I know I have posted before about how my kids make me proud. They can also cheer me up. After a hard day week month I have come home to hear the story from my Mr15 of the results from his mid year English exam.
Background. Recently there has been a milestone moment in a parents upbringing. We have spent the weekend considering his subjects for Year 11. With all the implication that those choices bring. With these subjects will he get into whatever choice he wants to make at University? Will these choices fit the prerequisites? etc etc. There is the expectation that he will go to uni but his choices are so many. My Ms-now-18 was very set on what she wanted to do and her choices were clear. She did the big 5 in year 12 – English Lit, 2 x Math, Physics and Chemistry. Mr 15 loves his Drama and Art but also his science but he is not so “hardcore”. He had to nominate 7 so we settled on English, 1 math, Chemistry, Biology, Art , Drama and Media production. I worry that he is under selling himself but contrarily I know he is much more “creative” than his science geek parents and sister and would worry if he gave up his art and drama as well. So, gentle readers, you get that it’s a worrying time for a parent.
Back to the English exam. His question was “Discuss two or more texts that you have studied recently. Compare them and discuss techniques that they use…” (He is a bit vague on the detail here). His elective for this semester in English has been public speaking. For this they have been studying debate, battle speeches, political speeches… and eulogies.
So for his two texts he chose to compare John Cleese’s eulogy for Graham Chapman and Helen Clarke’s eulogy for Edmund Hillary. From memory. With pointers on how Helen could learn from John.
He got a nice 27/30.
As he was telling me he was channeling Cleese with some silly walks thrown in.
He will be OK.
Suelibrarian 