Leaving Cert Subject Choice Questions

otsogutxi

Hi all,

I'm in TY at the moment (so far I'm loving the spare time I have to study more interesting things). The time has now come to pick my Leaving Cert Subjects. I was hoping to do Japanese, Russian, Spanish, German, Classical Studies, and the three mandatory ones (Maths, English, Irish). I am really interested in languages and other/ancient cultures and I'm hoping to study these languages in college. I have never taken Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Classical Studies as a subject, but I am familiar with the three languages already and I have a fair bit of knowledge on the classical civilizations too.

One problem is, that my school will apparently not allow me to study these subjects in school because it does not fit in their "bands" or something. Is there anyway to bypass this and convince them? I think I have a way to get around this, but I would hate having to do seven subjects + 4 more. (I would only drop the ones I didn't want to do in sixth year when you have the subject confirmation sheet anyway).

I want to do this mainly because these are the only subjects I am interested in, and know that I can get a H1 (A1) in. All the other subjects in my school are ones I would hate to study.

Any help on this? And if anyone has taken these subjects (Russian, Japanese and Classical Studies) in particular, could you tell me what you thought of it? I know what's involved, I just want to know others opinions on them.

Thanks for your help!

alroley

Does your school even offer the subjects/have teachers for them?

D14Rugby

If they're in the same bands the only way you can do them all are to pick as many as you can in school then do the others outside school.

otsogutxi

Hi! The school doesn't offer them, but I spoke to the Deputy Principal about it and she said I would be able to do the subjects as "extra subjects". I'll be able to find grinds teachers for the subjects no problem though. I'm mainly trying to find a way for myself to do them in school.

D14Rugby

Well I don't really know what you want us to say then if your school doesn't have the teachers to do them in school then you can't do them in school

otsogutxi

I was just hoping if there was a way for me to do self-study as it has worked for me in the past. I have learned a few other languages to a good enough level at home by self-study.

D14Rugby

otsogutxi wrote: »

I was just hoping if there was a way for me to do self-study as it has worked for me in the past. I have learned a few other languages to a good enough level at home by self-study.

You could learn them yourself but you couldn't do it in school time unless you get special permission from your school. You'll just have to pick subjects they offer and do them in school then do the ones you want to do but can't in school outside school. Just pick more fun subjects like Construction, art, etc and be upfront with your teacher that you're doing loads of subjects outside school and you dont plan on counting the ones you're doing in school

Have you considered moving school to one which does offer those subject combinations?

otsogutxi

The special permission is the thing:) I have a plan to hopefully get it, and it'll be amazing if it works, but if I can't then I'll probably pick German, Geography, History and Construction as I was good at them for the JC. Thanks for the help!

otsogutxi

Hi! I live in Co.Cork, so I only know of one or two school which have Japanese or Classical Studies, but I don't think I could ever from from my current school. It's great:)

D14Rugby

otsogutxi wrote: »

The special permission is the thing:) I have a plan to hopefully get it, and it'll be amazing if it works, but if I can't then I'll probably pick German, Geography, History and Construction as I was good at them for the JC. Thanks for the help!

Special permission will be hard to get as schools have to supervise students all the time so unless you've a library with a librarian that's always there they might not be able to do that for you.
No problem hope it works out

otsogutxi

We used to have a big library until the teachers decided their staff room wasn't big enough and converted it. The library is now no more than a couple of shelves at the back of a classroom, but we're getting a nice extension which should be ready soon enough so that will have a proper library. My school also has a lot of seating areas outside the classrooms which usually have teachers giving extra classes to students anyway, so I wouldn't have to much of a problem with getting supervision. There's also many teachers in the school who just supervise classes where the actual teacher can't attend. Thanks again for the help:)

rainbowtrout

otsogutxi wrote: »

We used to have a big library until the teachers decided their staff room wasn't big enough and converted it. The library is now no more than a couple of shelves at the back of a classroom, but we're getting a nice extension which should be ready soon enough so that will have a proper library. My school also has a lot of seating areas outside the classrooms which usually have teachers giving extra classes to students anyway, so I wouldn't have to much of a problem with getting supervision. There's also many teachers in the school who just supervise classes where the actual teacher can't attend. Thanks again for the help:)

They are contracted to supervise classes because a teacher can't attend. They are not contracted to supervise random students who don't want to attend class.

Honestly, what you are asking for is bonkers. Russian, Japanese and Classical Studies are all minority subject with only a handful of students taking them every year. Your school doesn't offer them. They are not going to let you drop four subjects in school and just attend English, Irish and Maths to pursue this path.

otsogutxi

Hi!

I'm not looking to doss any classes, I'm just really passionate about languages and other cultures. I'll even do them as extra subjects if I have to. I was hoping that I would be able to learn them in school rather than just outside of school. I'll hire a grinds teacher to come to my school and teach me if I have to:) I wouldn't really be dropping any subjects, just taking up some new ones.

D14Rugby

otsogutxi wrote: »

Hi!

I'm not looking to doss any classes, I'm just really passionate about languages and other cultures. I'll even do them as extra subjects if I have to. I was hoping that I would be able to learn them in school rather than just outside of school. I'll hire a grinds teacher to come to my school and teach me if I have to:) I wouldn't really be dropping any subjects, just taking up some new ones.

A grinds teacher won't come to your school. The school wouldn't allow it to start with and the grinds teacher will have a day job to do anyway. You really need to talk to your deputy principal about this as its very unlikely they'll let you just not go to class. You'll probably have to go down the route of picking other subjects then doing what you want to do outside school.

spurious

otsogutxi wrote: »

Hi!

I'm not looking to doss any classes, I'm just really passionate about languages and other cultures. I'll even do them as extra subjects if I have to. I was hoping that I would be able to learn them in school rather than just outside of school. I'll hire a grinds teacher to come to my school and teach me if I have to:) I wouldn't really be dropping any subjects, just taking up some new ones.

This is probably what you will have to do, outside school. Any grinds teacher would go to your home, not the school. They are not employed by the school.

rainbowtrout

To take on four extra subjects outside school on top of your regular 7 subjects would be mental. And that has nothing to do with your interest in the subjects. I'm not suggesting you are looking to doss classes, but if you are not going to do 4 of the subjects on offer in school, you are looking at least 20 classes a week that you wouldn't be attending/participating in. A school has to look at your welfare in terms of your education too when making this decision. If you were just taking one extra subject outside school, that would be normal enough, but you are proposing four, that you have not studied previously and which the school cannot provide help in, whether they want to or not.

The school could look at your situation in terms of you not having the minimum number of subjects to be able to continue on to third level. They will not have any say in how often you get taught or the standard of tuition. What would happen if you had difficulty securing grinds in say Russian and Japanese and you started complaining in sixth year because you were no longer going to sit them for LC, but now didn't have enough subjects to meet college entry requirements? Would you be holding the school to account for not making you take subjects in the bands they offer?

They may also encounter issues with other students kicking up a fuss if you are only actively engaging in English, Irish and Maths.

If you choose to study four extra subjects outside school, on top of your 7 subjects in school that is 11 subjects for LC, which is just madness. The LC workload is remotely like JC. Also remember, for subjects like Russian and Japanese, you are not just learning a new vocabulary, you are learning a whole new alphabet, and in the case of Japanese, it doesn't look remotely like any European language.

I just read over your original post again. You seem to be under the impression that you can drop subjects once you fill in the sheet for LC. That sheet is for the SEC to register you for the exam, it has nothing to do with what goes on on a day to day basis in your school. If you sign up for construction and geography in fifth year, you will be in those classes until the end of sixth year whether you sit the exam or not.

otsogutxi

If I can't do them in school, I will probably just be doing one outside of school seriously, and then the others if I feel like I have reached a level good enough to take the exam. I'm hoping that I could study the subject in those 20 classes as well as at home. This wouldn't exactly mean that I would only be studying four subjects as such, but just different ones.

I would be studying these pretty much in school and outside of school every day if I can, so I would always be studying. I already have some experience with learning Russian and Japanese, so it's really just about getting down and learning the curriculum.

I already knew that I would have to do Geography and Construction etc until Sixth Year. What I meant was I would be able to not do the exam.

I know it sounds like madness, but my self-study has worked in the past when I learned Norwegian and Basque to a good level.

Timeisup

A lot of Eastern European languages are pretty tough to pick up, easy if you're already fluent. Russian and Japanese are a pain, but I guess it all depends on your work ethic and devotion to them.