There are several changes happening at the moment for me. The mornings and evenings are getting dark much quicker. The week so far has been mild and relatively sunny however today seems to be dark and wet.
Aside from the weather, my work routine is starting to change. I’m travelling to a different office one day a week, it breaks up the week a bit which is okay but I haven’t settled into a pattern yet.
My youngest is starting to get regular homework and it feels like schoolwork is beginning to get serious now. We’re reading at home and I will try to encourage reading and writing for pleasure at home – balancing that with TV and the Wii will be a bit tricky.
My oldest is choosing her big school (secondary/high school) and has to take an exam, she is one of the youngest in her class. I worry what will happen because the schools vary so much in their quality. Some schools are selective so they cream the most academic children, it seems so unfair. It seems too young at 10 to take exams and for such an important thing. The exam is meant to measure ability, so isn’t focused on things you can revise, despite some parents putting extra pressure on their kids. It might seem hypocritical but we have been paying for a private tutor once a week too, that is really just helps a bit with confidence though. I have to confess I am not an academic and didn’t do that well at exams, I have a vocational mind rather than a purely academic one. Probably one of the reasons I haven’t gone back into education during my adult life.
2 comments:
Wow, that does seem like a lot of pressure for a ten year old. I guess I hadn't realized how different the educational system are between the US and the UK. Some very bright people don't test well...do other things count? Previous grades? Activities? Are there interviews? It sounds more like college here!
LB: No, it's just a few exams (multiple guess) but as you say, some people do test better than others.
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