Thread 16 - Corona Cohort Year 12, 2021 Zooming through Summer Term

[orangecinnamon]

Placeholder

Thanks Nard75 🙂

Huge congratulations to your DCs, Nard and JustHere - lovely news for the start of half term. 👏🏻

DD has even thought about driving lessons, which is a relief, frankly.

@Nard75 well done to your ds.

Mine doesn't want to look at universities. He wants to do a degree apprenticeship, if he can get a place on one, which to me seems unlikely, he will apply to university as back up. He only wants to go to Sussex university, they watch lectures from there for a subject at school, so he's decided that's where he wants to go.

None of my dc's are street savvy. They've never been shopping without me, they've never wanted to. Never been into a town on their own, well....ds1 has now he's at university, obviously, but he hadn't prior to uni. They've not been on a public bus as there aren't any here. The school bus picks up at the top of the drive for secondary school, then for 6th form they have to walk half a mile to a different stop. Actually thinking about it ds2 went to Norwich on the train with some mates once. They went bowling. But that's it. I'm not stopping them doing it....it's just not something they've ever asked to do.

Ds has gone to a small party this eve. First one for a very long time. But he has a driving lesson tomorrow at 9am. So I've said not to come home late (someone else is dropping him home)
and no alcohol. I hope he listens.

It really depends where you live I guess. In some ways Dd is very street savvy. She’s been going shopping on the train to town (Birmingham) since aged 12 and now in sixth form she goes to school and socialises right on the opposite side of the city, again travelling by train. But she just seems so dependant on friends and she’s definitely not wanting to think about the future.

I’m sure they’ll all get there one way or another. An apprenticeship would require more independence and maturity I think? I can’t imagine having coped with full time adult work when I was 18!

Dd is at a party tonight too. 30 in a garden! This is the biggest gathering she’s been to. She drinks in moderation (I hope!). She’s staying over though and apparently going to the gym first thing!

@crazycrofter I had a full time job at 16. Started as soon as I left school. I feel ashamed of my decisions now....horse mad back then, I wouldn't go on to do further education. I was an awful teen, determined to not do well at school. I was SO silly. Definitely the biggest regret in my life!

But I learnt to grow up quickly as I moved out from my parents too. Now I have children I realised how sad that must have been for my parents as I was their only child. I was certainly nothing to be proud of!

Well done Nard ds.
Ds1 got an A in his Sociology paper, so he's pleased.

Well, I think you should be proud of holding down a job at 16! I don't think I'd have managed that. You must have been pretty independent. But yes, so sad for your parents!

Ds in year 10 seems fairly determined not to do well at school too, it's so frustrating. But sometimes people just need to learn by experience....

Well done @Oblomov21 ds. That's really good!

My Ds1 is extremely independent and street savy. Don't forget through that he's also an extremely difficult child and extremely stroppy!
He had a job at Sainsbury's for just under a year. Rides his bike 6 miles there, and 6 miles back to boxing. Cooks regular meals and shops. Goes to London and Brighton without a second thought.
He is on a scheme, was chosen out of 30, finalised to 3 of them, to be mentored by a former stock broker expert to prepare him for finance/trading. It's been the making of him. He's already got a trading account prepared.

Like icanbe, whose ds is only interested in Sussex, I can't get ds to look at any other uni other than Southampton for business /finance/accountancy.

I'm frightened that he won't go to uni, and this will hinder him later in life? Yo instead get into trading. Or an accountancy, if he could possibly even get in?

One step at a time. I've told him to pull all the stops out, stop being so casual, work his ass off, and get good A'level's.

@Oblomov21 Well done to your DS on his great result. I think our year 12's should all be proud of their achievements they have all been through such a tough time and they deserve a pat on the back.

Do any of your children wish they'd taken different A'level's?
Ds1 was saying that his combination of business/sociology/ psychology is extremely info top heavy, a lot to remember : a lot of texts and sources to quote in the exams. and his HoY agrees that he's got it tougher than a lot of his friends.

He did start off with English Language as his 4th which he dropped. He says he wishes he'd considered English Lit. He wanted to take IT/computers, but timetabling wouldn't allow. He now wishes he's taken maths or rather economics.

Too late now.,...,

@Oblomov21 not being educated enough has definitely been a hindrance for me. But your Ds is doing A levels plus the mentoring. So that's all great. My GCSEs weren't even good. I was the first year to do them...I did absolutely no coursework for any subject apart from art. Shameful!

I was so pleased when ds1 did well in GCSEs and A levels and went on to university. Ds2 seems to be doing just as well. Ds3 (year 7) is going into top sets for all stem subjects for year 8, so he's on track to do better than the older 2. Thank goodness none of them followed in my footsteps!

DD is planning her half term of revision on a carefully ruled sheet of A3 paper. So far, she has written Gym (purple gel pen) three times, Stables (orange felt tip) twice and Brunch with Issy (my special gold marker from the Christmas box).

Can’t wait to see what colour Chemistry is (if it ever appears...)

Oblomov, Caitlin Moran wrote a very thought provoking piece for the Times magazine a couple of weeks ago, about why uni is a waste of time. That was the headline, but actually she went on to explain that, for those who know what they want to do and don’t actually need a degree, it’s far better to go straight into work; in her view, uni is just a way of delaying independence and you will be behind those that choose not to go, in work experience and job opportunity.
Worth a read if you can find it online.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/caitlin-moran-do-i-regret-not-going-to-university-hell-no-vdxj97dqh

@KingscoteStaff I love that timetable, that’s just like Dd! They’ve been told that their exams cover reduced content due to lockdown, and they even know what the content will be so she doesn’t feel the need to revise in half term at all...

@Oblomov21 there’s no need for Uni if he’s interested in accountancy. The big 4 offer really good higher apprenticeships.

Bless you icanbe.
Laughing at Kingscote chemistry.
Thank piccolo, I will look it up.

I was the last year of no uni fees, back
in the day, old codger that I am, and I had a fantastic time at Uni. But for Ds1, for £9k per year, for online learning, from his bedroom within MY house, (not even going away for the 'uni experience'), when I was hoping to get rid of him of him for 3 years? I'm just not sure. What's best, these days.

Well done to @Nard75 and @JustHereWithMyPopcorn DS’ !!
DD sat last her exam today which was a ‘nice paper’ in comparison to yesterday’s ‘stinker’
She’s ‘out on the town’ tonight with her mates to celebrate
After half term they’re moving to U6th Common Room as Yr13 have left.
Then, it’s 4 weeks until Yr12 is ‘done and dusted’!

Now doing a border in 3 different shades of pastel highlighter...

@ProggyMat DD is livid that their Year 13 are doing University transition courses after half term, so they won’t get into the U6th common room (with the instant water boiler and good microwave) until September.

@ProggyMat yes year 11's and 13's finished at our school today too. They have a long summer ahead without exams.

DD’s school have gone back to teachers having their own rooms again so mixing of all years left around the school. Finally got acknowledgement of exams this week for 4 weeks time which clashes nicely with 2 subjects’ assessments (which count towards A Level grade) in. If Dd concentrates on the coursework her revision will be non existent. And if there’s no exams next year these exams may count. Also the teachers aren’t sure the coursework will stay in its current format as there is a current consultation. So all a bit of a pain really. However, with 1000 unmasked pupils mixing, anything could happen in the next month!

@KingscoteStaff I don’t blame her!
At DDs school Yr11 are moving to L6th Common Room as they have A level transition work after half term
I’m looking forward to reading which colours are chosen for your DDs subject exams
@Zandathepanda that doesn’t sound good!
DDs year group will still stay in their year group’s designated class room areas’ - just the Common Room (and associated benefits) have changed.

Well done to theory and EPQ people! DS finished exams - results not out for a while yet. He is totally not street smart and can’t imagine him surviving at Uni yet. I suppose he will just have to crack on when he goes. I did my degree as a mature student and DH dropped out of poly after a term so we know very little about the process. I’ve done the signing up for open days and taster lectures - he’s happy for me to do it and has watched them all quite happily. He still thinks he would prefer Lancaster - I think the campus size appeals and the sports clubs.

He’s started the NEA for history and has picked a book for English version of NEA. For his French NEA he is planning on possibly incorporating the rise of French swimming! EPQ starts after half term.

They have an off timetable day in June which is all about Uni applications and life post 18 and school.

He doesn’t really socialise and has never been to a party but he is seeing a friend this week - breakthrough!

Hallo everybody. Don’t suppose anyone remembers me, but you were enormously helpful to me aback a while.Just caught up with this thread, having missed a few. Don’t know why I dropped off, you are all so fantastically well informed, and supportive.
Our inherited teen really struggled with the last lockdown. I did worry that she wouldn’t pick up again. She was very withdrawn and morose, no interest in anything at all. But since being back in school in March, she has re-emerged. She loves school, and wants to go to university. With very little understanding, she has decided she would like to go to Oxford. NowI am all for encouraging people, but I don’t want to set her up to fail, and predicted grades don’t really work for someone who barely went to school beforeEaster in year 9, but her predictions are BCC. So she knows she would need 3 As and a very good interview. We wouldn’t want her to get to Uni and then struggle, so Meanwhile we are arranging some testing to discover her potential and any barriers to learning, apart from having missed about 8 years of school.. I’m just hoping that if we keep it real, having a goal will raise her game , and she does know that we are already insanely proud of her for making a success of school, despite so much trauma in her life. On the plus side, there does seem to be an understanding that it is insanely difficult for children to go to Uni after difficult domestic circumstances and a period inCare.
So reading about other parents wondering how much support in terms of information gathering etc to give has been very helpful to me. I think I may suggest a day trip somewhere over half term, as I don’t think she’s ever seen a University, and also check out some open days.