Please read the words!

[Switch74]

I teach English in a secondary school and my subject's first GCSE exam is tomorrow morning (8:45 am on the timetable).

I updated the VLE to remind my class what's on this exam and that they're invited to revision with breakfast before tutor time, to calm their nerves and give a final recap.

I just received a reply asking what time they can leave as their parents have booked a table for tea!

The sense of entitlement in asking this sort of silly question without a moment's thought must be so wearing to have to deal with. The teacher has nothing better to do mentality. Who'd be a teacher in the UK?

Or, just, kid is stressed, daft question, quick answer, move on

I teach at a university. So technically they are adults. And you still get daft questions. Mildly frustrating but that's it, I wouldn't be mean about them.

Or, just, kid is stressed, daft question, quick answer, move on yes I'm surprised it was so annoying to OP that they also thought "I'm going to winge about a clearly stressed child on the internet".

🙄 at the poster who decided to comment putting “tea” in inverted commas.
Have a feeling you wouldn’t have done that for “dinner”.

No, because I'm too old.
Does my doctorate count?

True dat.

Totally agree! Last-minute revision has been my salvation in big exams long ago, and as you say, what else are you going to do to settle nerves? Just who are these people who swan about with a relaxing drink while waiting to go into a public/professional examination???? Complete mythology, in my experience!

I'm an English teacher and would also presume the parents are asking what time the exam finished.

This ^ or that there was another revision session for the next English exam that evening. Although I assumed that the reply that the OP got was from the student rather than the parent.

I think the OP expects their student to make a lot of assumptions and I imagine that would confuse a nervous 16 yo.

I must be thick because the OP sort of confused me. The exam is time tabled for 8.45 but before that there is a revision session plus tutor time but school only starts at 8.30. Depending on the timings the OP has given for them I can see why a student may wonder if the 8.45 refers to the evening.

🤦‍♀️

Love how many people have miss read/ not comprehended this at all 😂

Yes I think I'm one of them!😁

Nobody is misreading.

A student asked the teacher if something would be finished by teatime. The OP has presumed that that "something" is her breakfast revision class. The rest of us are pointing out that that's unlikely, and it's more probable that they want clarification about what time the exam finishes.

Genuine questions…Why is he still sending in stories at midnight? Homework must have finished by now if he’s taking his GCSE exam. Also, you say you have nothing to teach but what is there left to teach on the morning of the exam?
My comprehension skills are obviously not up to this, sorry, but I would love to know the answers, please.

@LeaveIt others have already explained what can be done on the morning of the exam - things like always read the question properly!

I’m with you on being curious about the stories sent in the night though!

My first thought was that the parent(s) had asked the child when he'd be finished for the day, and rather than answering the question based on the info he already had, he passed it on to you. (Which is annoying in itself, but doesn't mean he read your message wrong).

I didn't grow up in the UK so I would have no idea what to expect for GCSEs. In my country exam week is completely separate with no regular classes scheduled and the pupil only has the obligation to show up at the right time and place for all scheduled exams - up to two a day with a break in between. So if you only had a morning exam you'd be done by noon, but if you had an afternoon exam you'd be done at 17:00 - so later than a normal school day, and almost certainly late for tea! Perhaps his parents are also unfamiliar with the UK system, or with GCSEs specifically, and are overcomplicating the situation.

Anyway, I'd just refer the pupil back to whatever materials he has that say when his exam ends and whether or not it's the normal school day or he can leave after the exam.

I understood your message, but as previous posters have said, his response may come from a miscommunication with a (frazzled) parent; he may have had other revision sessions etc.

Or from your evidence, he is in a panic about his exam - why else would he be sending you stories through the night? I find this rather sad. He is engaging with VLE and from his question, seems interested in attending the session, but you have chosen to take to a public forum to criticise him. Your own posts stress the need for reassurance and understanding after all our children have been through - I assume your response to him was more gentle.

Your post is very specific. If any of your students' parents are on Mumsnet, I wonder whether they may recognise it?

Antarcticant · 17/05/2022 19:48
Last minute revision is more likely to muddle than help.

Not at all true. Completely the opposite in face. The teachers will tailor the revision to complement/run alongside when the kids have already been revising.
The same is offered at my DCs school. Last minute revision sessions the day before each exam is compulsory.
OP you sound like a great teacher

Switch74
They missed most of year 9, learned remotely for part of year ten, and have sat only one series of mock exams even in an exam room

If exam content has been set to accommodate the time missed for many during lockdowns I feel my DCs are very fortunate as their online learning (yr 9 and 8 for my 2) started the day after the school closed at the start of the 1st lockdown.
No excuse for DS1 not to do well 😉

I dont have a single degree OP and I understood what you meant from the first post. I don't think it is reading that is the problem.

Me too. It's explained very poorly.

Also, Very Large Elephant?

This!
I have 3 degrees including a PhD and I couldn't make head nor tail of what OP was getting at first. 😂

I have a GCSE, A-Level and degree in English and my job involves writing complex information into easily understood press releases/website copy - I can guarantee you if the OP was writing copy for me it would not get signed off.

I also still think "I can't teach nothing" is clumsy and misleading. Why not say "I have to teach something"?

Surely they are just asking when the exam ends? Not seeing the issue.

This would not rank highly among my list of "daftest questions I have been asked as a teacher".

I do very well with last minute cramming. I have ADHD and that helps the info stick in my head (particularly the learn by rote stuff) and be available for recall. My brain also works much better when presented with a last minute deadline. My son who also has ADHD is the same. My DH who is NT can't cope with this and does much better revising over a period of time. I think what works best is very individual.