Sunday 29 September 2013

How to ruin your child's life

Despite our school "bucking the trend" and gaining a record number of As and A*s this year, the number of students (or their parents) who have applied for a re-mark has increased dramatically.

In the last couple of weeks I've been updating a spreadsheet in school recording the results of re-marks.  Despite costing £35 or £45 a time, parents with cash are willing to splash out to boost their offspring's grades. Some of them are spending well over £100. 

And do you know what - hardly any of them have gained as a result.  If you've got a B, then no amount of re-marking is going to make you an A* student.  Most of them stay absolutely the same, or maybe they gain one or two extra marks which makes no difference to the grade.

But the worst one of all I heard about was a mother who absolutely insisted that one of her daughter's 'A' level papers was re-marked because she only had an A.  It was re-marked and dropped to a 'B'. 

As a result she has now lost her place at medical school.

Friday 20 September 2013

Race day

Brilliant!!  Jess has qualified for the 4x World Championships tomorrow!  I knew she could do it!  Better get ready to watch it tomorrow live on RedBullTV.

So happy that me and @[534866921:2048:Cara Murray] have made it through qualifying to race 4x world champs in Leogang, Austria tomorrow!! So excited!!


Sorry, this is crap positioning of pics and you probably can't even read the start list on the right, but this is my daughter, Jess (on the left), and her friend Cara who have just qualified to ride in the 2013 4X World Championships tomorrow in Leogang, Austria.  You can watch it here:

http://live.redbull.tv/events/296/uci-mtb-championships-2013-4x/

although, to be honest, she's qualified 16th out of 16 so may not last much longer than the first race which will take about a minute, so blink and you've missed it, but even so it's the biggest race of her life and as you can see she's really excited.  I think she's probably also the youngest female rider there, so - hey, scope for development.

And I'm her proud mum.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Time for a holiday (at home)

Daughter has finally left to go and race in Leogang in Austria (or at least I had a text this morning to say they were on the ferry, which is good enough for me).  I now know that staples such as bread and milk won't suddenly disappear whilst I'm not looking, that I don't need to buy any cranberry juice for a fortnight, and I shall have to completely re-think my laundry schedules.

She's gone to race in the 4X World Champs, having been picked by Team GB:
http://www.vitalmtb.com/news/news/4X-World-Championships-to-be-Held-in-Leogang-at-World-Cup-Finals,555

This may sound good, and it is indeed the biggest race of her life, but British Cycling are only paying the entry fee and providing some pit support there, the rest is self funded (by her, I can't afford it).  I'm sure she'll have the time of her life.  And it means I can get out the back door now without climbing over several bicycles.

Younger son has gone to his first ever gig tonight (yes, I know, and he's got school tomorrow) but he's been planning this for months.  Although I know the mother of the friend he went with, I've never phoned her so when he set off to meet up at his friend's house we arranged that he'd phone me from there and that way we'd both have each other's number.  Half an hour later (it's only a ten minute walk away) I texted him and got the reply "On our way to the gig, they didn't have a home phone".  Is this common now, do you think?

Apparently they're walking back when it's finished.  The last time I can remember him walking back from town he got through Stokes Croft about 15 minutes before the police closed the road.  Let's hope it's less busy this time. 

Somehow, this being my third child, I'm less concerned about him.  When he was little I wanted one of those Lichtenstein T-shirts that said "oh no, I've left the baby on the bus".



Update:  he's just walked through the door, soaked with water which he has apparently applied himself as they were giving out free water and it was very hot, and says he crowd surfed.  (There's one for you, Z, if you're reading this, although I suspect the hips may preclude it.)