GCSEs 2018 (2)

[Stickerrocks]

Pre-empting our 1000th post.

I have a different problem - a bright DS who will work at what he wants to work at but factors in considerable downtime! So for about half his subjects he should do very well but the others will fall down compared to what he potentially should have got. I am not getting tutors unless it's a case of really not understanding but I'm pretty sure he just needs a boot up the behind! In a way the school's understanding of boys tending to cram at the last minute isn't helpful at all - they pile it all into Y11. It sort of works but it's not a great life lesson.
I do understand the worry about very driven children and their mental health - there were cases of this at my school where gifted girls had to drop out of university because of stress - and thank goodness drummers you saw a very wise person.
There is a very long break after June 22 -make sure they make the most of it!

Loose - I am in the same situation - although feel partly to blame for making the wrong education choices ... I think my DD has felt the pressure from having two extremely bright cousins (A*'s across the board) too.
This board funny enough has helped me accept that she's not going to meet her full potential - she will get a good set of results and I'm sure she will be fine going into her A Levels.
sostenueto drummerFeel blessed that you have Dc that work hard and are focused - mental health can be an issue but your awareness will make sure your DC dont burn out.

I still dont think my DD realises how lucky she is having small classes and in the main teachers that really care and work hard to engage - sadly we gave her the opportunity to disengage in Yr7/8 and she's not quite mature enough to realise that you have to put in the effort to reach your full ability (although I think she's content with what she will achieve).

Thanks all for your kind and thoughtful advice and reassurance

originally posted by accident on the GCSE no.3 thread. (How much do I regret creating that thread!):

I finally got DS working yesterday and the first thing he had to do was some maths homework. There was 5 hours worth of it (he'd had it for a week). It was just practicing the same thing over and over again. The thing is DS is really good at maths, so he's no better at that skill now than he was on Saturday. Of all the things he could have spent his time doing yesterday - including going for a long walk or some actual revision - this was the least useful.

By the time he finished - 6pm - he had a headache and there was no point in trying to do something useful with the day.

There's no way though of getting the maths teachers agreement to exempt DS from excess homework for the sake of his other subjects though, is there?

@Sostenueto
If the English teaching is the one thing that your DGD could do with some help with, what about getting her this book? Its about £6.50 on Amazon and I think it sounds really good. I watched two of the teacher's youtube lessons yesterday (hunting for things for DS) and he makes it crystal clear what you need to do to do well, so the book is probably good too, as long as the student actually works through it (and it sounds like yoru DGD would).

Got some more wise words from DH last night who was gently telling me off for over worrying. sostenuto these may be of help. He said DS was a happy boy because "there is great dignity and satisfaction in work".

Then we both fantasized that Gcses didn't exist and instead of going over the same History content till the summer, DS could move on and learn about the Russian revolution as well. But it was indeed a fantasy

mmzz five hours worth of maths homework is a lot! Kudos to him for slaying that dragon.

@drummersmum He did it because he'd have been in trouble (detention) if he hadn't.

DS is really stressed at the moment. I can see it, and I don't know why because he has become really prickly. I'm guessing its to do with all the work he has piled up around him, but its only a guess. I looked at some of the questions he was doing yesterday and I could see that there wasn't really any benefit to it for DS. I was tempted to write him a note saying that he was ill or something so that he got a chance to clear his head, but DS thought the teacher wouldn't accept it if he happens to check that it was done.

The problem with the English language paper for my dgd is the creative writing. She can reel off all the language techniques blah blah blah, can analyze good but get her to write a creative piece ( which she has good ideas) and it reads like a list of facts, no flow, its like all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order. Its as if as an idea comes she puts that down, then another without tying them together. Just a few tweaks would turn her work into a high level, plus she thinks so hard about it during exams, timed assessments that she doesn't get enough down in time. So if we can just sort that out........(sigh)

mmzz we are within sneezing distance of thread 3, so do not fret. We'll all start replying to old messages we have missed and it will be nice to catch up.

Sostenueto - I am sure you have but search around google for tips or post something in the student room - someone maybe able to point your DD in the right direction. I did get a French tutor for DD just before Xmas *£15 per hour. she has had 5 sessions now and DD''s grade did go from an E to a few marks of a B. I was annoyed at having to do this (I am a firm believer that they should not be necessary) but it was a case of being told DD had the ability but not the confidence and they would not let her drop the subject (I also knew that DD could not bothered to put the effort in because she hates French) so it did the trick and I'll continue a few sessions a month because basically this ensures DD is revising French. The tutor is lovely and very patient and encouraging.

MMzz - I would certainly drop the Maths teacher an email asking for your DS to be excused from homework which is wasting his time when he could put more effort into other subjects. You dont want to spoil his enjoyment and natural talent in a subject by doing work well beneath him.

Will be interesting to see DD's approach this week - I did say she could have a week off from revision last week - hopefully she will show some self motivation .

Can someone please explain the hype over Hamilton? I love musical theatre, but I'm definitely more Les Mis than Mama Mia. One of my friends sends me theatre vouchers each year, but there are pitifully few places we can use them locally, so I always have to take a trip to London, but then I can only get 1 seat for the value of the voucher!

For those of you with stage struck DC, it is definitely possible to get the stage career of their dreams. A friend's daughter landed the role of Sandy in Grease followed by Sophie in Mama Mia as her first two roles since graduating. Next stop the West End (hopefully). She hadn't taken drama at school or had years of dance training, but she realised he really could do it at 6th form and has flown since then.

In the English language creative writing bit (paper 1) you usually get a choice between a description and a short story. Mr Bruff has quite a good couple of videos on Youtube - same picture but one is description and one is the opening of a story. In some ways, it's easier to do the story. However, if you do go for the description the knack is NOT to just say what you can see but to imagine what you could hear, smell or touch. Involve as many senses as possibly and think of interesting ways to write about colour (can lead usefully to metaphor and simile).
I do fear we're going to produce a nation of poor Hemingway imitators but actually children are much better at this than adults, so probably no harm done!

Thanks looseattheseams and everybody. We do as you all advise

mmzz just looked at the link you recommended for sostenuto looks good 👍🏻 I always point DC in the direction of Mr Bruff for English but good to have an alternative

@Oddsocks15 I think Mr Bruff excellent too, but I was wondering if he's stronger for Eng Lit than Eng Lang?

Anyway, I've just ordered this Mr Salles book, so I'll review it here if anyone is interested when it arrives.

DS1 told me unprompted this evening that he's feeling stressed because he's looking at all the work that is in front of him. I encouraged him to not look at the whole, but just break it into tiny bitesized pieces and set himself a target of completing a couple of those a night.

It seems to be working because after a washout weekend, Ds has just done 1 1/2 hours without getting stressed and now the rest of the evening is his.

I'm actually feeling quite proud of him because he came to me and said that he's aware he's been snapping at everyone and he knows no one has done anything wrong, so he is sorry. He also said he sent DS2 a text to apologise for the grumpiness. I think he's growing up.

Wow muzz! That's incredibly mature. DS1 hid some smelly food in DS2's room because it was 'hilarious'. Not very adult and provoked an angry response from DS2.

We also have grumpiness here. DS1 is still working on homework - he's been at it for at least 2.5 hours (with a break for supper). He has a Latin test tomorrow

I think his school are now setting homework which doubles up as revision - which is good for discipline I guess.

We have parents evening this week to discuss mock results and review A Level choices in view of mock results. I don't think they're going to change though.

we managed Hamilton tickets for Dec - in the Grand Circle...ds2 is thrilled. I had 5 seconds before it nearly cut out when I was making the purchase, really complicated timed process, I think I nearly lost the chance to get his precious tickets. Midday 30 minutes in, and no one allowed more than 6 tickets, also id has to be shown at the door, so you cannot sell them to anyone else!! It all feels very alarming, as if I'm in the midst of some bootlegging...

hope everyone has had a good day with the gsces..the a levels have been so difficult today that the gsces have felt like a delightful breeze..

MMzz Your DS sounds lovely - very mature and he probably feels much better for sharing his concerns.
Nettleskeins - well done - its not the easiest ticketing purchasing system- there were lots of moans and groans last November - I think it took some people lots of attempts to get tickets.

Stickerrocks - I think its a musical that appeals to the teenagers - it has hip hop music but also a whole arrange of other music too which makes it appealing to a wide audience. Similarity to Les Mis because it also gives a History lesson.

Dd did need to be prompted to do some revision last night but she did do it willingly (no homework). She did about 1.15hrs work but I did stop her....trying to get that early balance right

mmzz I watched some of the Mr Salles videos and he has some good comments on examiners' feedback. I'll be interested to know what you make of the book.
DS has lots of work last night but revision for Thursday's biology exam got squeezed out so he's going to have to cram over the next two evenings. Not ideal but it should be going over things he knows - allegedly! Tomorrow afternoon he has a taster lesson and an interview for his first choice sixth form.

Hmm I was lucky enough to get Hamilton tickets for my daughters (aged 19 and 20) but now realised belatedly that I have to be there in person with photo ID as I bought the tickets - any ideas how I get round that one. I should have thought about it before and got them to buy them but I was the one who had time to have about 20 attempts at different combinations of options on release day before being successful. Does anyone know if I turn up on the day and collect the tickets would I be able to hand them over to Dd s to go in - I don’t think so but just wondering

On a different note got ds s mocks back - as a bright but very dyslexic boy with a mix of poor and good teaching we expected them to be mixed but a bit surprised at the range - brilliant 8 for maths down to 2 s and 3 s for English.

Main problem is timing and exam technique so school has helpfully allowed dropping one gcse to focus on practise and technique. He was heading for a good grade in the one he dropped but it was time consuming and he wasn’t enjoying it so hopefully you can reassure me it was the right decision. I think 9 gcse s is enough ?

9 is plenty! Even 8 is enough.

What help is he getting for the dyslexia? Extra time? Typing if it's easier (or more legible for the examiner)?

Yup gets max extra time and has been typing exams from end of year 10. I think he scactyally slower typing as he has to go back and correct everything but he prefers it and wants to do it that way so I ll go with it. He has really slow reading and processing speed too as well as not knowing how to answer the questions. Verbally in lessons he s great apparently and rs and English teachers had him working at around 6 in December but mocks showed otherwise. Luckily his coursework may see him through and we ll focus on trying to just get him a pass then move on to some A levels that are more his thing - Maths, physics, computing !! :)

Sorry to bombard this thread but one last question - he s doing IGSE English where creative writing in language is transactional writing which is more non fiction ie a letter or newspaper article - does anyone know a god resource for writing for different audiences and styles etc ?