Corona Cohort’s Year 12 adventures

[FoolsAssassin]

We’ve made it into year 12 and rapidly approaching the end of the first half term .

Lots of challenges we could never imagined as we started the year but we’re all keeping on keeping on and this thread is for anyone who would like to jump on board to share the rather unusual journey this is turning out to be.

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Thank you for the sports advice and experiences.

The stuff all gets very silly. Adults really are like nasty kids on Whatsapp! Lots of crying laughing emojis etc.

But we eventually did get to the point (which I had made originally to them!) that the Test and Trace will have the info from the boy of where he ahs been and contact the club if they need to.

Sitting here waiting for a phone call at some point, I guess, but it makes you realise how slow the process is , given the match was on Saturday!

@Nard75 are you friendly with any parents of DS's friends? I found that when my sons don't talk to me they still talked to friends' families and grandparents!

Or alternatively @Nard75 has he got a sibling? My ds talks to his sister when he won’t talk to me!

Dd is finding history really hard and feeling a bit down about it. I think it’s supposed to be a hard subject isn’t it? I’m sure she’ll get the hang of it.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn DD is doing English Lit. She didn't want to do it originally but was forced to do 4 A levels and is now really enjoying it. She's not the most confident student but she loves reading and analysing the texts. They are doing The Handmaid's Tale v Frankenstein and a Streetcar Named Desire at the moment.

Nard75 I would check with the school. Although I have to say I have a very uncommunicative 18 year old who ignores my text messages unless he needs something. Sadly he has just slowly over the years become this way and I don't think there is any underlying problem. It's just his personality. I have found the best way to chat with him is driving alone with him or watching tv (usually sport related) with him and pretending to be interested.

crazycrofter DD is doing history. It's her favourite subject (always has been) but she's finding it hard. I think it is meant to be one of the "hard" ones along with economics and maths, which she's also doing!

Dd is doing Eng Lit but obviously a different board to everyone else here, as she is currently studying Rebecca (interesting to watch the new Netflix adaptation, but she definitely preferred the original black and white with Olivier and Joan Fontaine) and Othello

Very keen at the moment, especially on Othello

I'm not sure she'd like Hamlet as much tbh - Othello perhaps has themes that appeal more to teenagers, with sexual jealousy, the out-and-out villainy of Iago, race etc She is well into it

@TheySeeHerRowling

Dd is doing Eng Lit but obviously a different board to everyone else here, as she is currently studying Rebecca (interesting to watch the new Netflix adaptation, but she definitely preferred the original black and white with Olivier and Joan Fontaine) and Othello

Very keen at the moment, especially on Othello

I'm not sure she'd like Hamlet as much tbh - Othello perhaps has themes that appeal more to teenagers, with sexual jealousy, the out-and-out villainy of Iago, race etc She is well into it

Yes Dd doing too Othello...hates it, says he gets 'too salty' her other text is Tess which she adores.

Music A level is the big step up for us at the moment. She is not happy with her test C grade and it is heavily theory orientated at present. Not much practice going on which helps...even with the theory!
Sociology going really well. She adores the subject now predicted an A so all good for the unknown choice !

DD really loving her Eng Lit - particularly as her other two are Sciences so it’s a nice contrast. She is full of praise for both English teachers. She has also just Whatsapped me a photo of this afternoon’s brain dissection in Biology - yuk!

My DS did History and found it the biggest jump from GCSE - he found the analysis of the commentators very hard to get a grip of - he really preferred the ‘and then this happened’ of KS3 and 4. He dropped History at the end of Yr12 when 4 essay subjects proved too much, so perhaps he isn’t the best example!

@KingscoteStaff I think it’s the analysis of the reliability of the source authors that’s difficult for her. Glad to hear it’s a common struggle. She actually really likes the subject matter and she’s only doing 3 so there’s no going back!

Everybody seems to be doing much more interesting texts. He's doing OCR, is that what everyone else is doing? Has anyone found any good resources (other than books as I've found a few of those) on essay technique?

@sullden88 @crazycrofter DS is doing History (was his favourite subject at GCSE too) but is loving it and doing really well with it so far. Isn't it strange how things change.

@KingscoteStaff DS also doing Biology enjoys it but thankfully I haven't been sent any photos!

Politics students must be having very lively lessons at the moment!

I am finding it interesting just how little work DS is doing eith computer science and maths etc than I had to do for my ALevels with English and History. I remember it being pretty much an essay a night.

His is learning Python which he is finding easy and I suppose you either get those subjects or you don't in a very black and white way.

The other explanation is that he's just not doing enough

OrangeCinnamon1 Othello could probably use a chill pill

Just checking in. Sympathy to Pasandra and Nard. Ds1 has been ok recently, but generally is a difficult child, so I have every sympathy.

English lit here as well. Othello and Tess of the D so far and he likes both. I did Hamlet for A level and loved it. I did Dolls House for my OU degree - perhaps check out OU free links as they may have some stuff on there still?

thanks @estherfrewen I will take a look.

@ChristopherTracy the no essays was why I did my A level choices!
Well not completely but I'm sure it swayed me.

Thanks for all the advice DS1 has always been generally uncommunicative I don’t know whether this is a boy thing. He is communicating more with DS2 which is something. I don’t think there is any kind of problem I feel that he is trying to prove that he is an adult now and doesn’t need any help or advice from his parents.

English lit has proven to be a bigger challenge here too JustHere. Well, not as much as Maths AS, but that’s more about the teaching style/dislike for teacher vs subject itself.

The volume of reading was high over half term, with some texts quite chewy, but I don’t think it’s dislike: just more that her class has very high bar and she’s not used to not being one of the shiny ones.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with her growing love for history. Routine and keeping on top of work is what drives her mood; panics when it gets out of hand, so this next month should work in her favour to get some hours back. No socialising or swimming. But has external exam added in for Dec so it all nets out.

@Nard75

Thanks for all the advice DS1 has always been generally uncommunicative I don’t know whether this is a boy thing. He is communicating more with DS2 which is something. I don’t think there is any kind of problem I feel that he is trying to prove that he is an adult now and doesn’t need any help or advice from his parents.

Dd sometimes gets like this...she gets very aware that she is growing and leaving her childhood behind. This gets simultaneously moody about it and retreats from us at same time.

Send him and DH out on a 'side by side' activity...may encourage him to open up?

@ OrangeCinnamon1 DS1 turns 17 in February so was thinking about DH giving him driving lessons 😬

Mine was in such a stupid mood this morn. He put a new, in its bag sports t shirt on the kitchen island. A black Adidas football type top with the school logo on. I asked what it was for. He shrugged. I asked if he was going to be doing a sport at 6th form or football (he'd already told me no football due to covid) he said he didn't know. I told him to grow up and tell me what it was for his reply "sports tops are to wear on the top half of your body" 🤷‍♀️ I give up. No point trying to make conversation when he's in that sort of mood.

Oh yes the moods. I agree with Orange and the realisation that adulthood is just around the corner. DD sometimes puts on a cd of stories for nostalgia (Malory Towers) and it brings her round.
She is grumpy in the mornings at times and the other day said that it wasn't me and not to take her grumpiness personally but she's tired and thinking of her day ahead.

I also know not to barrage her with questions when she comes home even though I'm excited to see her and hear how her day has gone. So I'm quiet and give her a drink and something to eat while she watches tv and then she may open up. It's only happened this year so hormones are ramping up. She's also preferring her own company which I hope doesn't isolate her as she'd missed out on social get togethers before lockdown cos when the group chat about meeting up she doesn't pipe up to say I'm up for that count me in etc. Obv now no one is going out (well they shouldn't be but who knows).

Face masks have to be worn at all times at school apart from break and lunch. Is that the same everywhere? Her 6th form year is tiny (less than 20) so no more than 3-4 in any one class so can easily spread out. DD is complaining of skin breakouts but it's a small price to pay to be safe. I'd love to reassure her it's the same everywhere but I don't know.

Anne: do reassure your DD that some schools do the same. DD has had to wear mask in class and all day since Sept return. The breakouts are inevitable.

Re the tantrums and odd behaviours; we join that club for sure. This morning DD decided to put a pan of water on for pasta (I know, wtf?) at 08.20, and kicked off at DH for a missing baking tray to cook pancetta on. No reasoning achieved on ‘but you have a tube to catch at 08.40’ and the door finally slammed after a confrontation on why a tray had needed to be binned because the nonstick had eroded. Poor DH; he normally keeps quiet and leaves the daily run-ins to me and complained that it had put him in a bad mood for the day.

Welcome to my world. But I managed to not say it out loud

I sympathise with everyone dealing with the moods

Dd1 has been like this since she was 10, so I'm used to it now, but her Asperger's makes her very tricky to deal with at times Yesterday she said that being asked about her day made her feel 'attacked' and said she didn't want to eat with us any more because we aren't all vegans

It's practically the only time her dad and sister see her all day, so not ideal, but I do understand that simple conversation-making can feel like an interrogation to her

On the other hand, if she completely opts out of family life, how is this going to help her mental health - which is already poor

She'll chat quite happily if we're doing something she enjoys together, like shopping or a trip out somewhere, but not much chance of that right now Baking is about the only shared activity left to us

Although I'm trying to interest her in gardening, and she doesn't seem completely averse