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Guinea Pig Generation

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
I was class of 2000. My peers and i were born sept '83/ Aug '84. And we are now lovingly known as the guinea pig generation.
being the 1st generation under the national curriculum
being the 1st to try the 7-11-14 SATS papers
having a non-calc paper in maths GCSE
and being the 1st to try out AS and key skills
etc etc

there was a big article about this in the newspapers this year due to the criticism the govt was under due to the as system

anyone have any thoughts on this because it would be interesting to know how people felt about their education in terms of being the 'guinea pigs'
The Tories had started with experimenting with us, did Labour just think they would finish? hmmmmmmm <IMG alt="image" SRC="frown.gif" border="0">
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    better to completely fuck up one generation than partially fuck up a whole load, innit?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Nah fuck up someone else please. I am also one of the "guinea pigs" and boy does it suck.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't reckon it's anymore fucked up than before just in a different way. For instance I had to do something called the 11+ which was a totaly outdated method of selection once kids leave primmary school.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    When did they finish with the 11+ exams? I thought they finished decades ago.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The way I look at it, at least you have an excuse if everything fucks up. Visualise interviews in the the future...

    "why have you no A levels...?"
    "well, unfortunately I am part of the guinea pig generation"
    "oh, well then, that's perfectly understandable...welcome to the company"
    "woohoo"

    or you can even twist it to your advantage

    "as part of the guinea pig generation I am a highly adaptable and innovative individual...it comes with the teritory, sir"

    <IMG alt="image" SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0"> tee hee hee.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Dan the Man:
    <STRONG>When did they finish with the 11+ exams?</STRONG>

    I think it depends on where you live. I live in Wiltshire and 9 years ago I had to do these tests, and so did my younger sister which would have been 6 years ago. Children we knew in neighbouring villages in Hampshire on the otherhand, didn't have to do them. I've a strong feeling that even now they're still used in this area. <IMG alt="image" SRC="confused.gif" border="0">
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In Birmingham you can still do the 11 + if you want to. And stop complaining! Would you prefer everything to just stay the same? Anyway, everyone knows that the first year of any new scheme, the authorities want it to look like a success, therefore more people will pass.

    As for SAT's, not only are they a pile of piss, they are also to judge TEACHERS not pupils and that's why they shove it down your throat so much. I purposefully did no work for them just to piss them off. Some people really let it get to them though, the fools. I remember some girls in my class *crying* over the stress of SATS in year 9. Paaaaathetic. Worry about what is important.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by KrazedKT:
    <STRONG> I remember some girls in my class *crying* over the stress of SATS in year 9. Paaaaathetic. Worry about what is important.</STRONG>

    I have similer memories. We had lots of talks about "coping with exam stress" and all that kind of crap. ALl people caould talk about for weeks were SATS this and SATS that. IN juniour schools now they get so much homework for the bloody things.

    I don't really think you can call the girls pathetic, really.

    It's the system that's screwed with all the teachers breathing down their pupils necks because they all want to cross the bloody threshold and get more money.

    Humph.

    I hate pressure and competition and money.
    <IMG alt="image" SRC="mad.gif" border="0">
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    grrr i remember all the SATS crap - my form tutor would walk into the room EVERY day and say - 'only x days left until your SATS!' i would beat myself up about it, it really did my self esteem no good because if you werent put into the level 5-7 papers, you were labelled a thicko (not by friends, but by the teachers) we had all the stress talks and the day i started year 10 the headmaster called us into assembly and said how GCSES were sooooooooooo important, and they expected 'record' results, at the time i was suffering from depression and i had several panic attacks during mocks because the dickhead teachers made them out to be so important - in the end i stopped caring, and as a result of that, i did no revision for my GCSES (i got 8A's and 2B's but they would've been better if i bothered caring)

    at the end of the day i am ashamed that i let myself get so worked up about silly tests and exams which weren't the be all and end all

    i dont feel too much resentment towards teachers and stuff cos at the end of the day, they get payed crap and treated like crap, and if they didnt have all these bullshit targets to work towards and league tables, we wouldnt be under so much pressure

    <IMG alt="image" SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG alt="image" SRC="cool.gif" border="0"> <IMG alt="image" SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG alt="image" SRC="cool.gif" border="0"> <IMG alt="image" SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0">
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    im a guinea pig and it suxxxx

    u can still take the 11+ where i am, i suppose whether u take it or not depends on whether there are any grammar schools in your area.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I am in year 13 now too.
    My little sister did her Key stage 2 SATs last year and she had to do loads of revision and it made me stressed cos I had my AS exams and I did practically no revision. She got 3 level 5s and we all knew she would but I don't think they should have been forced to do so much revision at age 10&11. After all, aren't the exams supposed to reflect the level kids are working at, not with tons of cramming?
    its all just to get better results for league tables, but it gets kids too stressed and worried. I don't recall being told to revise that much.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That reminds me I've got exams next week. I hate revising. I think that because I've had so many exams and been told "these are the ones that count" so many times, its become mundane.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Mayella:
    <STRONG>I think that because I've had so many exams and been told "these are the ones that count" so many times, its become mundane.</STRONG>

    I agree, when they first told me that i revised really well for that set of exams but they've said it so much now that i revise less and less
    <IMG alt="image" SRC="rolleyes.gif" border="0"> when these are actually the ones that do count! lol
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeh I ahave a physics exam coming up, haven't done any revision, and don't feel like doing any even tho I should... I know how you're feeling
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