Diabetes, life and all that - personal diary

[Bluetit1802]

Wishing your son all the best in his exams and choice of school. The right school for an individual is very important. What is right for one will not be right for another. His choices later on in his education will be even more important. It certainly does not get easier. Look for talents, qualities and also failings in your son, then choose a school that emphasises his qualities and talents rather than what his failings may be. (He may not have any failings of course!)

 

[pavlosn]

I have never seen the coastal village of my family's origin look quite like this.

I wonder how the various animals in our farm are copying.

P.

 

[cold ethyl]

Looks lovely if unexpected and unusual.

 

[pavlosn]

More photos from the village:

For once these photographs were not shot by me but by a young cousin of mine but they are such an unusual sight that I thought I would share them.

Results come out today for my son's test from two days ago. To be honest he seems calm about it. I'm a nervous wreck.

The exam he took was a mathematics aptitude test for admission to a program for mathematically gifted kids in one of Cyprus's leading private secondary schools. Only ten kids will be selected for admission. The idea is that these kids will be taught maths separately from their peers, in more depth and at a faster pace to help keep them motivated.

As an idea it appeals to me but this is the first year that anything like this has been tried out in any of the schools here in Cyprus, so I am not one hundred percent certain about it.

Still, I would very much prefer it if my son was offered a place and then we had the option of accepting or not than the other way round.

Also I am worried how success or more importantly failure in these exams would affect his frame of mind going into other admission exams he has to take in the beginning of March. His own self image based on his school experience so far is that he is special when it comes to mathematics. I am sure that the other applicants are also similarly gifted though so ....

I had even considered not putting him down for the exam he just took for this very reason. To be honest my original intention was for him to take the exam but to keep the result from him until after the next lot of exams. This was of course a stupid idea as he has already found out the results date on his own by looking it up on the net.

At the end of the day dealing with success and failure is all part of growing up and much as I would like to I can not shield my son from it. Bottom line is that shielding him from life by placing him in some kind of artificial protective cocoon would be just as much a parenting failure as would not trying to protect him at all.

But let's be honest success is much easier to handle than disappointment so my fingers, toes and anything else you can think of are crossed for him today.

P.

 

[Mike d]

Hi Pavlos

I had to repeat Form 1 (when I was 12) as I just could not concentrate, the mind would wander and hated education.

A complete failure as I could not be bothered

Parents shifted me to another school (private to public) as they'd given up on me. I was dux of the school 5 years later and I NEVER stopped reminding them after my 5 A scores and a B at matriculation (Form 6 - last year) annoyed me because I didn't get an A score in all 6 subjects.

It happens ... all kids are different. So are their aptitudes and far more importantly their dreams. Let him go for it is what I'd suggest. He'll work it out ... when all is said and done, you have to loosen that grip a little bit and trust fate. Who's to say he might tire of the subject and change his mind?

Mike

 

[pavlosn]

Hi Pavlos

I had to repeat Form 1 (when I was 12) as I just could not concentrate, the mind would wander and hated education.

Who's to say he might tire of the subject and change his mind?

Mike

Hi Mike

This is what concerns me about this particular program.

On the one hand it does seem to exploit and promote his particular talent in the area of mathematics.

On the other hand it does mean that the kids selected will miss out on certain other subjects: Art ( my son hates it so no great loss), French and Religious Studies. What is more kids on this program will end up taking five instead of four A levels at the end of their studies at the school but they already have to commit on two of these A levels being on mathematics.

I am a bit concerned that at twelve it is two early too commit to any one specialization, so we may not chose to go down this path even if he is admitted. But this is a worry for another day. Exam results come first.

I guess I can't help it. I am a parent so I worry!

P.

 

[nigelho]

Good morning, This is a well thought out management plan for yourself and it is working for you as your results are excellent. I'm type 1 on insulins and 6 X 500mg metformin SR tablets per day as I'm highly resistant to insulin. I like your meal plan.

 

[Mike d]

Aha .... NOW understand the conundrum Pavlos ......

Sheesh ... options options ...... agree with you .... results first, decisions later. Who know, it might be taken out of your hands due to the numbers.

We have (had) an entirely different program where you could dump subjects after a compulsory schooling period and change to others at Form 4 (when you were 15 / 16) rather than lock you in which (BTW) sounds dumb to me.

For example, I ddin't like French, maths, science but loved European history, Australian history and English literature and geography ... So i swapped them in Form 4 as our schools believed we had far more maturity to choose which path we took as we ALL had had a grounding in everything.

Mike

 

[pavlosn]

Just been given my son's results.

Not only did he pass but he scored 94%, which is the top score achieved by any of the kids.

As a result, he has been offered a place in the school and a scholarship of half the first year's tuition fees.

Feeling happy, relieved and proud in equal measures. I really should have had more faith in him.

Still no nearer making a choice of school but at least we can now make a choice from a position of strength.

P.

 

[Mike d]

Perhaps his path in life ?

 

[sanguine]

Great results, but what does he want to do Pavlos? I know it's really hard to make a decision as fundamental as this for someone at that age, both for you and him. I was shunted into a top stream at school which focussed on languages and sciences at the expense of literature, history and art, which I caught up on later after school and university. But I seem to have turned out OK ...

Good luck to all of you whatever decision is reached.

 

[pavlosn]

Great results, but what does he want to do Pavlos? I know it's really hard to make a decision as fundamental as this for someone at that age, both for you and him. I was shunted into a top stream at school which focussed on languages and sciences at the expense of literature, history and art, which I caught up on later after school and university. But I seem to have turned out OK ...

Good luck to all of you whatever decision is reached.

I think he has been focusing so much on getting ready for the exams themselves that he has not given much thought beyond that.

He is not twelve yet so I would not have expected him to have decided on a future path yet.

I guess part of it will depend on where his friends end up as well.

He needs to concentrate on the next lot of exams now, which are due on the 7th of March with results out on the 9th. Assuming he is successful in those as well we will then have until the 14th of March to decide between the two schools. This will give us time to visit the schools together at special orientation events, ask around and reach a decision.

He greeted the news of his success with hardly any surprise or excitement. He said he still has to concentrate on the other exams and he will then decide. I suspect this indicates a preference for the other school but we shall have to wait and see.

I will make sure he goes to the school he feels happier going to.

 

[pavlosn]

Nice sunny morning today with temperature expected to reach 19c by midday.

Getting ready for my Saturday morning game of tennis but first I have to take my son for his last set of mock exams. It will be exams week next week with the entrance exams for admission to my old school taking place next Saturday. I have also put him down to take similar entrance examinations for a different school two days earlier as a bit of a practice run.

To be honest I am fully expecting him to do well. Unless he really has a bad day he should get in without any problems.

The problem is he seems to know it as well. His confidence is verging on arrogance and complacency, two sins for which many a gifted individual has been punished by failure in the past.

The trick is finding the way to get him to work harder for the exams without getting him to stress too much about them which would be counterproductive.

No out of town walking trips for me this weekend as I plan spending the next to days trying to help with my son's revision.

Oh well! At least it will all be over in a week's time.

P.

 

[Mike d]

Just tempt him with a tough target and a generous reward if he hits the numbers. You'll soon find out if that self confidence is misplaced .... which of course will have the effect to drive him forward.

 

[pavlosn]

Really surreal day as we have somehow ended up with our house and garden being used as a set for the pilot to a new serial for Greek television.

I am not sure how we find ourselves in these situations but we do.

My father in law and neighbor agreed to let them use his house as a favor to the director, who is the son of a friend of his and when they crew got here they decided that they prefer our garden instead! I suppose I should take it as a complement.

Anyway there is a whole TV crew in our bedroom at the moment.

Finest part of it was my mother in law telling my father in law that the actors were not to use the beds themselves. I am not sure what kind of film she thinks they are filming!

P.

 

[pavlosn]

Some photos of osteospernum in bloom in the garden this morning:

Pavlos


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[pavlosn]

Some more floral shots from the garden today:

P


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[daisy1]

What beautiful colours!

 

[cold ethyl]

Beautiful. I had to laugh at your MIl. Perhaps she thought it was the sequel to Fifty Shades?
Great news about your son - hopefully he'll do well in the other exam and then can make an informed choice as to what he wants to do. I have an arts background( degree in philosophy) so would encourage him to keep as broad a set of subjects as he can for as long as possible.

 

[pavlosn]

First real sign of nerves from my son as we enter exams week, as he could not sleep last night claiming to have had a nightmare.

I was trying to help him with his essay writing over the weekend as that is the area he is probably weakest in; he tends to be too factual and to the point and not to go in for any linguistic embellishments.

Now I am wondering whether by concentrating on trying to improve what I perceive as his weakness, I am not in effect undermining his confidence.

Also, all the talk of trying for a scholarship may be putting too much pressure on him.

Time to back off a bit maybe and just let him do his own thing, set his own agenda and move at his own pace. He has done well enough on his own so far so perhaps he does not need my "assistance' after all.

I also wonder whether at the end of the day winning a scholarship, welcome as it would be financially or in terms of prestige, would be the best thing for him.

Winning a scholarship would mean a lot of added pressure; a very high bench mark to live up to in terms of the rest of his academic career.

More importantly though, it would be something that would immediately label him and set him apart from his peers as someone "special".

When starting at a new school, making friends and being accepted by your peers as an equal is very important. And "special" is not equal!

Going from what his teachers have been saying, while far from unpopular at school, my son is more someone that his classmates respect and admire because of his maturity and intelligence rather than someone that the feel a close bond to. His repeated failed attempts to get himself elected to the school student council bear this out.

So in this context, gaining a scholarship may be a hindrance rather than an aid to him fitting in and being happy at his new school.

Now I am the one that is worrying himself to the point of confusion.


P.