Year 11 GCSE countdown. Revision angst begins.

[Fastenurseatbelts]

Ok. DS1 has broken up for Easter and we now have to all accept that this is it. He has been doing dribs and drabs since mocks in February and an hour- ish in the evenings of stuff set by teachers.

Nowhere near what I remember doing for my o'levels a million miles ago. Friends tell me their kids are doing nothing yet. Not sure I believe them though!

Waiting for reality to kick in with him but he still seems to be treating it all like an end of topic test in class!

What's happening in your house? Are you staying well out of it or like me walking round waving a CGP guide 24/7!!!!!

[nostress]

Ds will not revise! He's been to the gym and is researching video games. 6 still to go! Ahhhhhhhhh. Will be forced to do some maths tonight. Will be lucky to get an hour. Went to school then came home as school was 'pointless'

[terry110]

I'm glad other people revise with their DC. I feel like my life's on hold whilst these exams go on and I'm sure I could sit some of them for DD. Just before mocks in Jan, had a friend to stay with two under 5 year olds who couldn't understand why I would revise with DD, felt like saying "Butt out and wait till it's your turn!" then she made me feel that I should be socailising with her. I want to help DD and it will pay off hopefully even now in full blown exams.

Biology nervous system awaits me when I get home tonight!

[pigsinmud]

I don't revise with ds1. He wouldn't want me to. He has never asked for help with any homework since about halfway through year 7.

Ds2 will ask me to test him. He has got me more worried about his year 9 exams this week than ds1's gcses!

[SupportManager]

i don't revise with DD , but i like to be on hand, she often finds it helpful for me to test her on what she's just learnt, or just to pop my head round the door and ask if she's ok, does she want a drink or whatever.
There's nothing wrong with that, it's just offering support.
She has done the same for me when I've been learning work for my course or working from home. Normal family life IMO.
She got about 3 solid, very focussed hours of revision in today, after a slow start.

[Best1sWest]

4 left for DS . English tomorrow, then the big one, Maths on Monday. His worst subject. He has no short term memory ( dyslexia) and simply cannot add or take away in his head. He did have a stab at foundation level in November and got an F so I fear the leap to a C may just be too far.
I have ben revising this with him but had to leave off the last few weeks due to all the other exams. So back to work tonight.

[TweeAintMee]

No my kids wouldn't want me to help them revise! They'd be horrified. They think I'm intruding enough just by enquiring about how much revision they have done or (shocking!) suggesting a little revision might be useful?

[Leeds2]

My DD would be equally horrified, Twee!

What are all your DCs hoping to do next year? Stay at the same school, move to a different school, sixth form college, college, A Levels, BTechs etc?

[eatyourveg]

I revise with ds in that he has coloured postcards with key points which he gets me to quiz him on - I have picked up a fair bit of Biology and Physics this week but I can categorically say I would fail Chemistry quite spectacularly.

Been having my own brain tested today (neurology appts at Kings) so I'm not up to much revision this evening. ds generally does 2 hours revising then an hour off to watch episodes of friends or how I met your mother then another 2 hours on and an hour off

[TweeAintMee]

eatyourveg I'm so sorry - that sounds grim and rather scary. I hope you are being well supported. GCSEs sound rather trivial now.

Leeds2 My DS is staying where he is for As - Lower Sixth these days is so important and contributes so much to the end game that there is no time for settling in to a new environment (i.e. too big a risk to change).
Also, although my interference is either ignored or not welcomed as enthusiastically as I should wish, I have to confess to having set up some Quizlets to encourage revision. But as that old saying goes "You can take a horse to water … you cannot make it drink". (Picture carrots floating just beneath the surface though! )

[Best1sWest]

EYV. Hope you are ok.

[eatyourveg]

Twee I have epilepsy and the medication equates to slamming on the cerebral breaks so they're just making sure the grey matter isn't packing up any earlier than expected. ds is watching the football so I've got a night off anyway

[TweeAintMee]

eyv - glad it is not as scary as it sounded (tho not belittling the difficulties that epilepsy present). Enjoy your night off and I hope your grey matter has a well deserved rest. PS Your posts would lead me to suspect that your grey matter is most definitely not packing up!

[eatyourveg]

I wish! I couldn't remember half the things I was meant to and just how many words beginning with F is one supposed to be able to say within 60 seconds? (No Proper nouns allowed) I think I got less than 20 and even forgot to swear which looking back now seems the most obvious!

[Nocomet]

8 here, 6 in the last week (at least one each day).

Having got rid of music, Drama, Geography (bar data which she can't revise for) and English, DD is a happy bunny.

She got As for science and maths in her mocks and they don't worry her anything like as much as how do you spell Indian instruments, remember Geog case studies and spell the charecters in your play.

[Nocomet]

DD1 sends Best's DS dyslexic good luck, calm careful question reading and write everything down vibes. She says to remind him that behind the rubbish short term memory is long term memory that does know how to do it.

She may well get her A, but she still doesn't know her tables or reliably read an analogue clock.

The non calculator paper requires much scribbling in the margin and counting on fingers and every second of her extra time.

It doesn't matter, if you end up using your fingers, drawing a diagram or using your ruler as a number line no one cares.

DD used to look for Pg. 5 of the text book to be sure she hadn't written 3+2=S.

She still scours all the questions for spellings and words that have floated off into the Ether. (I used to do this too).

All is fair in love, war and exams!

[Nocomet]

Sorry 2+3= S backwards, which is what her brain wanted to put.

It was years before she sorted out i and l.

[Ohwhatfuckeryisthis]

Dd has first full day off tomorrow. Chemistry revision this morning then afternoon with a research team doing a community event. She seems happy with everything so far. Going to do a maths paper in morning and more chem in afternoon.
She is staying at her school to do 6th form, was either that or 6th form college exam factory 40 minute bus ride away. Though she suddenly decided it might be good to go to our local private school last month. Scholarship exams were in January, so that ain't happening. (Not a fan of private schools anyway)

[Best1sWest]

Nocomet, that is sweet of her. Tell her I will pass her message on. [ thanks] and good luck to her.

We had a stab at non calculator paper last night and it wasn't too bad.

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Not sure if dd2 is going into school today (maths and science lessons). She's had the last two days off (2 lessons on Tuesday, only one yesterday) but might feel she should go in today as she has a Chemistry exam tomorrow. She gets so much done at home though, hardly seems worth it.

She's staying at her school for 6th form. She has a place at a 6th form college, but she's going to turn it down - feels like too big an upheaval for her just for 2 years.

[Lancelottie]

School doesn't have a sixth form, so there's no choice to stay on here. There are several sixth form colleges, so his close bunch of friends are likely to split up (wail), but I guess it's a step to adulthood.

[Needmoresleep]

I have never revised with DS other than a few weeks when he started German and found vocabulary learning difficult. DD is dyslexic and learns orally, so I have always done a lot more testing with her. At 16 she has decided she should do it on her own. Given her learning style it will be interesting to see if she asks for help again as and when subjects get more difficult.

[Nocomet]

Best thanks and I'm glad you've had a good practice run. Believing you can do it is way more than half the battle with maths.

DD is supposed to be practicing spellings for Biology, but is eating a very late breakfast with the TV on.

She assures me she did do something earlier.

Atia DD has also just declined her sixform collage place as she wants to stay with the science and, especially, art dept. she knows. Given AS levels, you just have so little time to fit in somewhere new before it gets serious.