To think that you've either got it or you haven't when it comes to school

[blubberball]

I wasn't any good at school (obviously). I daydreamed my way through, never fitting in. Neither clever nor naughty enough to be noticed.

My older brother was very clever and good at school. Schools would thank my parents for sending him there, and would predict him doing great things when he grew up. He passed exams, went on to higher education and university, at a time when grants were still available, otherwise my parents would not have been able to afford to send him, and he now has a high status, high paid job and is happy.

My mum was clever and good at school.

My ds is 12 and seems very similar to me. Really not engaged or interested in school. Trying to get him to try harder and do his homework, and put any effort in at all. He couldn't care less.

So do you think with school, you've either got it or you haven't? If you're going to be good at school, then you will be naturally. If you're not good at school, no amount of trying is going to get you any better? I guess we can't all be good at school. I don't know.

I think it’s about finding your niche and the teachers having the talent to recognise where that might be for each child. You should never give up on children who struggle as everyone is good at something.

I’m a TA; for example there’s one boy in our class who’s middling academically but who has amazing imagination and artistic skills. I often give him particular encouragement and recognition in that area so he keeps at it - I feel it’s where he could excel.

Recognising effort too; it’s so pleasing to see when children have really tried. I make a big deal of it! It’s important for children who perhaps don’t get so much kudos for actual output.

I agree that good teachers will find ways of engaging children in a lesson. If children don’t ‘get’ a concept you have to go back and think again of how the veil can be lifted. There’s usually always something that will click.

No, I'm not a teacher. Dyslexia might make any of those things more difficult for someone but it certainly doesn't make all of them impossible. I work with dyslexics who manage to do every single one. Having special educational needs means needing more or different support to learn. It doesn't have to mean being incapable.

My point was that school is about for more than just academic subjects. Some children get brought up in environments where they're taught other skills. Some don't.

At my last school (English teacher) we would sit around and discuss GCSE results of the last cohort and reflect on our teaching, interventions etc. We sat, listening to a list of names and grades and discussed whether they deserved the grade they received based on their ability and effort. Some students earned 3s (below where the government want you to be) and yes some students were only going to achieve that grade regardless of how much they tried. That’s not to say they will not succeed in life but that they are not as academically successful as some of their peers.

So yes, I believe you do either have it or you don’t. Those who think that if you try hard it will pay off possibly need to consider that some people struggle regardless of help and effort.

There is a difference between being academically skilled and being bright. On the one hand you need the focus to be able to absorb and regurgitate information in a way that examiners want and on the other, you could be bright with a high IQ and just flunk in exams.
Both mine are bright, flunked GCSE but have found their way forward with their chosen fields. They hated every painful moment of school because they simply did not fit into a pigeonhole.
Never write off someone with low GCSE results. They may be massively bright but crap at exams.

Both mine are bright, flunked GCSE but have found their way forward with their chosen fields. They hated every painful moment of school because they simply did not fit into a pigeonhole.
Never write off someone with low GCSE results. They may be massively bright but crap at exams.

Doesn't that mean that there's a failure in the exam/school system though? Shouldn't there be a better way of teaching/assessing bright but not academic people? What a waste of those years for young people who could be learning things that would help them in the future rather than sitting and failing for years.

For example, maths GCSE tests a very particularly type of intelligence but doesn't really test whether people could use arithmetic in their jobs. Why not do more exams that would test everyday maths for people for whom calculus and simultaneous equations will always be a mystery? And for English, you could ask people to write letters and reports using information provided, rather than to write a creative story, for those people who don't have the ability to do that.

Employers would also have to play their part by recognising these qualifications and not expecting to employ a graduate to do a level of job that requires basic skills and abilities.

Having special educational needs means needing more or different support to learn. It doesn't have to mean being incapable

Who’s providing that support in your bog standard comp? As far as I can see the teachers are clueless to help even with a list of possible suggestions, and the support is given to those with behaviour problems.

Curiosity and being interested in the world around you is different to academic intelligence. Anyone can have the have the former.

Being bright academically doesn't mean you have the happiest life.
I think being the best YOU can be, with a good work ethic is important though. Parental encouragement is imperative.

Green Tulips.. this is where the parents come in and push for the help. It can be hard because as we know what is written down in paper isn,t matched practically partly due to funding cuts. I was in a bog standard comp. I had class room support, before and after school support, pluss extra time in exams. Mostly as my parents pushed.

We shouldn’t need to push!

They have rights under the disability laws, they have the right to make their learning a level playing field.

They don’t receive this unless you push and nag and complain - it’s their right!

GReen Tulips your right but it,s always been that way. In theory we have more rights then ever in reality it doesn,t work out that way.