#1 alevel done 4 to go

[mr-ladystardust]

aqa is not my friend

[gzteacher]

Overworked [TL;DR]

[TL;DR Version]: Finally worked up the courage to tell my supervisor that my workload was too much. We’ll see if anything can be worked out. I’m all-or-nothing at this point.

[Full Version - it’s very very very long]

I’m at a school that’s only been around for going on two years now, and most teachers teach 1 to 3 courses distributed through 12 to 14 classes per week.

And then there’s MY schedule...

I teach 8 courese; 18 classes a week.  - Grade 7 Reading Essentials: For kids who can’t read at all, as in this is class were we learn how to sound out words, break down compound words, recognize prefixes and suffixes, and course read material designed for American 8~9 year olds. I’m not mentioning this to be facetious but to be informative. The school originally wanted me to teacher them AP Literature. Yeah. A bunch of 12year-old non-native English speaking, never-been-immersed-in-WesternEuropean-culture 12 year olds suddenly analyzing the structure and language of Maupassant’s The Necklace. Anyway.

- Grade 9 Intro to Literature: I’ll explain why there’s no Grade 8 here later. If you’re up for a long ass read, of course) Intro to Literature (This is of course, after they’ve learned how to do basic comprehension. This course works on recognizing figures of speech and rhetorical devices, plus it looks at easy-to-read works - yes they exist... it took some digging, but indeed they exist - placed against historical, cultural and thematic backgrounds

- Grade 8+9 IGCSE English Language A: I asked my British friends about this and they all agree that Grade 8+9 (age 13~14) is way too young to be signing up for Pearson Edexcel IGCSE especially with them speaking a language that has very little if any similarity to English, unless the students have lived extensively in a Western country, which these students have not.

- Grade 10 ALevel Literature: I only have this class once a week yet am expected to prepare them for ALevel Lit. This once-a-week class versus their more prominent ALevel Chemistry and Physics. *sigh*

- Grade 10 PreAP Literature and Composition: Only because this is my first year teaching and these student’s have no background with literature. It’s basically a faster moving Grade 9 course, but it focuses on FRQ section of the exam wherein you have to have read an actual novel. Novels in this class are actually just short stories in which I have to make vocabulary lists of because the students won’t make it through a page unless they translate every other word.

- Grade 11 AP Literature and Composition: I actually managed to talk the students OUT of signing up for this exam unless they’ve really enjoy reading and can think and question things as they read. Their TOEFL Reading classes do a great job of teaching them reading comprehension. Unfortunately, AP Lit does not test your ability to search for answers directly within text, so that’s where this class comes in. The learning curve been Grade 10 and 11 here is such that the stories and poems we look at in Grade 10 are too easy for Grade 11 and the Grade 11 works are often too difficult for Grade 10. There is very little, if any, overlap.

- Grade 11 AP Psychology: One 3 hour course every Monday afternoon. It’s a nightmare especially considering how the worksheets assigned throughout the week to help them review things more often then not don’t get done. The extra materials, video links, online notes, cheat sheets, etc go ignored because apparently the stuff only makes sense when I’m standing in front of them modelling everything for them. The school expects all the students to take the exam and for me to analyze their scores once CollegeBoard releases them.

- Drama: We meet once a week, assuming students haven’t been pulled out to do tutoring sessions for Calculus. The school expects a drama performance at the end of the term.

It was becoming more and more difficult to manage these classes until I finally realized I was burning out. (I’m terrible at recognizing burnout.) The moment I would shift my attention to one course, the performance of another course would suffer. Students from whatever class would complain that they aren’t “doing enough” or that they haven’t gotten their homework or exams back yet. (There’s still a large pile of ungraded papers on my desk as we speak... I could be grading them, but yeah. That.)

Now.

Originally, this list was all just “AP Literature, plus IGCSE, Psychology and Drama” with addition to U.S. and World History. After some arguing, I managed to get the history courese removed from my schedule as well as Grade 8 “Literature” (the classes that I didn’t want ended up begin given to the teacher the school was planning of firing BECAUSE the principal - who knows me from a previous school - found out I would be teaching there).

I did try teaching every Literature class the exact same way to save time, printing, planning, etc. I knew it would be challenging, but it was either they double up and put forth the effort to master difficult material, or I split myself into multiple parts and water Western Lit down into something approachable and digestible. They all started out with recognizing the basic forms of Literature: peotry, prose and drama. Yes, I made a worksheet to let them practice identifying which description fit which type of literature, just to make sure they were following me because you can never know when the students are dead silent before, during and after classes.

Then we moved on to Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson - easy reads with a couple vocabularly cheat sheets and translation references. Then the struggling happened and as predicted, the lower the grade, the more the struggle. I decided then to re-up the entire “Literature” course and instead create a course that was appropriate for the students’ level.

I will say the one good thing that comes out of the being the only teacher who has to see EVERY. SINGLE. STUDENT through the span of a week is that as a significantly unique-looking FOREIGNER from a particularly diverse cultural background, generally socially aware, and is fluent in Chinese, it has become useful in whipping these kids in to shape in terms of their cultural awareness and mannerisms. If you’re a foreigner in China worried about local kids picking at you, making snarky remarks around you, flat out insulting you in Chinese or just being “weird” around you, you won’t have to worry about that at all with these kids. The principal knows that, I’m sure this was one of the reasons she brought me around. The school is one of those internationalized jawns where the students get offers from Western universities come their Grade11/Grade12 year. It helps to not end up overseas still making dumb comments about someone’s nose and then looking crazy when they call you out on it. Go figure.

The school is mad shy with admitting they have me teacher 8 courses. They won’t admit it right away because in their minds, I teach “Literature, Psychology, and Drama... 3 courses” but then they wonder how I manage to go through so many copies, and they pretend they don’t notice the eight stacks of exam papers that all have my name on them during midterms and finals. It’s contract renewal time, and I basically told the powers that be that they either need to pay extra, hire more staff to distribute these courses more sensibly or it’s boots for me. I’m losing hair and self-care time being the only one at this school who would need 3 or 4 people to replace me should I leave. 

[mid-afternoon-studies]

tagging game 1:

thank you @chazza-studies-alevels and @minimalistmedic for tagging me!

1. Name: 🙊

2. Nickname: mid (mid-afternoon-tea)

3. Zodiac: taurus

4. Height: 173 cm

5. Languages: english, chinese, japanese, spanish (gcse)

6. Nationality: british

7. Favourite season: winter

8. Favourite flower: i like flowerless plants more tbh (those big living room plants)

9. Favourite scent: special someone’s cologne

10. Favourite colour: grey

11. Favourite animal: giraffes and sharks

12. Favourite fictional character: can’t think of anyone rn

13. Coffee/tea/hot chocolate: teaaa (like @chazza-studies-alevels i drink 5-6 cups a day haha)

14. Average sleep hours: 6, bad at sleeping on time :/

15. Dog or cat person: doggo

16. Blankets I sleep with: thick quilt and thin blanket. i also have ikea shark beside me

17. Dream trip: iceland or australia

18. Blog established: 02/07/18

19. Followers: 2730 (ty)

20. Random fact: polar bears are all left handed

tagging game 2:

thanks @myhoneststudyblr :D (skipping some questions since they repeat)

Hogwarts House gryffindor!! a little bit of ravenclaw

Last Thing Googled ‘t=rc equation’

Song in Your Head Money by Pink Floyd

Following and Followers following 18 (need studyblr recs please) and 2730 followers (thank you!!)

Lucky Number 2 and 7

Dream Job doctor !!

Wearing hoodie and leggings

Favourite Songs Burn the Witch, Karma Police, You and Whose Army?, Pyramid Song all by Radiohead

Instruments 🎻 

Favourite Authors been reading natgeo recently ?

Aesthetic been going for dimmer lighting recently half cause i like it, half cause i’m not that bothered to edit it much ahaha

Tagging some random mutuals or ppl i followw, sorry if you’ve been tagged alr: @howtoreadtheuniverse @whatevenarealevels @nabasynth @medicineinside @myhoneststudyblr (<- have you done the first one?)

[lalazyperfectionist]

Thanks for tagging me @studywithprincess !!!

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag ten people with ten new questions

1. How would you describe Monday?

The worst day of the week, as long as it’s during the school year. Summer Mondays feel like any other day, but I dread them otherwise. They come along just to end the weekend, and make me wake up early

2. What country would you like to visit the most and why?

France. I’ve always wanted to go to Europe and I take French, so I would love to be able to go there, attempt to use my French some, eat at cafes, see the Eiffel Tower, etc.

3. If you could have a superpower what would it be?

Telekinesis or mind reading (as long as I can pick and chose when I read minds)

4. What’s one book you think everyone should read?

“How to Kill a Mockingbird”- Harper Lee

5. If you could pick a season to have all year round what would it be?

Fall or spring. Then the temperature would always be comfortable, but would still vary enough to wear summer and winter style clothes

6. Have you conquered any fears? If yes, what was it and how? If no, what is it?

Kinda, I still don’t really like the dark or heights/flying. But, by starting to sleep with my tv off at night back when I was about 10, and by going on a flight for the first time last year, I am much more comfortable with both.

7. What extinct species would you want to resurrect if you could?

I guess maybe dodo birds? I’d be too worried about the consequences to ever resurrect any species, tho

8. Describe your favourite colour without saying it. :))

It looks like a gorgeous tropical ocean

9. Who inspires you the most?

I don’t really know... maybe my Dad? He’s such a determined and hard worker, and has always done so much for me

10. What’s something you love the smell/scent of?

Campfires

My questions:

What’s your favorite subject to study, and why?

What is one of your favorite memories?

What is a song everyone should listen to?

What’s one of your biggest pet peeves?

If you have a major, why did you chose it? If you don’t, what do you want it to be, and why?

What’s one of your favorite places to go on vacation?

What is your favorite thing about yourself?

If you could only ever watch one tv show for the rest of your life, what would it be?

What things help motivate you?

What is your favorite holiday, and why?

Tagging: @lattesandlearning @somuchtostudysolittletime @chazza-studies-alevels

[comiiical]

Imagine being expected to keep studying. To finish it all when you have never had the right type of support. You are an a+ student whoo suddenly began to get lower notes to be noticed less and instead of having your parents questioning why they only tell you “that’s too low isnt it? you are grounded”. No. Ask why. 

Imagine talking about a teacher’s physical, mental and sexual abuse done on you only for you to say “your brothers also had teachers that insulted them”. Yeah. Right. Because the insult is the only problem.

Imagine starting college, finally thinking you can have some actual nice money, only to find that A) the money of your study help is used at home for ... nothing related to you and B) the money you get for studying is... not even a 10% of what you need. And still they expect you to finish it. How? 

I started college eleven years ago, give or take. I should have finished it within 4 years but instead, I’m still stuck in my fourth and final year and I don’t know if I have a chance to actually finish it. First of all, my mental health began to be a huge problem. In my first year of college I got sick with the A Flu and that fully damaged my heart. I signed up that first year completely, as I should have and had 10 classes, but tha also meant I was there from 8 am to 3 pm, i.e. 7 full hours that were actually 10 because i left home at 6 am, picked up the train at 6.30+ and arrived there with the time stuck up in my butt. I had around six classes a day of one hour and a half ? maybe? IDK. Anyway, by the time I reached the final hour my own heart, at the moment more sensitive than nowadays, couldn’t handle it and over the first year I already sacrificed 2 classes: German. And while I was good at it, I got hijacked by my own classmates who didn’t inform me about crucial things regarding the recovery final exam that would have had me passing the subjects. I literally made an exam worth a 9 out of 10 but didn’t have real value becase that 1 point left was a mandatory book without which you couldn’t pass the subject...

The next year I stupidly took 11 classes instead of 10, which was the minimum to go through and the better option. I would stay from 8 to 5  sometimes 7 because of my decision which left me... pretty much needing a higher payment from my mother who still refused to let me have more than 10 euros per week... PER WEEK. 4 days of classes and I only had 10 euros to leave by when the cheapest food was 3 euros. And it’s not like I could bring food from home like my brothers did because I was the only one with a thermic bag to protect my things. 

In addition to this whole build up of shit, my own agoraphobia was fed by this fact, my whole social phobia adding to me mind the idea that I could get mugged and lost my transport card which would leave me trapped in another town withotu an option to be picked up by my brother until 9 or 10 pm. Alone there. And for many explanations i gave my mother that I needed MORE money, I didn’t need the 60 my mother gives to my brothers? But give me 30 at least?

Anyway, being made felt like a third disposable shit child was not good. And it had consequences. I failed classes based on “I dont want to go to class today” simply because of th money I got. I would LIE to my parents and tell them I didn’t have class just because we didn’t have money FOR ME to send me there. So I had to lie and compromise my studies and that left me to alevel of STUPID STUPID STUPID morals that made me NOT go to exams because I ahdn’t gone to class. So how am I going to show my face when I have barely gone? WELL JAVI EVERYONE DID THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE THE EXAMS!!!! and the worst part si that, because of that, the remnants of courses I have are really expensive for me as a punishment for several join-ins. So now, what should be 800 euros it’s 2500 euros that OBVIOUSLY are unaffordable. 

I don’t know if I can join back either because I have been 3 years without signing up on a row due to a) money b) mental health and c)helping with my dad plus the covid. I don’t know if I can join in next year either, with covid and All, because I refuse to go in a full of people train to class when I don’t know if everyone is vaccinated, mind you as soon as I get the vaccine I sohuldn’t worry, but I am also worried about the possibility of virtual calsses as I don’t have a microphone to use and refuse to plus dont have the best house for that type of things.

Thus my nightmare today waking up to a ... reminder of “You failed this class” set up in my mind actually “you failed this exam you can’t sign up anymore” message. Because that’s my actual fear, not being able to finish it.

Oh, another reason I had to quit? I signed up for a course and had to cancel the year because MY BROTHER WAS CAUGHT DRINKING IN THE STREETS AND HE HAD TO PAY 600 EUROS OR GET A LEGAL ISSUE which eventually ended with my own first payment not being able to be completed and thus me losing my right to go to class. If I didn’t nullify the thing within that time I’d have to face some issues that I was not ready.

So yeah. What the hell do i do with my life? Nothing. I’m turning 31 in two months and 2 days and all I can think about is how much I need to find someone with enough economical estability to hook up and round up and be a househusband because that’s all I can do and all I can possitively tell I can do.

I can’t find anyhting else to study even if I wanted to because WHO’D hire someone who can’t speak with people? Who? Who? Seriously. Who?

[studeres]

I was tagged by @caffeicstudy thank you!

1. Are you a morning or a night person?

Later morning (8-9ish) as I tend to go to bed early (ideally at 10).

2. What colour pen do you prefer to write with?

Black! I can’t stand writing in blue pen.

3. Are you left or right handed?

Right handed.

4. Do you have any weird talents?

Not unless you count memorising random harry potter trivia, no :(

5. What’s your dream holiday?

I recently went to Tanzania with the Meserani Project and I’d love to go back but with my mum this time! It was so rewarding and I’m amazed I survived three weeks away from home.

6. Which do you prefer, tea, coffee or hot chocolate?

I only drink hot chocolate, so definitely that. I don’t like tea or coffee much but the caffeine makes me anxious so I don’t them.

7. What was the last song that you listened to?

Comfortable by Greta Isaacs

8. What’s your favourite colour?

Yellow

9. Do you wear glasses?

Yes, I have done since I was 5.

10. Can you speak any other languages?

Not fluently but I understand enough french to get by in France.

11. What is your favourite movie?

I don’t really have one since I’m not a film person but probably one of the Harry Potter films.

I tag @anautisticstudies @spooky-studies @geneplans @gentlestudying @alevels-rip-me @lorcanstudies @pianoandstudy to answer these questions!

1. What would you tell your 14 year old self knowing what you do now?

2. Is there another subject you wish you’d done instead of one you chose now, or in addition to what you do now (in a fantasy world where time management is not a problem)?

3. What is your favourite brand of stationery and why?

4. What do you use to organise yourself and why?

5. Is there something you’d like to tell your followers?

6. What is one thing you are proud of achieving in the last year?

7. What is one thing you hope to achieve this year?

8. What good things have come from you joining the studyblr community?

9. What’s your favorite song(s)?

10. What do you enjoy learning about most?

11. How do you deal with failure?

[niamhfthemmings]

Rules:

1. Post the rules.

2. Answer the questions given by the tagger.

3. Write 11 questions of your own.

4. Tag 11 people.

@thedolansss Questions:

1. What celebrity would you rate as a perfect 10?

Ethan Grant Dolan.

2. What is the best and worst purchase you’ve ever bought?

Best - Honestly, this is going to sound so lame but a tangle teaser!! My hair is so thick and curly it gets all sorts of knots in it and the tangle teaser honestly saved my life.

Worst - I bought Sims 4 Cats and Dogs last week and honestly, im regretting it. It’s not as good as anticipated. (my opinion tho)

3. If you could change your name, what would your new name be and why?

I really love the name Grace. It is in the runnings for when I have children, it’s not too popular either!

4. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Honestly? Pick chemistry as one of my alevels welp

5. Who’s your favourite twin and why?

Efin. I just think he’s a lil underestimated cutie and he has the purest heart of gold. 

6. Who’s your favourite YouTuber apart from the twins?

I have a few. Shane Dawson, Kendall Rae, Safiya Nygaard and (idk if this counts) Ryan and Shane from Buzzfeed Unsolved. 

7. What’s the most useless talent you have?

Procrastination.

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hopefully somewhere that makes me happy :)

9. What is the absolute worst movie you’ve ever seen?

Frozen. Don’t even argue with me on this one.

10. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?

I genuinely haven’t met anyone famous yet :( I was meant to meet Joe Sugg a few years back but I pulled out because I was too anxious. 

11. How did you find out that Santa isn’t real?

Everyone in my primary school already knew and ruined it for me :(:( Also, i found the wrapping paper that ‘Santa’ had wrapped my presents in the year before WELP.

My Questions:

1. What is your favourite thing about yourself and why?

2. What makes you the happiest?

3. What’s your favourite TV show?

4. First ever YouTuber that you subscribed to?

5. Favourite social media to use?

6. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

7. Who is your favourite singing artist?(can be soloist or group)

8. Do you have any pets? If so what!

9.What job do you aspire to have?

10. If you could have only one game downloaded on your phone what would it be?

11. Where is your dream travel destination?

These are lame soRRY

I tag: ANyone who reads/sees this on your timeline :) 

[noodle-studies]

Stupid Mistakes GCSE students make (and how to avoid them!)

These could possibly be the difference between you getting the top grade: 1. Learn the definitions! Those two marks are just recall you can't afford to lose them. 2. You don't read the question.Or even worse, you write the answer in an exam that is for a similar question you did before but doesn't answer the question on the paper. READ THE QUESTION. 3. You don't give yourself enough time for the longer questions. Try and get those six markers done in the middle of the exam when your not as nervous and aren't rushing. 4.You have a staring contest with the invigilator/ room around you: You don't have time for that! Look back down! 5.You don't go to the bathroom before the exam: You think you can hold an hour but you really won't. Good luck recalling quotes whilst trying not to wet yourself! 6. You don't revise for the subjects you don't like/ you find hard: whether you prepare or not your still going to have to sit that exam so do your prep. 7. You don't like to admit when you need help: If you don't know something it will affect you the most, not your teacher or peers. What I like to do is sticky note the problem areas and then ask my teacher or friends to find a solution. If you don't understand something try asking any of the alevel studyblrs who have (most likely) done GCSE already ( including me!) 8. Wishful thinking: Not revising something because you hope it's not on the exam is not good enough and it probably will be there so cover everything! Ps: I hope this isn't applicable to anyone reading this but NEVER CHEAT! Scenario 1: you'll get caught and banned from taking the rest of your exams. Scenario 2: You get away with it , you get grades you don't deserve, and it will bite you in the ass at a level when you have to use GCSE knowledge as a foundation 😉

[rivkahstudies]

📚Hi there! I'm Sophia, and only recently started my studyblr! (only a week old but going strong) Im from the uk and doing Geology, Chemistry and Psychology at Alevel this year! my favourite quote is "Never regret anything because at one point its exactly what you wanted." I love to study Chemistry because its so complex but today I've been doing some chill Geology notes and playing with my old border collie Todd, so a pretty good day. Well done on reaching 100! I hope you have a lovely day ✨💛

Welcome to the community!! I’m relatively new myself, and already I am so at home here. Those classes seem so cool, and I love that quote. (I have a lot of regrets.) AHHH you should send pictures of your doggo, I love border collies. 

Thank you so much, I hope you have a great day too!!

URL: simple | interesting | cute! | hooked my attention | very creative | witty/funny

BLOG THEME: meh | cool! | love the colors | very minimalist | appealing | I love!!

BLOG CONTENT: not enough original stuff (you’re new, though, so plenty of opportunities!) | it’s on its way | very well balanced | wonderful advice! | aesthetically pleasing

FOLLOWING YOU: no | considering it | I’m tempted | I just did! | mutuals already, baby!

DO I WANT TO BE FRIENDS: I don’t know what we have in common yet, but let’s start talking! | sure | I’d love to | definitely!!

WOULD I RECOMMEND YOU TO ANYONE: maybe | depending on the specifics | yes | for sure! | you’d be at the top of my favorites list | I’ll rave about you even if no one’s asked

OVERALL RATING: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10