohflippineck it’s not that hard is it?

It’s perfectly possible to celebrate success and achievement without rubbing it in the faces of those who might not have done so well.

My DS told me his results and I told him how proud of him I was, similarly his dad and grandparents.

Friends talked to each other either at school or by phone/text afterwards, but he didn’t tell friends from other schools who were stil waiting or family who were expecting bad news. Had he plastered it all over social media those friends would be waiting for their own results in the knowledge they were not going to achieve the same or similar grades.

It’s a bit like those posts you see on here where an OP is pregnant and wants to have a big family gathering to announce it, except there is someone in the family who has fertility issues and as such while announcing the pregnancy to your family is absolutely normal, there are ways to do it which don’t automatically make others feel bad.

I.e. you can celebrate without having to make a spectacle of yourself.

My SQA certificate says "no award" as my Higher chemistry result

If it's any consolation, my A level maths result was similar

A grade 9 is like an A** I think. Let them enjoy their success

Why do so many people feel it’s in poor taste to celebrate academic success but acceptable to shout about achievements in sport, music and drama?

It starts at Primary school. First at sports day? Podium, cheering, stickers. 97% in SATs? Resounding silence. And so by the time they’re 16, they’re embarrassed to be seen to do well academically. It’s not good.

Where I grew up your final results are published in the national press. All of them. So you don’t go down to the school, you go down to the local shop and buy a paper. And at the same time as you get your results you also get to see the results of your classmates, family members, friends’ DC etc.

Except that if your name isn’t there then you all know that you’ve failed.

It’s a brutal way to highlight failure over success. Although I suppose that kids don’t need to take to social media because everyone already knows.......

Why do so many people feel it’s in poor taste to celebrate academic success Because every clever, exam passing individual must, by unwritten law, accept that no one likes a clever clogs.

Or that is how it has always felt to me! And I was good at both exams and sports... imagine both camps hating me

NoCauseRebel

Nope, still not getting it I’m afraid because saying people who did well and are saying so is “rubbing other people’s faces in it” is unfair.
It is suggesting saying they are not free to celebrate their successes in the manner they wish for fear of risking offence to others
If some people have difficulty accepting that others are academically more able, that’s not an issue for the academically able person to overcome and they shouldn’t have to keep quiet about their achievement because of other people’s (possibly unreasonable) sensitivities
Our son did great. Some of his friends did “better” and far from being upset about it he’s delighted for them.
I’m not on social media (unless this counts).

But any happy event could upset someone not so fortunate. Pregnancy / infertile, Father's Day / dad just died, out with friends / feel lonely, promotion / just lost job etc etc. You can't not celebrate success because someone else doesn't have that success. Social media is in its nature going to upset people, because people post happy things. Don't compare yourself to others. Either learn to feel happy for others or keep off social media!

I suppose you also 'recoil' from graduates tossing their mortar boards in the air too!

My ds got his GCSE results today, he has Aspergers and anxiety and has no confidence in himself. He did really well and even got one grade 9, I'm very proud of him!

Don't give a flying fuck if anyone is offended by that, results like that don't come easy for everyone. My ds's MH has suffered over the course of year 11. A big group of them are off out for a meal tonight to celebrate. They all dd their best and that's what matters :)

9 is the highest grade, better than A* so they will have worked v hard to get it! One of my nephews got two of them so hell yeah, let them show it off!

My previous post was gibberish, written at bus stop 😁
Our children will encounter many people throughout their lives who are smarter/wittier/better sportspeople/more musical/artistic, the list goes on. If they don’t learn to accept, process and deal with this while they are young, they will lead very bitter, disappointed lives.
Celebrating an A*/9 isn’t making a spectacle of oneself, it’s expressing justifiable pride in a marvellous, hard earned result. I’m not on social media but imagine it’s just family/friends who see the photos? People the candidate could surely expect to share in that pride and offer heartfelt congratulations rather than feeling what comes across in some posts as good, old fashioned envy.