Leaving Cert Results

Geologyrocks

Do many teachers go into school for the results?

spurious

I go in every year myself and apart from the Principal and Deputy Principal, there are usually about four to six other teachers in there in our place.

I still remember what teachers were around when I got my own results a million years ago.

Inspector Coptoor

I'd love to be there tomorrow but my flight doesn't get in til after 6pm

Geologyrocks

Spurious,

What time do you go in for? we haven't been told the time (they prob assume everyone knows from previous yrs).

rainbowtrout

I go in every year. I didn't last year as I was coming home from my holidays that day. There are usually a good few teachers around in my school. Schools typically open from 9 am to give out results. A lot of principals would collect them early from the post office that morning and have them all ready for distribution by then.

spurious

I usually get in about half eight. The envelopping (sp?) is actually quite time-consuming and I like to make sure the 'viewing papers' form is folded in half so that the kids don't pull it out by mistake and think it's their results. I remember seeing a child absolutely elated and then devastated one year when she thought it was her results sheet and the As for Ard were her results in the subjects.

We generally start to get our first visitors from 9am and usually we're ready by then. After 11 or so we don't see many and subject teachers tend to drift off and do other stuff.

We're not all standing round like a committee in case I gave that impression, but I think it's nice for a student to see someone there that they get on with well, regardless of results, good or bad. In some cases, a fair amount of explaining of what things mean on the sheet has to be done.

Powerhouse

spurious wrote: »

I still remember what teachers were around when I got my own results a million years ago.

It's funny the things we remember and fail to remember. I was thinking just today that I remembered an insignificant comment ('fair play' on a particulr grade) to me from another student in the school on the day I got my results years ago. But that's about it. I have no recollection even of what teacher gave them to me - Principal I presume but I have no idea, never mind remembering what other teachers were around that day.

Pang

I have gone in the last few years for 9am. I think the students really appreciate you showing up. To be honest, I'm more nervous than some of them are!

We usually have a good few teachers show up.

teach88

I always go in. It's a great feeling to see the happy faces after all their hard work.

There are usually a few who need consoling too but it's all part of it I suppose.

RealJohn

I usually go in around ten, primarily for my own curiosity if I'm honest. There are usually a few others in by the time I get there.

whiteandlight

I usually go in, raging I'm away this year!

Powerhouse

I went in for the first time ever (am usually away at the time) and did so after the time we were told the results would be in the staffroom. Like Realjohn I went in for my own curiosity. No interest in doing a little jig of joy with or seeing the 'excited little faces' of some lazy under-achieving twats I have taught who think that a load of Ds vindicates them. Didn't meet one student at the time I went in which suited me grand. In fact I don't understand why they just don't release the results early on-line for students and have done with it.

teach88

I went in for 4 hours in the morning. It seems that a lot of students opted to have their results sent home this year though. The numbers were reasonably low compared to previous years.

Was nice to be there to congratulate the kids on their results. If a teacher can't take any satisfaction from their students getting good results, there is something very wrong.

Pang

We had less than usual coming in to school to get them. It was good to see the happy faces. Not too many disappointed faces which was great.

derb12

Powerhouse wrote: »

I went in for the first time ever (am usually away at the time) and did so after the time we were told the results would be in the staffroom. Like Realjohn I went in for my own curiosity. No interest in doing a little jig of joy with or seeing the 'excited little faces' of some lazy under-achieving twats I have taught who think that a load of Ds vindicates them. Didn't meet one student at the time I went in which suited me grand. In fact I don't understand why they just don't release the results early on-line for students and have done with it.

Awww - while I have felt that way about one or two students over the years, I think if I felt that way about the majority I'd find another job!
And getting results on-line is an awful solitary anti-climax. You want the whole buzz of opening envelopes with all your pals around. It's the one time when I all the OMGs don't grate on me. I prefer this event to the graduation!

Powerhouse

derb12 wrote: »

Awww - while I have felt that way about one or two students over the years, I think if I felt that way about the majority I'd find another job!

I never mentioned the 'majority' - that's your word. This group, thankfully, is in fact a minority in my world and school. Some results in my school were spectacular. And you are lucky to be in a position to just bail out of your job and find another even if the those students were in a majority. Most of us have to hang in there.

As for the on-line results - students who go to third level will get them on-line next year anyway. And they seem to manage fine. Everyone else will know their results on facebook within thirty seconds if they so wish. Teachers who are against promulgation of results on-line remind me of journalists who don't like electronic voting. I think it appeals to the voyeur in them! But am not sure it is an argument for retention. I suppose my real gripe with the on-line results is that many students are not given the option as it is difficult to wait for them to come up on-line when you klnow they are in the school. It's unfair not to at least put them up earlier on-line.

P.S. This will make me sound like a right barrel of laughs but I didn't attend the graduation this year either. I have even attended in years when I didn't have a Leaving Cert class because I knew many of the students from other activities, but when some of these guys wouldn't show up for extra classes I was damned if I was giving up a night which I badly needed to finish writing up a thesis to let them 'buy me a pint'. I'd have felt a bit of a hypocrite to getting all cuddly with some students who showed little but contempt for the school to be honest.

Powerhouse

teach88 wrote: »

If a teacher can't take any satisfaction from their students getting good results, there is something very wrong.

Very true. But the results of the students to which I refer were poor/mediocre with little to take satisfaction from for either them or their teachers. I'd have thought any reading of my post would have made that clear.

RealJohn

I presume the logic behind handing the results out at 9 and not releasing them online is twofold.
1. Tradition, giving the school staff a chance to wish the students well I'd they wish.
2. Probably saves on postage since (as far as I know) the results are delivered centrally and then the principals or whoever pick them up. The certs would have to be delivered anyway eventually but with the staggered times, most students aren't going to be patient enough to wait until they can get them online and will just collect them themselves.

Moody_mona

I went in, had a weak enough pass class, but had pretty satisfied students and that's all that matters. Would have loved if any one of the third odd I had in class had acknowledged that I came in on my holidays or thanked me or anything, but I must have had seriously high hopes for that to happen...!

teach88

Powerhouse wrote: »

Very true. But the results of the students to which I refer were poor/mediocre with little to take satisfaction from for either them or their teachers. I'd have thought any reading of my post would have made that clear.

Why such a preoccupation with them so? I had a student get an E at higher level. He attended around 20% of my classes, was mysteriously absent every day there was an exam and refused to take advice to do ordinary level.

I went to school on results day to see the rest of the students who worked hard and thankfully got the As and Bs they deserve. That one individual was never in the forefront of my mind and certainly didn't stop me celebrating the others' great marks.

Powerhouse

teach88 wrote: »

Why such a preoccupation with them so? I had a student get an E at higher level. He attended around 20% of my classes, was mysteriously absent every day there was an exam and refused to take advice to do ordinary level.

I went to school on results day to see the rest of the students who worked hard and thankfully got the As and Bs they deserve. That one individual was never in the forefront of my mind and certainly didn't stop me celebrating the others' great marks.

My 'preoccupation' with them is because it is the only Leaving Cert group I had last year. About seven were foundation level students who would not even bring in exam papers, the rest were low-level pass students with the motivatipon of an amoeba smoking weed. There was one B2 but generally there were not loads of 'well deserved' As and Bs over which to release balloons. This is the real world - not one where I could, like you, choose to ignore the person/people who did badly and get all huggy with those who got grades which reflected well on me.

I don't understand why you have such a difficulty with the fact that such a class/situation exists and that not every teacher will be carried away in unbridled celebration. Some students too find school an endurance test and As and Bs are not part of their lexicon. That's just the way it is for them. You speak of As and Bs as if they are inevitable. This was an unpleasant, unambitious, under-achieving, lazy class and their results reflected that. It never going to be an occasion of celebration unless we all agreed to suspend disbelief, and frankly I had little interest in rushing out to see a class, three or four of whom told me to 'fcuk off' at different stages of the year.

I could just as easily wonder at your preoccupation with the happy clappy side of life. But presumably that reflects your experience with your class. Is my experience not admissible too? Can I not say how I felt and behaved on results day and have it considered a valid reponse to the occasion? Or is that not what this thread is about? I resent the word 'preoccupation'. I'm just giving my experience and it grates with you for some reason. But it hardly amounts to a preoccupation.

Rosita

teach88 wrote: »

I had a student get an E at higher level. He attended around 20% of my classes, was mysteriously absent every day there was an exam and refused to take advice to do ordinary level.

I went to school on results day to see the rest of the students who worked hard and thankfully got the As and Bs they deserve. That one individual was never in the forefront of my mind and certainly didn't stop me celebrating the others' great marks.

Powerhouse has said that he/she would not celebrate results not worth celebrating. You took exactly the same stance in your case. The only difference is that Powerhouse clearly had a class full of such people. Hard indeed to understand why you have an issue. Everyone to their own, eh?

teach88

Rosita wrote: »

Powerhouse has said that he/she would not celebrate results not worth celebrating. You took exactly the same stance in your case. The only difference is that Powerhouse clearly had a class full of such people. Hard indeed to understand why you have an issue. Everyone to their own, eh?

"Class full of such people" : Actually, this was not clear. Check the original post.

teach88

Powerhouse wrote: »

My 'preoccupation' with them is because it is the only Leaving Cert group I had last year. About seven were foundation level students who would not even bring in exam papers, the rest were low-level pass students with the motivatipon of an amoeba smoking weed. There was one B2 but generally there were not loads of 'well deserved' As and Bs over which to release balloons. This is the real world - not one where I could, like you, choose to ignore the person/people who did badly and get all huggy with those who got grades which reflected well on me.

I don't understand why you have such a difficulty with the fact that such a class/situation exists and that not every teacher will be carried away in unbridled celebration. Some students too find school an endurance test and As and Bs are not part of their lexicon. That's just the way it is for them. You speak of As and Bs as if they are inevitable. This was an unpleasant, unambitious, under-achieving, lazy class and their results reflected that. It never going to be an occasion of celebration unless we all agreed to suspend disbelief, and frankly I had little interest in rushing out to see a class, three or four of whom told me to 'fcuk off' at different stages of the year.

I could just as easily wonder at your preoccupation with the happy clappy side of life. But presumably that reflects your experience with your class. Is my experience not admissible too? Can I not say how I felt and behaved on results day and have it considered a valid reponse to the occasion? Or is that not what this thread is about? I resent the word 'preoccupation'. I'm just giving my experience and it grates with you for some reason. But it hardly amounts to a preoccupation.

Of course you're experience is admissible and you're wrong to suggest that I'm trying to block it. On the contrary, it was you that suggested we should "have done with" results being collected in schools based simply on your own individual experience.

And almost all of your posts are full of sarcastic, snide references suggesting that teachers who go into school on results day are deluded: 'excited little faces', 'getting cuddly with students', releasing 'balloons', getting 'huggy', 'the happy clappy side of life'...

I sympathise with your postition. I couldn't teach in a school environment where students feel comfortable using (and are allowed to continue using) that sort of language to a teacher. But your disparaging tone makes it clear that it is you that has a problem with others teachers views; not I.

Powerhouse

teach88 wrote: »

"Class full of such people" : Actually, this was not clear. Check the original post.

In fairness, it was strongly implied enough to be clear. I mentioned that I met no students and that that suited me grand. Rosita's extrapolation is hardly wild and certainly is accurate.

Powerhouse

teach88 wrote: »

Of course you're experience is admissible and you're wrong to suggest that I'm trying to block it.

Then why not leave it at that instead of desperately trying to find misrepresentations and tangential issues to argue about instead?

teach88

Powerhouse wrote: »

Then why not leave it at that instead of desperately trying to find misrepresentations and tangential issues to argue about instead?

My work is done with this thread I think