I was interested to hear Will Self on Radio 4 Sunday morning. Has he taken over the slot that used to be Alistair Cook's Letter from America? Anyway I heartily agreed with what he said about exams: how they don't teach much about the subject, as long as the sitter knows which boxes to tick. One student, he said, never even bothered to finish Great Expectations because her teacher had told her that he had given her all that was needed to answer the question without reading to the end. I find that very sad.
Actually I can't talk because I scraped up some A levels over fifty years ago and I had not even read all the set books for English; happily I don't think there were grades in those days but it was not an impressive mark! I am not proud of this, or the fact that I left school when I was just 16 and have had no structured education ever since. However it gave me a love of English literature, because we had a gloriously eccentric English teacher who inspired us to read all the great authors and poets, and my enduring love for Shakespeare certainly started then. We were taken to see Hamlet which I think was the only outing I ever remember going on from school. Incidentally we had seats right at the front, and were mesmerised by the amazing young actor playing Hamlet of whom noone had heard. His name was Richard Burton. What a memorable evening.
Some people manage to get through exams knowing very little while others who have far more knowledge of the subject don't necessarily get good grades. One of my daughters was not good at putting her knowledge on paper, but is now so practical and runs a very efficient and happy household; not only does everything work in her house, but also she mends all sorts of things for me, which I suspect many would just throw away in disgust. A pity there isn't an A level for such practicalities and life skills!
So, having digressed from the matter in hand, let me now ask why can we not take some of the anxiety and pressure off these poor teenagers, and instead devise some way to find out their strengths and skills without these wretched exams? I have ten grandchildren of 14 and over; they work for exams during their holidays: I remember one working on Christmas Day. I am such a bad grandmother, and tell them not worry about their grades - as long as they do their best. I have seen and heard of too many youngsters who have gone off the rails and become ill : sometimes the pressures put upon these vulnerable young people can do untold harm.
I know there is a happy medium, and if my lot were not so diligent I would not be writing in this vein. I just hope that their huge efforts will be rewarded. I am immensely proud of them, and I am fairly confident that they will all 'do very well' if making money is the measuring stick for success. Personally I would prefer them to be happy, healthy and well adjusted; to make other people's lives better; have many friends, and most of all find a really nice husband or wife whom they can cherish for the rest of their lives. I am not suggesting that they sit around expecting life to owe them any favours, but shedloads of money are not everything - though of course it is not only useful, but horribly necessary.
My message to you wonderful young people everywhere - Do your best, but remember that life doesn't have to be ruined by exams.
Good luck!
