Midterms
Merle sat her first big official exams. Midterm exams - of course there are smaller tests and such all through the year, but MA runs two major exams, one in each half term. So the first one everyone has to take is in Mid-December. Afterwards there’s another week of special work on special projects and then you get to go home for Christmas to tell your family how well you are doing. After all, results only come in after the Christmas Break, so you can always claim you did great. If you really did, you’ll find out next year.
So, results are in now and they are only given to the students. MA is very big on students being treated as grown-ups, and about them taking responsibility, even with first years. So it’s up to the student if they want to tell their parents about their marks. If you want to tell them, send an owl. If you don’t… don’t.
I’ve never wondered how many parents are worried if they don’t get an owl. Worried about their children having failed their midterms, or just being afraid of telling them the results, even if they are good, but not perfect… Or simply because the student forgot to send and owl. There is so much to do and to get done each day, it’s easy to forget about sending owls to your parents. I at least once forgot, for I can remember Mum sending me an owl, asking if the midterm results were already out and assuring me that she won’t be mad at me for not having top marks. Which I had, because Pat always forced me to. So in a way Mum knew already that I couldn’t have been worried about telling her and it was just about having forgotten to write that owl. And to be honest, it’s not that much work. You get a piece of paper with all your results on in. Simply write “Dear Mum” at the top, sign it “with love”, put it in an envelope and send it off. Couldn’t be easier. Done in 30 seconds. Not too much to ask for, isn’t it?
With Merle, we don’t have to worry on no matter which level. She’s good at school, always has been. She likes going to school, she likes knowing things and she likes getting good marks. She doesn’t like spending a lot of time learning, and luckily she doesn’t have to - or unluckily, for I was just the same and now as an adult I sort of envy those guys I always pitied at school. Because they know how to process a lot of information in a very short time. They know how to learn something. I never bothered to learn how to learn, even though Pat did his best to teach me. Maybe next time, when someone asks that “if you could change one thing in your life”-question, that’s a good thing to answer. Not only learn the information but also pay more attention to Pat teaching me how to learn it.
Merle also likes telling everyone she has good marks. So if they are good, we’re sure to hear from her. If they are not good, we are also sure to hear from her, for she’s not worried about telling us about failing something. Not enthusiastic, no, but she wouldn’t keep it from us. She knows we won’t love her less for it. With her being away at MA, there’s also not much we can do to help or support her, apart from writing an encouraging letter… MA has several systems in place to help struggling students. And don’t forget, they only invite the most gifted to their hallowed halls. Of course students fail exams, but you’re already among the elite. And being the worst in a class of highly talented students might still be bad, but it could be worse.
So, just as we expected, just some days after the results were in, Sir Parzifal arrived to let us know that Merle passed all her midterms. Most of them with top marks, one she didn’t get top marks in being Potions. My beautiful beloved one sighed dramatically, so I apologized for being bad influence. I’ve never excelled at potions and Merle might take after me here… still, lots of good reasons to be proud of our daughter. She even got a special recommendation on her Care of Magical Creatures exam. Since she forgot to tell us about the topic during Christmas Break, we have no idea how she got that recommendation. Pity.
By the way, she sent the results just the way I described earlier. And I am very proud to say that she didn’t write “Dear Mum” at the top, but “Dear Mum and Dad”. Yes, school matters are not only my beautiful beloved one’s domain.
Speaking about it, we could try to find out who went to Quedlinburg more often when Harzer Hexenhaus called one of Merle’s parents in.
Current Mood:
So, results are in now and they are only given to the students. MA is very big on students being treated as grown-ups, and about them taking responsibility, even with first years. So it’s up to the student if they want to tell their parents about their marks. If you want to tell them, send an owl. If you don’t… don’t.
I’ve never wondered how many parents are worried if they don’t get an owl. Worried about their children having failed their midterms, or just being afraid of telling them the results, even if they are good, but not perfect… Or simply because the student forgot to send and owl. There is so much to do and to get done each day, it’s easy to forget about sending owls to your parents. I at least once forgot, for I can remember Mum sending me an owl, asking if the midterm results were already out and assuring me that she won’t be mad at me for not having top marks. Which I had, because Pat always forced me to. So in a way Mum knew already that I couldn’t have been worried about telling her and it was just about having forgotten to write that owl. And to be honest, it’s not that much work. You get a piece of paper with all your results on in. Simply write “Dear Mum” at the top, sign it “with love”, put it in an envelope and send it off. Couldn’t be easier. Done in 30 seconds. Not too much to ask for, isn’t it?
With Merle, we don’t have to worry on no matter which level. She’s good at school, always has been. She likes going to school, she likes knowing things and she likes getting good marks. She doesn’t like spending a lot of time learning, and luckily she doesn’t have to - or unluckily, for I was just the same and now as an adult I sort of envy those guys I always pitied at school. Because they know how to process a lot of information in a very short time. They know how to learn something. I never bothered to learn how to learn, even though Pat did his best to teach me. Maybe next time, when someone asks that “if you could change one thing in your life”-question, that’s a good thing to answer. Not only learn the information but also pay more attention to Pat teaching me how to learn it.
Merle also likes telling everyone she has good marks. So if they are good, we’re sure to hear from her. If they are not good, we are also sure to hear from her, for she’s not worried about telling us about failing something. Not enthusiastic, no, but she wouldn’t keep it from us. She knows we won’t love her less for it. With her being away at MA, there’s also not much we can do to help or support her, apart from writing an encouraging letter… MA has several systems in place to help struggling students. And don’t forget, they only invite the most gifted to their hallowed halls. Of course students fail exams, but you’re already among the elite. And being the worst in a class of highly talented students might still be bad, but it could be worse.
So, just as we expected, just some days after the results were in, Sir Parzifal arrived to let us know that Merle passed all her midterms. Most of them with top marks, one she didn’t get top marks in being Potions. My beautiful beloved one sighed dramatically, so I apologized for being bad influence. I’ve never excelled at potions and Merle might take after me here… still, lots of good reasons to be proud of our daughter. She even got a special recommendation on her Care of Magical Creatures exam. Since she forgot to tell us about the topic during Christmas Break, we have no idea how she got that recommendation. Pity.
By the way, she sent the results just the way I described earlier. And I am very proud to say that she didn’t write “Dear Mum” at the top, but “Dear Mum and Dad”. Yes, school matters are not only my beautiful beloved one’s domain.
Speaking about it, we could try to find out who went to Quedlinburg more often when Harzer Hexenhaus called one of Merle’s parents in.
Current Mood: