Very worried?

Im really worried about myself and what im going to do in the future. Im not really the type of person you would call smart because i am not good at any of the core subjects which are maths,english and science. I feel like a failure because my tutor told me that im the type of student that is aiming for C's and D's in mostly all my subjects. Ive tried my best to bite the bullet and revise so that i can do well in class but nothing seems to sink in. My parents expect me to do well because im the oldest, they think its easy to get an A and are always comparing me to other children they know that have done well at school. I have no idea on what i plan to do when i leave secondary school, i chose art, photography and health and social care for my other subjects and i enjoy doing them but im finding health and social hard at the moment, knowing that there are much more intelligent people in the class just makes me feel stupid.





15 yr old girl, in year 10

Very worried?
My son is16 and found that a Personal Advisor from Connexions really helped.





He is very good at practical but not too hot with written work revision etc...





I have never pressured him and he is going to college in September to do an IT Course.





Good look and all your discussions with your Connexions Advisor are private and confidential.





If you feel that you can talk openly to your parents.
Reply:The fact is you don't have to be an academic person to succeed in life, it is more important to be hard working. There are loads of colleges in colleges and jobs that don't require a-levels and degrees. My advice is talk to your school's career advisor or a connexions advisor, they will tell you the options available to you.
Reply:I wouldn't worry to much, you are only 15 and in three or four years time, you could be married with a family and you won't have time to think about science and maths, try to enjoy your self and remember, that there is people out there that is worst off than you.
Reply:Every time you are schedule for your study time you pray to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment and guidance and make it a habit to study 3 hours with much concentration and attention.
Reply:study hard and do the best you can
Reply:DONT WORRY.IM READY TO HELP U IN SCIENCE%26amp; MATHEMATICS. ANY WEAK STUDENT CAN DO BETTER IF HE IS GUIDED BY A GOOD TEACHER,


I CAN PROVE IT





CALL ME ON SKYPE anuruddha.dissanayake1
Reply:It's normal to feel lacking in confidence at your stage in your school life. You may have friends who are feeling the same way, but are just better at hiding it. It's easy to feel the pressure with GCSEs crowding in and little advice as to what path to take.


Some reassurances:


if you start an A-Level and really don't get on with it, lots of schools let you change it in the first half term. This means that your decisions are not as final as you might think


- nobody thinks bad of anyone who gives it their best shot. I was similar to you in school ,and always thought I was surrounded by high fliers. When the results came out, I did about as well as them and surprised myself.





Keep plugging away, put in th hours. From what you have written you seem very intelligent and aware of the expectations people have of you. Remember that althought the two years from year 10 to the start of year 12 are very exciting, it's only a short time to invest before things start to open up again.





Good luck!





I'm so old that when I hated school, Iron Maiden were still cool, so I listened to them a lot...
Reply:You're not just feeling the pressure from school you are getting it from home as well.


Not every child is academic some are better at practical things.


Have you spoken to your parents? Maybe you could go to a tutor after school once a week to help you with the subject you are struggling with.


Have a think about what you might like to do when you leave school - you took photography so you could think about something along those lines.


Don't compare yourself with other children in your class - they might be finding things just as tough as you.


Try your hardest and your parents will be proud of you.


They won't know how hard you are finding things if you don't tell them.


Good luck - you'll be fine.
Reply:It seems that your parents have taught you to believe you will fail and disappoint them, so the worry is the pressure more than your lack of intelligence.





There are lots of vocational courses you can get on to from school with GCSEs below C. (BTEC courses) All colleges do them. These include key skills which are maths %26amp; English based and a lot easier to get. You can go on to higher levels in any vocational courses even to degree level so I wouldn't worry at all. You can basically get these courses in any career you would ever want to do, and progress as far as you want to.
Reply:Firstly, stop worrying if at all possible. There are so many jobs that need different skills and I am certain you have skills - after all, the fact you are considering your future is a ood sign - the real failures (if they exist) are those who hardly care about their future.


I also think you may have believed the bad press that comes out in the UK at this time of year - too often they say it is easy to get GSCE's etc and that it gets easier each year!


I used to have students who wanted to be awarded A grades for peices of work from the beginning of year 10 when they started their GCSE's; as I used to say to them, if it was possible to get A's from the beginnng of year 10, then won't the rest of the two year course be a waster for them and for their teachers?


You mentioned ' nothing seems to sink in' Make sure you are eating well, sleeping well and have some leisure time, especially with some exercise. That means your body should be able to cope. then think about how you learn best, and try to use the most suitable ways to present your work. For example, some people like sound / audio. they sing key words to their favourite songs or they record their notes or seek out podcasts or CD's with suitable info relating to their courses.


Some find that making mnemonics helps. When I was 15 (42 years ago) one of my fellow students made up teh nmenic GPOPGFAT - and a mind picture of a girl in a gingham dress eating cereal and figs under an apple tree ... basically as a result I can still tell you the produce of california is Grapes, grapefruit, cereal, pieapples, figs, apples and tomatoes. Another was rivers of north east England remembered by 'she undressed nude which amused Camel's dog' - camel being teh nickname of a teacher called Humphrey. I still remember those rivers - swale, ure, nid, wharf, air, calder, don.


I favour mind maps and love the software Inspiration a demo of which can be downloaded from www.inspiration.com - using diagrams and colour, even using post it notes or coloured highlighters on notes all help.


And then think about some of teh other occupations - hairdressers - a friend of mine can work as long as she has her scissors and water. She has her own salons and she goes home and forgets about work - as a teacher I seem to work all evening as well as all day. I know a lady plumber - again, a few tools and your skill is in your won hands - plumbers earn a fortune these days, more than teachers.


If you enjoy photography, then you have a skill and an art form you can use for enjoyment and perhaps to earn money, too. try to workshadow some different sort of people for your work experience; I am sure a perfect job will be found for you. And talk to your parents explaining that part of your stress is the high expectations. I bet that all they really want for you is happiness!


Good luck.