Thread 42 Corona GCSE Cohort - 👻Creeping it Real for Oct22

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and advice to be had.

previous thread

Thanks all!

I wonder if they'll get him searching the aisles for 'tartan paint' Crazy?!

😂😂😂

Well done to your ds @craggyrat , that’s really good!

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn i went up to DD’s room with her last weekend and she wasn’t embarrassed 😮 which is a first! She also has very quiet neighbours on her (A block) side @mummyinbeds , although she has met them. Her friends are on the B block side of the corridor which is much more lively! They all share a pantry though.

That’s just brilliant Craggy, a real confidence booster I hope for him.

Evening all,
DS came home last night (he only had DSA sessions online today). He went to hockey training and when I picked him up his phone was pinging and he got in a panic because some of his coursemates were discussing a practical session they were doing today. Shit. He said he thought it was next week, looked at a note on his phone which confirmed-ish. Nothing we could do about it without cancelling the DSA sessions today and driving back at the crack of dawn but we have already lost some DSA hours through last weeks double booking mistake. Eventually found the email with the relevant info on it and his session is next week but we were both very anxious by this point. Might not come back on a Thurs night again. He is finding it a bit odd and quiet being at home (the rest of us were out today, but he has a hockey match tomorrow and meeting a friend on Sunday before I take him back.

RE us visiting. So far DH and I have been together once, which was a bit awkward, we didn’t really plan what to do and drifted round the town a bit looking for somewhere to have lunch. We didn’t really know how long to stay, didn’t want to get in the way of his new social life so went again after a couple of hours. Then I went on my own last weekend when we went to Westonbirt (was someone else going today @Monkey2001 ?) and it was much better with a specific plan.

So far we haven’t been up to his room again but I will do on Sunday as he has mislaid a couple of things and wants help finding them (major dyspraxic trait for him), I also want to connect his printer to his laptop and download the right driver etc.

I know some of my friends with slightly older DC go up and go out with their DCs and their friends for an evening sometimes, seems a bit unlikely at the moment but would be nice perhaps. I am having a solo overnight up there in early Dec to go to another event by myself (meeting friends there, its in Gloucester) as well as seeing DS and a bit of Christmas shopping and really looking forward to it.

On the subject of new opportunities, congratulations @OrangeCinnamonLatte - has anyone here ever been a school governor asking for a friend.

@crazycrofter it must be an A Block thing. I'll get DS to stomp up and down in case your DD is in the room below 🤣 I had a long call with him tonight and he said he's found other Rutlanders now he's back in the land of the living but he's hanging out mainly with course mates. Off clubbing again tonight - he's trying to catch up with young @crazycrofter 🤣

I have been a school governor!

I've been a school governor too

Haha @mummyinbeds i expect they’ve met or are at least aware of each other! Is he second floor? Glad he’s found friendly coursemates anyway, it doesn’t really matter where they make friends.

@Piggywaspushed and @mummyinbeds primary or secondary?

Congratulations @CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee on the role offer & mini @crazycrofter on the Saturday job. Reassuring to know the economy survives !!

Good to hear friendships are being born in the sports/musicgroups/clubs. Just been texting with DS. He is having a quiet night in after three hours of sport last night. A hockey match tomorrow and Sunday should keep him entertained over the weekend.

Middle School, so a bit of both!

Lower school so no Sats 😊

@crazycrofter yes, second floor. Near the library

This is independent (no SATS!), y4-13, SN school with boarding so a lot of safeguarding, which is the aspect I'm best equipped for. I think it could be a big commitment but very rewarding. I have always had a couple of committee roles ad well as two part time jobs but both my current committee roles are ending now and I have a lot more free time than I used to when I was taxiing the DCs every evening to sports and stuff. Thinking about it.

I found it dull a lot of the time but that's because I couldn't do a lot of the stuff in the school. I did find it taught me a lot. Until they all fell out!

I am a secondary school governor....

DD is struggling with reading - her school had a standard dyslexia friendly style guide for all worksheets / presentation but the uni dept seems to be stuck in the dark ages and she says everything is in times roman and italics which she struggles to read. She is getting fed up of being the awkward student having to ask all her lecturers to change things each week just so she can do her assignments! Some things are much easier at uni and some things we took for granted at school.

This is the thing, I haven't done much learning in the last few years. I have been in my main job for 12 years and although I like it, it no longer really stretches me and that won't change (small business). But its local, interesting enough, part time, decent pay, great colleagues and to move would invariably mean compromise on some of these factors. So this seems like a good way to stretch myself without having to change job.

Congrats to Orange, Craggy and mini Crazy.

I've been a school governor but @EerilyDevilled yours is a paid role?

No, voluntary. I do a small amount of paid work for DH's business but it is only a few hours a week plus my main job which is 3 full days.

Well done @CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee !

@EerilyDevilled well remembered, Westonbirt was stunning today!

There are some lovely updates - well done to all that have got new jobs etc.

It's lovely to have DD home, although it was 11.40pm before she arrived so was after midnight when she sat with me to watch tele. Didn't get that much out of her tbh but didn't push either, just enjoyed her being there with her feet on my lap. Seems she is all fine, finding the pace of uni life fast, work load more than expected at this stage, DD chatted to DH on the way home about the modules (as he did A level Biology) so all in all good stuff. Will go and watch her play hockey today and hoping she will have Sunday roast tomorrow at some point although she is staying in Liverpool tonight (after hockey ball and then clubbing) and its her school friend bday tomorrow and all the group have come home so assume she will be with them too. She doesn't want a late trip back as has 9.00am lectures on Monday. That was her biggest moan that she has 3 x 9.00am starts and 1 or 2 6.00pm finishes and all the food tends to be gone by then.

Hope everyone else with DD/DS home or you're visiting has fun this weekend.

@mummyinbeds dd said she had pre’s with her quiet neighbour last night and also met a lad from A block 2nd floor! I wondered if it was your ds but she said he’s doing Psychology. But he’s nice apparently…

Glad your dd is happy @Heifer 👍

People seem to be finding their feet, at uni or elsewhere; I've only skimmed the thread (sorry) after missing a few days.

DD's course continue to throw all aspects of Illustration at them. This week, one of their three homework assignments was to sketch an object from a museum. Then in class they made monoprints based on those, scanned them, and worked them up into posters. I am fascinated by what she's up to, and to be honest it is a lot more structured than I feared art-school might be. It is certainly a million times more structured than Fine Art A Level was.

As the Course Leader is very fond of pointing out, illustrators don't just work on books and covers..!