Thread 15 - Corona Cohort Year 12, 2021 Lateral Flow & Driving Tests

[orangecinnamon]

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MY DD is like a different person in the two weeks she is down to 3 subjects. She is able to use her free periods for homework, and is using time after school to start some revision resources - mind maps etc. She has some free time in the evenings, has been to both her dance classes each week, and we even see her at times over the weekend. So glad she was allowed to drop it!

She has formal exams the week after May half term. These will help generate her UCAS grades. They have constant unit tests and landmark tests anyway.

@icanbewhatiwant

Ds is doing 4 A levels. They drop one after the summer exams. He's always known he'd drop film studies. But now they aren't taking AS levels in the summer he says he can't be bothered with trying anymore. He said he's really behind with homework and with stuff he should hand in. He's promised he will catch up on work over Easter. But if he does go to university there won't be an AS grade to go down on application or acas points, so he doesn't see why he should do it now.

The school have said they will have a summer AS exam timetable and sit exams in the normal way, then go back in the summer to collect results, but of course they won't be official results.

DS was keen on university at the start of year 12, he wanted to do something along the lines of history/philosophy/ethics. Now he's decided he'd like to look for a degree apprenticeship, I said there will be a lot of competition so he needs a plan B. He said plan B would be university, but no longer history. He now thinks he should business. He has moaned non stop about how boring business studies is. He's thinking of job prospects rather than the enjoyment of the subject. I think I'd rather do something I enjoy.

Happy Birthday @icanbewhatiwant..sorry to hear about job struggle wishing you better luck in your "new" year.

The problem with business is that it is just too broad. Dd BF hates his A level too , looking into economics it sounds more interesting and is less generic I suppose.

Happy Birthday Ican also to Andwhen’s DD.

Ican i hope something comes up job wise. I have noticed this week a couple of nursery and garden centre jobs just come up so hopefully more people looking at recruiting now.

Seeline that’s great your Dd is so much happier.
Someone at Dds school is doing 5 A Levels because they can. Not sure they have any social life.
Many of Year 13 isolating as of today - what a nightmare for the teachers.

@orangecinnamon and @FoolsAssassin thanks. Feels like second lockdown birthday. Though it isn't we were almost in lockdown last year. At least it's a beautiful day. I don't particularly want to work in a plant nursery. It's just that I took this job on as they don't need me school holidays and it's 9am to 3pm so it was ideal when ds3 was still at primary school (which is almost next door to the plant nursery) So it would be good to move on anyway now ds3 can get the school bus.

Yes ds wanted to do economics, but it was in the same column as history. He couldn't do both and he preferred history.

Well almost to time to get our take away for my birthday...that's the best part of the day, knowing I don't have to cook.

ican I too hope something comes up for you soon.

Parents evening last night. They told me he was more than capable but needs to pull his socks up. He's currently at BBC at that won't cut it.

I told psychology and sociology teacher that he wanted Southampton. She said Southampton had turned her down. I told her Bristol had me, but I still went there for my MA. We laughed. I'm still not sure he'll get high enough grades for any Russell Group unless he pulls his socks up. He's very unpleasant and cocky atm.

I think there is quite a bit of flexibility at some RG universities about the grades that goes on behind the scenes. It seems to depend on the university and subject.

Had a letter, those doing 4 A Levels been told to think about whether they want to continue next year or would prefer to focus on 3.

I am finding year 12s the most lacklustre year group since return so if you are struggling with yours , it is a general picture! They seem the least 'happy' to be back. The year group has been affected by a positive test and SI so they feel a bit deflated and annoyed that the schools reopening wasn't delayed til Easter. They also have nothing to panic about, find the in school routines annoying and resent homework as they were told stupidly they didn't need to be set any during lockdown.

None of them - not even the lovely ones- seem all that focused.

My DS is but I don't teach him! The test he was due to do w/b 26 April ahve been postponed so even he is working a bit less hard, though.

The Southampton social sciences webinar was great : really excellent. None of my students attended! They go to a lot of in person open days at my school but now I can see that is because it's a day out! (which is fair enough : who doesn't like a day out!)

Oblomov what does yours want to do?

Piggy I am glad you said this. Dd says the behaviour of the Year 12s is awful. One of her younger teachers is struggling managing the lessons. The boys are shouting over them and taking the mickey out of Dd when she answers a question (she’s the go-to pupil I think). No reprimand from the teacher. Another teacher is off (Covid?) and the class are now getting behind and were told to study in the classroom on their own and Dd said classmates were on tables!

Interesting you say that Piggy, I think it must be so difficult for them to get any motivation. I’m so pleased DD’s school decided not to cancel the btec exams as it gave DD a purpose and by extension her A-level subject has been taken along for the ride in her wave of enthusiasm.

One of mine has exams next week.So she's working really hard & revising for long hours. She had exams just after Xmas too & Saturday tests have recently restarted again. I'm glad to see her motivated & back to her normal self.
The other ones currently boarding and is generally not very communicative so I've no idea what's going on.

Oh dear zanda! Mine aren't that bad ;just very passive. Masks have the biggest effect with older students because their eyes look glazed even when they possibly are engaged..

Is it possible the absent teacher is shielding? We have five.

There have been various rumours about the absent teacher - all involving covid so don’t know. The teacher seems to think they’ll be back next week.
The behaviour between the boys to the girls seems to have got worse, particularly. Dd answers questions and is prepared to debate against the popular boys which seems to be socially unforgivable. We watched ‘Moxie’ the other night (recommend though a bit ‘American’ at end) and she said the difference is that the girls at her school seem apathetic/ happy to play along with the status quo. With her illness too, she doesn’t make it easy on herself (I told her the other girls don’t complain as they want an easier life). It’s the ‘banter’ as she walks past them etc that is difficult as it’s not something a teacher can tackle. But the teachers need to be making sure she can speak out as much as the boys in class and put a stop to being heckled when she answers a question.

@Zandathepanda that is awful, sounds like your DD is doing very well at managing in spite of it, but no student should be attempting to learn in such an inappropriate setting! Hope they sorry it soon, is the school big enough for her to ask to be re-timetabled to get into a better work environment?

I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties in your schools @Piggy & @Zanda. I can understand the passivity and the bad behaviour though, after months of online learning. How many kids have got out of the habit of working hard?

To be honest Ffrerny they worked hard in lockdown these kids. I think they just want a break from all the learning. Lockdown learning was intense and quite isolating. They think they now deserve a chance to chat to their neighbour... they have kind of regressed to year 10!

Big (and depressing) spread in The Times today about boys/ toxic masculinity etc...

Monkey I think it’s actually quite a ‘standard’ environment unfortunately. My older Dd encountered similar problems and when I taught GCSE/A Level there would be classes where vocal boys drowned out quieter girls. Or, possibly worse, classes that were all so quiet you felt like you were talking to yourself. She is doing humanities/ social sciences and so discussions about women rights etc are going to come up. The class is 25 and two thirds boys. The difference with year12 Dd is she won’t do the passive thing and she’ll tell it as it is. There was a nasty incident a couple of years ago involving a boy and the deputy head phoned up and was trying to tell her to ‘be kind’ and so as not to involve ‘outside agencies’. She tore a strip off him with the facts and evidence she had. I was listening to her in awe, hearing the male teacher backtracking. I would never have done that at her age. I don’t think many boys or girls would. But she was very clear of her facts and didn’t back down. It is a worry though, especially now.
Dd loves the quiet and calm of one of her other classes, nearly all girls, but the teacher says thank goodness Dd is in there as she keeps the class going. In constrast, Dd wishes others would speak up in that lesson!

DS says that it is difficult to feel energised when breathing through a mask, but his classes are fine (large non selective state sixth form). Hope it will all be better when they stop wearing masks, but as the govt is bad at considering the human impact of decisions I am not holding my breath for mask wearing to end.

@Zandathepanda your DD sounds great!

Piggy yes to socially regressing! It’s like the hormones have been depressed and are now going mad. Dd said ‘Mum, in period 2 when Miss was absent, x devolved into a silverback: he jumped on the desk, stood upright, grunted and beat his chest’.

Monkey I think Dd was born ‘older and wiser’. She can’t wait to get out of school.

@Zandathepanda

Monkey I think it’s actually quite a ‘standard’ environment unfortunately. My older Dd encountered similar problems and when I taught GCSE/A Level there would be classes where vocal boys drowned out quieter girls. Or, possibly worse, classes that were all so quiet you felt like you were talking to yourself. She is doing humanities/ social sciences and so discussions about women rights etc are going to come up. The class is 25 and two thirds boys. The difference with year12 Dd is she won’t do the passive thing and she’ll tell it as it is. There was a nasty incident a couple of years ago involving a boy and the deputy head phoned up and was trying to tell her to ‘be kind’ and so as not to involve ‘outside agencies’. She tore a strip off him with the facts and evidence she had. I was listening to her in awe, hearing the male teacher backtracking. I would never have done that at her age. I don’t think many boys or girls would. But she was very clear of her facts and didn’t back down. It is a worry though, especially now. Dd loves the quiet and calm of one of her other classes, nearly all girls, but the teacher says thank goodness Dd is in there as she keeps the class going. In constrast, Dd wishes others would speak up in that lesson!

Good for her @Zandathepanda ! DD absolutely loving discussing feminism and current affairs in Sociology at the moment.

I will say Dd had to deal with a lot of toxic , aggressive girls at her old school. She was prepared for the sly and snidey ones , loud aggressive girls not so much . That was a lesson learnt not to stereotype. There was a particularly disruptive, constant, low level bullying crowd including both sexes.

Orange interesting. The ‘aggressive’ girls seem to have toned down this year. Dd got shoved about a bit in corridors after the boy incident by his girl ‘heavies’ (handily in front of cctv as they weren’t that clever) but some left and others have joined the sly toxic lot now. It’s very much social media led which Dd largely avoids. Dd said last weeks ‘thing’ was that boys were being told by the girl gang they ‘had’ to retweet messages of support for keeping girls safe otherwise they are part of the problem, whilst simultaneously being told they should keep their noses out as they don’t understand.

DD saying that at her (all girls) school the Everyone's Invited information has led to very supportive discussions between girls who had never really talked since Year 7!