A level pressure?

Question

i recently got a B&C for sociology E for English,E for geography,this is just part of my AS level and my parents are disappointed in me and telling me i can do better but i know that i tried my hardest and for the geography i had to teach myself it because the teacher never showed up for the lessons so i thought an E was pretty good, however my parents don't and they think i can do better but i know that their expectations are to high and that im not as smart as they want me to be but if i try to tell them that they just say im being lazy and want to have my way paid for me for the rest of my life, but i dont and i AM trying. i really am.

i revised for 5 hrs each night for a month an a half before the exams except Saturdays and Sunday mornings

Answer 1

Right. Slow down. Forget your parents. They only want the best for you but sometimes they expect too much. I know exactly what you're going through, because I am! Parents often feel that they are helping, when clearly they're not.

The best thing to do is to calm down, and talk to them. A few tips:
1. Clear the room of any distractions, eg TV, pets, siblings etc
2. Sit around a table with your parents and discuss how you all feel.
3. Don't turn it into a shouting match, and tell them the same. It is impossible to have a conversation when others are shouting.
4. Make sure you all understand where the others are coming from, that is the key to a happy parent-child relationship.

Like I said, they are only trying to help, mine are exactly the same. Just do YOUR best, not theirs!

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

The advice above is good.

It's also possible that you were revising, but not in the best way to suit you. Just reading over and over isn't usually effective, but summarising topics on a card, then trying to remember the main points is good. Especially with things like case studies in geography. Condense it all, learn the main points of an example and you'll probably find extra bits come back in the exam. Ask your tutor for tips.

Get your parents involved. Giving your parents your neatly written summary cards and asking them to ask you key questions and then checking you covered the main points will help you learn and will help them understand you are trying. So e.g write down
Vaoint Dam Disaster - Italy
Date
What happened. Number of people who died.
Why did it happen.
What this is an example of.

then your parents can ask questions like, give an example of a disaster caused by human error. when did it happen, where. What happened. They'll probably need to give you these prompts, but eventually you'll remember the whole case study.

Answer 3

How much revision did you do? Did you minimise your socialising for at least a month before your exams? Did you ask for help from anyone when you found something your did not understand?

If you can say "no" to the last two questions, then I can understand that your parents may feel you did not put in enough effort. If you are not that smart, you have to work that much harder.

Understand, they know how tough the working world is. They are trying to convey that work can be even tougher than school, and if you are struggling now, they are concerned how much you will struggle later. Be honest with yourself, and ask yourself "did I really commit all my spare time to the subjects I found difficult?"

Answer 4

Tell them to shut up and wait until the pressure from university.