The thread where we are proud of our average but extremely hard working DCs

[BrigitBigKnickers]

How about celebrating the hardworking average/ less able child? The child who has to work ten times harder than a bright child who just remembers what they have been taught/ has to do very little revision to achieve A*s.

DD1 is in the middle of GCSEs at the moment and has been working like a trojan for the past 18 months to pull her grades up. She got Ds and Es in her mocks in November and is now averaging Cs and Bs in her exam practices.

She has problems with concentration and suffers bad headaches and fatigue (a diagnosed medical problem causes this) and has to work so much harder than her younger sister for information to be retained. It's not that her teachers are bad (she is at a fab school who are amazingly encouraging and supportive) it's she doesn't take it in easily.

We have been really supporting her through her revision to the extent that we have learnt and retaught her some of the material, and this really seems to be paying dividends.

She came downstairs on Friday night and presented DH and I with card and a beautiful engraved frame she had ordered from the internet saying how much she appreciated our support.

So proud

[Startailoforangeandgold]

I'm proud of dyslexic DD1 for getting a "C" in her English controlled assessment.

Ease don't let the examiners fuck about with the grade boundaries again.

[Startailoforangeandgold]

Please not ease, cracked iPod screen, very hard to proof

[boschy]

good on her for her C, very well done.

dyslexia's a bugger innit? they have to work SO hard just to do what others can do at the drop of a hat. And I do get annoyed when people say "oh but Einstein was dyslexic" - doesn't make much difference day to day, and it is quite possible to be dyslexic and NOT be Einstein.

[Leonas]

Well done to all the hard-working but not high achieving kids!
I am a teacher and I have a good but not great class - some of them are so hard working and try so hard and I honestly believe that means more. I try very hard to make sure I praise them for their dedication as they might not be recognised in academic terms. Our prize giving gives awards for endeavour as well as academic achievement I think it is a great idea as some will work incredibly hard and never get the best grade in the year :)

[boschy]

my average DD1 got her C in English (IGCSE) yippee! and was away on a residential trip last week - the teacher running it told me that she was "amazing, so mature and confident". VV proud mummy moment

[ddsmellysocks]

It makes me so happy to see a thread like this. I would say my children don't try as hard as they could because they are so very very shy, unfortunately for them it seems to be a family thing - lack confidence in their own ability so often give up which for them is very difficult to try to overcome. I do try when possible to remind them that the teachers really appreciate it if they can give themselves a big push and put in that extra effort or manage to ask a question instead of thinking the teacher will just think them foolish. You should see how happy they are when they come home saying they did manage to put up their hand today and the teacher responded in a positive manner.

Thank you OP for starting this and thank you to those teachers who understand and encourage.

[boschy]

update from me: yesterday DD1 found out she got a D in the maths GCSE retake she sat in Jan - and only 6 marks off the magic C!! we are all ecstatic, and it has given her so much more confidence that maybe she can do it, get it out of the way, and not have to resit in 6th form. School are being fabulous, organising lots of extra maths, and making sure they get 1-1 or 1-2/3 type sessions on a regular basis (v helpful for DD1 especially as it is usually with teachers other than her regular one, with whom she doesnt click). We all have absolutely everything crossed that she can crack it.

[guineapiglet]

boschy my daughter went through that last year, it was all very borderline, but she finally cracked it in the end and got a respectable C pass in the end, so fingers crossed for you. She did go to lots of extra maths and had the most wonderful, caring teacher, huge respect to him for being so concerned about her.

She got enough to get through to 6th form college and has just got AS results - bit of a mixed bag - but she did really well in one subject and others can be retaken and hopefully improved on. She has been receovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for the past year, which keeps coming back, so it is a miracle to me that she is doing her best and keeping going, when this time last year we weren't sure if she would even have the strength to do her exams - if exams also contained a mark for grit, determination and overcoming significant problems, she would be an A* girl, - sadly for us all, it is a grimly competitive system out there, just keep all these kids who try so hard feeling supported and loved - we love them whatever they do!! :)

[Kenlee]

Well as an employer may I say that we have stopped just looking at grades as a requirement to work. Obviously you have to be of a certain standard. We tend now to see the individual and retain them if they have a good work ethic and good EQ. Just being able to pass exams will not get you very far in the real world you need to be able to think too.

[olivevoir58]

Similar here with the maths - D - when she was an -F - on her mocks! This was just a module though, not a whole GCSE. She's working hard and I'm quietly hopeful (being a maths teacher myself). Even better though was the C+ in the exam bit of additional applied science meaning she is sitting on an overall B when her controlled coursework B is cashed in in the summer. But the creme de la creme for my adopted (aged 8) from the care system DD who is EBD statemented (but still in excellent mainstream comp) is her B in her geog module. If she stays on she is desperate to do geog A level. Her (frazzled) geog HOD told her she was 'incapable' of doing A level. He's probably right but more likely not wanting a difficult (but not disruptive to other students) 'average' student sullying his A* cherry picked 6th form group. So she needs 2 more Bs on the summer units and she's in and boy is she determined to prove him wrong!

So all in all a fab set of results for DD and one proud mummy!

[boschy]

ah it's lovely to read good news!

how is everyone's wonderfully average DC planning to spend Easter hols before GCSEs?

I am making nervous noises about revision, and being told that is unnecessary and she needs a rest (prob true). I guess I just have to leave it in her hands... given course work stuff, she seems likely to get an A for science and media (I dont think that's average?!) but the rest will be a pretty mixed bag - she reckons on a D in humanities and PE, and god love us for the maths result.

[boschy]

oh god, I just looked at the 'how much revision is your Y11 doing' thread. big mistake. they are all briliant and working 97 hours a day. mine is upstairs reading a book in bed...