I think as a grown up it is time to let you in on what seems to have been kept as a bit of a secret...
School is not everything.
There, I said it and I now half expect someone to whisk me away and lock me up for high treason. Yes it is a huge part of your childhood and adolesence and the foundations you set for yourself as you enter your life of grown up-ness... but I am fed up of you all worrying and believing your whole worth throughout your education (and into adulthood) is being judged on your ability to recognise verbs, adverbs, new grammatical terms I have never come across, algebra, the underlying themes of to Kill A Mockingbird, getting every spelling you have ever been given right every time. I am truly baffled how people think you will cope as an adult when you are led to believe that succeeding in the world is only based on getting the best score in exam and test papers... because it is not.
Yes, you do need maths to fill in a tax return... but you don't need to have ace trigonometry to do it.
You do need to read to sign a contract... but knowing the underlying themes and subtext of all Shakespeare's plays to A-C GCSE grades won't really help you (unless it is a contract for the lead role in Hamlet at the RSC).
It's important to know that water and electricity don't mix and which colour is the live wire in a plug... but reciting the periodic table is not needed when you are stood in Homebase looking for the right sized fuse.
I worry that you believe grown ups think you should be able to do EVERYTHING that is now expected of you at school at the correct level, that you fail us and yourselves if you don't find it easy to pick up and that we will be cross and upset if you find it all hard going, but in reality... don't fret young Skywalker.
Give me your year 9 maths homework and I know I won't be able to do it, the expectation of you to suck up information is far greater than when I was in school in the 90's and I probably never ever covered the work you are now bringing home. Year 6's are now studying English which was once around the level of yr8 curriculum... bonkers! Be assured that as parents we know you are really being pushed, and a second secret is that many of us feel a little uneasy about it.
I fear Education has lost it's way a bit and I know it must seem like it's your school or teachers fault but (this is where I stand up for them) it's not. Teachers and Head Teachers do what the Council / Government tell them to. On paper that is fine as everyone is doing the same thing making education fair and unified - but when your ex education minister resembles a potato with glasses, and the new one has the job because she though about being a teacher once for five minutes whilst looking to buy a pet hamster, you can see why there may be flaws. Teachers themselves have very little say in what's being included in the curriculum and they also have little control over how it is taught as they are busy trying to tick so many different boxes just to keep OFSTED happy. I think you will agree it is daft Teachers are not being allowed to just 'do their jobs' when they are the ones with you guys all day, knowing how you tick and what they need to do to motivate you and help you learn in a interesting way which sticks. Sadly the Government thinks that the solution is not to trust the teachers (cause that is a stupid idea obvs) but to add more tests and measurements to gauge if you are learning the things the teachers have little time to teach you because they are now so busy testing you!
I do not want you believing that your worth as a person is based on your score sheets, what table you sit on in class and how quickly you recite your times tables. Yes, education is very important and we are so so lucky to live in a country where it is free and statutory, you do need to know basics on history and English and maths and science and you do need to know your way around technology and how to code in today's world, but you don't have to be the best at it to succeed out of the school gates. It is fine not to want to be a Dr or a lawyer - it is fine to dream of being a gardener or electrician (I don't think you get told this enough) not everyone is academic, just as not everyone is practical or sporty... and that is OK.
Having different strengths is OK, this is the bit I think the education system has forgotten.
You are not a test paper... you are you because some things interest you and some don't. You may rock it at swimming, or you may be the best piano player in your school but spelling is a struggle and this effects your grades - remember you are not a failure, you have a given talent that not everyone is blessed with.
You may be the one people go to for support and kindness when they are struggling, you may be the one who makes people laugh and helps the younger children feel safe but still can only get up to your 4 times table by memory... your role as an sympathiser and figure people feel they can trust can't ever be taught.
So yes, work you hardest, try your best and please never give up... but when you feel like you have given everything you have and it is not enough just remember that grades do not make you... you.
And don't even get me started on the idea of a longer school day!
Keep trying,
A Mum
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