Year 12 #1 - GCSEs are sooo last year!

[bpisok]

New thread to see us through to Christmas?

She's in Auschwitz today Eagle

alex what an important trip and opportunity. We took DS to the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem when he was 10. Made a big impression and helped him grasp the scope, whenever things are mentioned. The real thing must be soul stirring.

Another baby boy turning 17 here. I miss that easy time when help was needed, accepted without discussion and applied. Now it's still needed, not usually accepted but always discussed, and seldom applied... unless I make it happen so it looks like self-help. Dunno if I'm making sense

I'm half Polish and took our sixth form history students to Auschwitz for a number of years. The reactions of individual students to what they saw varied enormously - it was interesting to witness that. Some other visitors behaved very poorly and made it all about themselves, which shocked me and that's even before one gets onto the people taking selfies against the Wall of Death or the gallows. But it's not a place to challenge people.

10 years ago I'd have said that atrocity on the scale of the holocaust could never happen again in Europe. Every November we wear our poppies and say Lest We Forget.

But the world seems to be forgetting and not a day goes by without hearing about some form of bigotry.

Our young people are the hope for the future.

Whistle- I have gleaned some info from you guys (taster sessions etc) and some from DD (Moocs).
Her school seem to be preparing like it's a military campaign. Reading lists tailored for subject combinations (so War & Peace if studying English and History etc) documentaries to watch, moocs, museum visits, work experience etc. All being logged. Practice interviews being planned. Talks on personal statements. Careers meetings and careers fairs.

All well and good except DD doesn't have a clue what she wants to study, nor whether she wants to stay in London or move out let alone the actual course contents.

I was well behind the curve with GCSEs so I have been researching courses and Unis in advance of the last minute panic that will set in next summer!!

...from what I can tell, DDs school is a bit unusual with it's full-on tactics but they have (historically) had a lot of success.

Personally I am hoping she has narrowed down the subject by May. She will then have her predicted grades in June, we can visit unis over the summer plus she can write her PS (5,000 times).

That way she can do her Application at the start of Year 13 and concentrate on her A Levels.
That's the theory!!

Whereas your son knows roughly what he wants to do so you are miles ahead of us.

That's so true Alex. And I agree Goodbye, one of the reasons DD2 loved the HET trip that Alex DD is on is that it was with similalrly interested DC (they had to apply to go) wheras on some school trips she was frustrated by some treating it as a way to miss lessons or were there because they had to be and paid no interest at all. That of course does make it more intense though - but the follow up sessions were very good in helping the DC deal with what they saw. The trust obviously has to strike a balance between hitting hard to make sure the memory survive and being sympathetic to the sensitivities of 17 year olds.

Whilst that does bring success bpisock (and this is in no way meant as a criticism) I am glad DS is able to 'enjoy being' at times without every step being about achieving the next.

Yes of course Alexander sorry I forgot she was on the trip now. DD went on something similar a few years ago and did say how impactful it was.

Yes Oratory. I totally agree.

Although I gather there are approx 200 young people and teachers altogether there are only 2 from each school on this trip. They had to apply or be invited to go and they also have to commit to follow up sessions and also communicating what they have seen to their school community in some way.

Alexander, when DS was there at half term, he said that his group of 17 year old boys reacted in completely divergent ways. Some became very very angry - almost to the point of punching things, some cried, some just shut down. He said the coach back to Krakow and the dining hall that evening were almost completely silent as they processed what they had seen.

Everyone in DS2's year has a digital log to keep track of what their plans are after A-levels and what they are doing to make this happen.

DS2's log includes a list of Physics books he is reading, a list of lectures & science-related events he is attending and a list of things he helps with at school. I think this will help them to structure their personal statement.

Reading lists tailored for subject combinations (so War & Peace if studying English and History etc) documentaries to watch, moocs, museum visits...

DS2 has done some of this, but it was his initiative rather than the school's. We facilitate, help him to book tickets, and pay for the subscriptions and books he asks for.

In the last few months he has read about a dozen popular science books, subscribed to New Scientist magazine, attended science festivals and exhibitions, started reading the Feynman lectures and spent a fair amount of time on websites such as Brilliant and IsaacPhysics.

He has also joined Twitter in order to follow science accounts so he can keep up with the latest research that's happening.

Oratory- I agree it's just the way the school does it though. There's only about 35 girls in the lower 6th so it's all very full-on. Her average school day starts at 8am and she leaves at 5pm. Frees are supervised (not told what to do/stop talking etc but there's always someone there). She spends about 20 hours a week at home reading around her subject/doing homework
She LOVES it though. Really enjoying her subjects. Really enjoying the tutorial style lessons. Really enjoying the 'extra work' - she has always read a lot, loves a good documentary, politics and also museums and the theatre. She said yesterday that she felt like a fraud since nothing she has done this year has been work - everything has been what she would chose to do with her time anyway.
Pretty sure she wouldn't have felt like that if she had stuck with her original A Level choices though (maths and sciences).!!!!

Sounds great 😀

Bpisok - remind me again what A levels she is doing?

Shalom - She's doing English, History and Politics (plus EPQ)

3 months ago she had chosen Maths, FM, Physics and Computer Science, and she has changed every single one of them.

.....now you see why I am expecting a last minute panic over courses and Unis hahaha

Gosh that’s quite a change.

Had she originally chosen maths/sciences because she was good st them rather than because they enthused her?

At Ds's school they are actively encouraging DC to attend open days and to think about their futures, as they have found since AS's no longer count towards the A2, Y12 has become a bit of a party/relaxing year and pupils have been waking up far too late to the fact they should be working from the start and not just from christmas in Y13.

So from their experience they noted that pupils really began to work once they got their offers, as they had a goal so they are hoping if uni visits are earlier pupils might engage ealier and so start to work earlier which hopefully will lead to better results. The school doesn't send people to Oxbridge and just the odd top RG uni, but it is trying to get pupils to meet thier offers so more can make it to their first choice, time will tell if it is succesful, but atleast they are trying to address the problem.

Yikes, a lot to catch up on

Auschwitz had a similar effect on my sons when we went last year. (And on me). Silence on the bus back to Krakow. And then I really really needed a stiff drink. The guided tour that they do now, with headphones, is fantastic because the whole place is very quiet as everyone just listens and looks. It ought to be compulsory for every 14-18 yr old.

My baby was 15 yesterday! Lots of 6/7 Nov birthdays! (I picked the day to be induced so I could take DS1 to fireworks on the 5th )

DS1 is also at a school that is very hot on the kids evidencing their every move online on preparation for Oxbridge applications. I must encourage him to go a bit more reading of relevant novels. He's got quite into booking lectures for himself and we're lucky to live so near a lot of useful resources. Lots of his friends however haven't started thinking about uni and there really is plenty of time. He is just desperate to get out there and be an adult and I suppose he's wishing the years away.

Anyone know Penzance well? We're spending New Year there in a house on the front near the station - is there a big do somewhere in town on NYE? If not I'll be sitting on the beach with bottle of fizz 

Had my first ever flu jab yesterday and it's made me feel a bit yuck, tired and headachy. In the bath with the new CJ Sansom and MN

Alexander - she loves English and History and despite being predicted A stars I don't think she believed them (she's dyslexic). That is then overlaid with a controlling father who only values sciences (my Ex who doesn't even pay maintenance let alone her school fees!!). She's pretty much an all rounder except for languages, dance and music- totally pants at all of them.

I didn't know it but she had selected sciences until she knew whether she would really get the humanities grades but even then she dithered about making changes and wasn't 100% sure that she should drop them.

Terf2Terf we decided that our students could either wander around by themselves with me keeping a vague weather eye on the wanderers in case anyone showed signs of being very upset, or could join the Head of History on the guided tour. That worked quite well because that allowed those who chose to wander to go into the various blocks with dedicated exhibitions which tell the more detailed stories of particular groups of victims, which you miss if you're listening to the guide. We purposely let the students go back to Krakow and have free time, in groups, so that they could unwind after a full on day. DS3 was nominated to go on a one day visit to Auschwitz under the auspices of the Holocaust Educational Trust but was flown there and back the same day - that was a very, very long day (we live in the rural SW, so not even within easy reach of an airport).

Goodby- that’s who Dd has gone with. It is a long day. She’s currently on the plane back.

She left home at 3.30am this morning and will arrive back around 11.30pm.

That sounds like a dreadfully long and harrowing day  I hope your DD is ok and can spend a bit of time processing what she's experienced.
Still worth it, of course.

Blimey - 3.30am is about two hours worse for your DD Alexander than it was for DS3, she'll be utterly exhausted.