Under Pressure! (From Bucks Free Press)
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My blog has no particular purpose- it’s just a snapshot of the things that happen in my life and the thoughts those events trigger really. For the last ten years, I have worked as a teaching assistant at a junior school, and recently I started studying for a degree with the Open University. Couple this with the fact that I have a daughter studying for her A levels, and a son for his GCSEs, not forgetting a husband working towards yet another qualification in insurance, and you’ll begin to understand why my random jottings are largely about education. Through my writing, I hope to raise a smile, and will welcome complaints should I fail!
Under Pressure!
1:15pm Monday 5th April 2010
Well, we’ve staggered through that particular spring term – I believe any parent with offspring in Year 10 upwards will appreciate that comment. As the youngsters reach the latter years of their secondary education, from January onwards, life becomes an intense timetable of exams and coursework. Consequently, stress levels soar and the atmosphere within the household becomes somewhat edgy!
It’s not as though the Easter break will provide much relief - I know that I will have to persist in my loathsome role as ‘nagging old bag’ in an effort to keep our two hitting the books, (hopefully excluding the one with the word ‘face’ preceding it). And, as my daughter considers the next step in her education, there is also the new conundrum of university hurtling towards us. This has already resulted in numerous anxious conversations about getting on with her personal statement and researching courses, and we’ve only just begun the process!
The thing is; I cannot remember this time in my own schooling being this stressful. Yes, it may well be because it was so long ago, but I’m more inclined to think that it was because the demands on students were so much less. I wasn’t aware of any of my friends going to study at university - mostly we went on to college or apprenticeships or straight out to work even, so I’m sure life for the school leaver was actually easier back then.
‘Ah,’ I might hear you say, ‘but are you or are you not Tania, now studying for a degree?’ Well yes I am, but that doesn’t mean I regret not doing one when I was younger - I took a diploma in retail display and design and that lead me to a fairly decent career in the graphics industry. Anyway, recently I have consigned the sentiment of regret to the same rubbish bin as life’s ‘if only’, as I’ve come to the conclusion that the decisions I’ve made through the years must have felt right at the time.
So, bearing that in mind, why can’t I trust the decision making instincts of my son and daughter and ease up on my relentless pushiness? After all, it could mean I am gambling away future harmony with two of the most important people in my life!
Oh, the dilemmas that go with being a parent!
Bye for now.
Tania Greenwood
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My blog has no particular purpose- it’s just a snapshot of the things that happen in my life and the thoughts those events trigger really. For the last ten years, I have worked as a teaching assistant at a junior school, and recently I started studying for a degree with the Open University. Couple this with the fact that I have a daughter studying for her A levels, and a son for his GCSEs, not forgetting a husband working towards yet another qualification in insurance, and you’ll begin to understand why my random jottings are largely about education. Through my writing, I hope to raise a smile, and will welcome complaints should I fail!
