UK Schooling/Comic Relief

[Susan Atherton]

First of all, UK people: how funny was the Comic Relief HP spoof? And how great was Jeremy Irons?! "God, I'm GORGEOUS..." Snapefans of the world, unite. Oh, I'm so sad now, though - I REALLY wanted Irons for Lupin, and now I've just got further proof he could nail it. DAMN YOU WARNER BROS CASTING DEPARTMENT!! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!! heehee

and on with the show. Btw, I'd put five galleons on that Richard has taped the CR HP thing and is about to stick it on his website ;) that's not a hint if you haven't, but it sounds so you!

Lynda (who shares my mum's name, incidentally, completely with a "Y" not an "I") wrote:
Do real-life Muggles have homework on their vacations like the Hogwart's 
students do?

And Richard replied:
It depends on the school. Usually not. However, when I was at school (it 
had a major interest in teaching languages) each language teacher would 
usually set us a book to read over the holidays and to write a report on 
it. To a certain extent it was largely a way to keep in touch with the 
language while at home, and I never had a problem with the policy.

And I say:
I must beg to differ, Richard. Since I just got out of the school system, I regret to inform you that sadly, today's teachers are manic on homework :(

Actually, this could be due to me attending a grammar school when I was in high school, but we certainly had a fair whack of homework during the half terms and end of terms (terms=semesters; half term=one week break about half way through; end of term=two or three week break at Christmas and Easter), usually revising for tests or coursework and the like. During the GCSE years, year 11's holidays were usually "Revise for your exams" and "Revise for your mocks" (mocks being a practice GCSE that is usually the previous year's paper. These are carried out about three months before the actual exams, and are marked internally, by the teachers, not the external exam board. However, they are carried out under GCSE conditions - it is to prepare you for the stress of the exams as much as the workload).

During A Levels, you usually end up with even more homework during holidays, but it's usually coursework. Each subject (under Curriculum 2000, at least) is broken up into modules, and most of the modules are taught in class and then tested in exams at the end of the year (well, January and June now, but you know what I mean). Coursework, on the other hand, is a chance to make up marks if you're not great at exams. It is basically a module which consists of writing an extended essay, or investigation, or analysis, or whatever (depends on the subject - for my English Language coursework I had to write a short story and then do a commentary analysing it; for my History I had to write a 3000 word essay on a subject of my choice - I chose the effectiveness of the Hitler Youth and corresponding propagranda in subverting and indoctrinating the youth of Germany in the 30s and 40s, if anyone's interested) which you prepare over a number of weeks or months, and which your teachers check over and offer you certain advice on (they can't really help you too much, but they can give you hints in the right direction). On or before the deadline (set by the exam board) you have to hand it in, and it is then sent to the external exam board, who mark it, and then factor it into your mark. A friend of mine did appallingly on his exam for Psychology, for example, but he'd done so well on his coursework he ended up with a C; the U(nclassified, the lowest mark) exam balanced out the A coursework for a decent mark.

Personally I think it's a great idea, and I'd like to see Harry and co doing this kind of stuff - she is more or less following the British school system (which, as an ex-teacher I imagine she knows a fair bit about) and they should really be doing coursework. I'd love to see Harry writing a detailed essay about Divination ;) In GCSE, you have to do coursework in each of your nine subjects. Ditto A Level with each of the four/three.

Lynda also asked:
Do the students over there 
stick with the careers they've studied for, or do they change careers several 
times during their lives as many of Americans do?  

And Richard explained:
The US idea of "majors" is absent from our system. A lot of people study 
for degrees in combined subjects at university (e.g. two friends of 
mine:  "Economics & Politics", "English & Philosophy"), but swapping around 
is usually difficult if not impossible. The system simply isn't geared up 
for that. Some people might specialise slightly after their first year, but 
they don't usually completely change direction.
Richard also commented:
The university degrees people have usually bear absolutely no relationship 
to the career they will have later in life, or indeed to the *several* 
careers that a considerable number of young people can expect to have.

I clarify: 
Technically, we don't really have majors here, but only in so much that the actual uni course you choose doesn't really affect your life that much, as Richard says. Obviously, there are certain exceptions - Law, Medicine, and the like are obviously specialised degrees that will require post-grad degrees in law school or medical school, with the obvious eventual goal to become a lawyer or doctor. (This is not to say you can't study Law if you don't want to be a lawyer - you might want to go into the police force, for example, and not do the post-grad bit) But if you are studying English, Philosophy, Psychology, Business Studies, Media Studies, any of these - the fact that you have a degree enables you to go into any field you fancy, rather than the subject of the degree. A Psych student will not necessarily become a psychologist, nor will a Media Studies student go into PR or television. My ex-flatmate (read: roommate, but in a Friends way, not a college way) studied Engineering because he made a random choice - he's now working in London as a graphic designer, his ideal career. He's only 23, as well, so it's not like he had to work his way up through the GD ladder from scratch. His degree got him halfway up.

Lynda also pondered:
I'm amazed that kids 
over there are required to choose what they want to study so young (14 or 15, 
if I read you correctly?).

I reply:
You did indeed read me correctly. The GCSE choices are made at the end of year 9, when you are about 13 or 14. And if you screw up here, you actually can really affect your future. For example, someone not choosing a French GCSE would not be able to take up French at A Level, they'd be too far behind, and so they'd not have a chance with a French degree - usually for subjects like that, they require, say "ABB, with at least a B in French A Level". However, the chances of you messing up too badly are limited by something similar to the HP method - in the same way that Harry and Ron are not allowed to drop Potions, you originally learn something like this: (often changes from year to year, never mind school to school, but this was my year7-9)

English (combining Lit and Lang)
Maths
Biology      )
Physics       } sometimes combined into Science until year 10
Chemistry  )
French
Technology (which rotated every six weeks between Graphics (essentially architecture), Food Tech (domestic science? home economics? not sure what the US version is), Electronics (self-explantory - LEDs, breadboards, soldering, working with various switches and wires) and a couple of others that slip my mind. There was also some IT (Information Techonology -computers) involved in each, although most schools I believe offer IT as a separate GCSE)
German
History
Geography
RE (Religious Education - Bible stuff and ethics/morals too)
PE (Physical Education - gymnastics and indoor activities)
Games (PE but outside stuff - running, football(soccer), hockey)

and probably a couple of others I've forgotten. For GCSE, you *have* to take English, Maths and Science (almost definitely split into the three by then, although usually tested all as one and rewarded with two GCSEs - the Science Double Award), to keep you on reasonably broad options. You then choose four others: one Technology (hence you getting a taster of each in the three preceding years); one humanity - either History, Geography, or RE; one language - in my school, either French, German, or Spanish; and then one other of your choice. Personally, I chose French, Food Tech, History and RE, and have never regretted it - I enjoyed all of the subjects (except maybe French, I'm pretty weak on languages but French was the lesser of two evils!). For my A Levels, this then led to English Language, History, Psychology and IT and dropped IT. Psych or Sociology is not something you can take below A Level, but they prefer you to have a good GCSE mark in something like English or History, something involving a lot of writing and remembering.

OK, I'm now straying from information into reminiscience. Time to go!

Susan
who apologises to the Mods again for the veering off-topicness here
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