u/Calm-Difference-3267

Hi!

I have a background in education and have made a discord server where those who have spent time out of traditional education (for whatever reason) can support each other!

Tomorrow (7/7) there will be a study hall at 3pm EDT (8pm BST) - I know lots of people may be nervous about joining something like this so here is what will happen (as long as technology is on my side!):

- you can join at any time during the hour session and can stay for as long as you want, drop in and out, take breaks etc etc

- I will do a brief intro at the start of the session just to say hi

- then you can work on whatever project you want, and can use the chat to ask any questions if you are unsure (I will primarily be there to respond to queries and offer advice/support, though I have some projects I can work on too!)

- halfway through we will have a break and share the progress we have made (only if you want to) so we can hype each other up a bit

- microphones will be off during study time so that everyone can focus

- cameras can be on or off, depending on what you feel most comfortable with

This will be a great opportunity for anyone wanting to start reading/a course/a project etc if you are feeling unsure or need a bit of a push to hold you accountable!

Here is the link: https://discord.gg/H5mTd9nwQ?event=1522346669084119141

Feel free to leave a comment or directly message me if you have any questions

After a few years of chronic health issues (POTS & migraine), I'm looking to try and change up my diet a little to see if it helps! I am vegetarian and also can struggle with standing to cook for long periods because of my POTS, so meals that can be prepped and then assembled later or require little time to make would be ideal!

Would love if you could share or link some of your favourite recipes!

Hi! I'm a science teacher and teach biology and psychology at A-level. I'm also super involved in sixth-form in general as I'm a Cambridge graduate (technically actually a Cambridge student too at the moment) so I work closely with students on uni applications with that experience!

I know lots of you have been having sixth form transition days at the moment and I've seen lots of questions on here so thought I'd try and answer questions so you can get your info direct from an experienced source!

Also more than happy to answer questions about my route into Cambridge too!

Hi everyone,

I've read a lot of posts on here recently and it has moved me so much, I decided to sit down and think about whether there was anything I could do to help. I am now a qualified teacher but spent a fairly significant period out of secondary education myself, and now work with students who have had disrupted schooling for a number of reasons so this is something I am hugely passionate about.

I've been building an online server called The Learning House for people who are rebuilding their education - this includes people who have experienced educational neglect as a result of homeschooling, as well as those who may have spent significant time out of education for health reasons (mental or physical).

It is still very much a work in progress, but I wanted to share it on here to see if anyone has any feedback etc.

It really is based on the idea that a lot of people who are out of traditional schooling aren't just missing out on content, they're also missing out on having a community and collective study and discussion and having other people to support them and celebrate their goals with them! In particular I've been struck by how many people on here feel isolated from the rest of the world around them, or crave having those connections that you make in a school or college environment.

The Learning House has a few key features that I think are nice (and I will continue to develop it if people find it a helpful resource):
- links to learning resources
- a place to set weekly learning goals
- weekly online "study halls" where you can study alongside others in the same position (which hopefully will make studying at home feel that little bit less lonely)
- workshops on "learning how to learn", including how to make study plans, active recall, spaced revision, how to build a CV/resume and more (I am a qualified teacher!)
- places to simply socialise and chat to others going through the same experience

If you're interested, please join or even just take a look:
https://discord.gg/yJUSwYbQz

At the moment it's very small and I'm still in the process of building it, so please bear with! I would love feedback though - I will continue to develop the server over the next few days and weeks.

I will not be checking ages but it is officially a 16+ space for safeguarding reasons!

Would love to see some of you over there

Hi everyone! I am a UK-based teacher (23F, my subject is science but I have also taught lots of maths and some psychology too!) and I work a lot with homeschool and ex-homeschool communities, including students who have been out of school for a long time.

I would love to offer any advice, support, practical info etc to any of those who need an adult in your life who cares and can point you in the right direction. Things I can support with include:

- writing a CV/job application

- finding study resources

- finding college/university courses

- suggesting career options or social opportunities

- planning a self-study schedule

- some specific content knowledge (around maths/science/psychology)

- general moral support & encouragement!!

Please feel free to either leave any questions on here or message me directly!

Hi! I am a UK-based teacher - I also work a lot with homeschooling families and have also worked with some older students who were "homeschooled" but not educated and are now closing the gaps. I primarily teach maths and science so that is my main area of expertise, and what I will share resources for!

I'm going to do a quick guide to the main qualifications and skills you need to access college-level courses/very entry-level jobs and then I will link some free online resources!

GUIDE TO QUALIFICATIONS

Most jobs and college-level (A-level equivalent) courses will require a grade 4 or above in English and Maths GCSE. There are lots of different exam boards that can be used (AQA, Pearson, OCR etc). If you sit something like AQA you will usually need to pay to sit the exams at an exam centre. Alternatively, you can look at something like the iGCSE which is more often assessed via an online exam which for many homeschool students is a preferred option!

For each exam board, you can find the specification online - this has a list of everything that you need to know for the course so you can use it as a checklist! (E.g., google "AQA GCSE maths specification")

Instead of taking a GCSE, you also have the option of Functional Skills Maths and English which are different content to the GCSE and more focused on the skills you will need to navigate life in general and the workplace.

Some college courses will accept you even if you don't have these (you will need to look at lower-level courses), but you do have to continue learning English and Maths and you would resit (or sit for the first time) the exam while at college.

FREE RESOURCES - MATHS

If you are self-teaching GCSE maths, here are my favourite free online resources:

- MathsGenie - great for practice questions and worked solutions for edexcel
- First Class Maths (I LOVE this site) - you can choose which exam board, and they have a video explanation and practice questions for each topic! It also does the topics by grade so you can easily filter the difficulty level!
- Physics and Maths Tutor - again good for practice questions and papers
- Corbett Maths does a "5 a day" which is super helpful for doing a mix of topics

FREE RESOURCES - SCIENCE

- Cognito videos - great for really clear and in-depth explanation of each topic for AQA, you can use these to make your topic notes and they are very comprehensive for covering all the content

- Physics and Maths Tutor - good for past paper questions by topic for different exam boards

- Oak National Academy - free science lessons (just be careful about exam board!)

If anyone has any questions about accessing qualifications or learning in the UK, I'm more than happy to answer!

As an aside, I am thinking of starting a google drive with recorded lessons for students currently out of education for whatever reason (this would be free to access) - if this is something you would be potentially interested in please let me know!

I have relatively recently (about 2 weeks ago) applied for an MSc in Sport & Exercise Psychology, at both the Uni of Staffordshire and Health Science University. I know it's quite late in the year so places next year might be limited, but don't know whether to be concerned that I haven't had any responses to my applications yet?

Has anyone done this course at either of the two unis? If so, how long did it take to get an offer/rejection?

Would also love to hear experiences of this course in general - I'm still going back and forth about whether to commit to it or not and would love to know how other people have found it

Hi everyone! As we enter into uni application seasons for current Y12s, I wanted to leave a little post here where you guys can ask any questions you may have!

For context, I am a Cambridge graduate (did my undergrad degree at Cam and am now also doing a Master's degree there!) and also a teacher - so I have both first-hand experience of a successful Cambridge application and also experience with helping students work on their personal statements and prepare for interviews!

I am also hugely passionate about increasing access to Oxbridge so while I mostly privately tutor and offer help to my school students, I also like to do a post on here once in a while that everyone can access!

If you have any questions about the applications process, personal statement writing, my experience at Cambridge in general or anything else then please feel free to ask below!

I am a teacher turned tutor so I spend a lot of my time on Homeschooling facebook pages etc, and one thing I have noticed is a lot of really REALLY negative talk about teachers. I wanted to just kinda offer a different perspective on here so that if any of you get the opportunity to go to school you have other ideas about what teachers are like that doesn't just come from die-hard homeschool parents.

I should caveat this with the fact that obviously teachers are human not perfect, and all teachers are different, but many of them are incredible!

First of all, to become a teacher I did a 3-year BA in my specialist subject, then an additional year doing my certificate in education, and I'm now also doing a Master's in Education. This has involved HUNDREDS of hours of researching pedagogy, observing other teachers and undertaking my own research studies of different teaching strategies. We are not just winging it or reading off powerpoints, most of us are educated to a really high degree in both the subject itself but also how to teach it in a way that is interesting and effective.

Also, in my experience, most teachers are in the field because they LOVE working with students. We don't love giving consequences and we certainly don't take pleasure in doing so. We also don't see all kids as the same. I love getting to know all my students individually and being able to ask them about their football game, or gymnastics competition, or theatre show etc etc.

We also love our kids like they're our own. I have kids that I bring in lunch for, kids that I've bought winter coats for, I make all of my kids a Christmas package before the winter break, I have kids who come and eat their lunch in my room because that's where they feel safe! I have another student (who can be really tricky and has literally thrown objects at me) that I sat next to for the entirety of his mock exams to stop him freaking out and leaving the room. We LOVE our kids and we love watching them develop into incredible young adults.

The school system has its challenges, absolutely - but teachers do care about their students and they have the skills and the knowledge needed to help them progress. We generally are not scary (I am a 23-year-old who would cry if anyone shouted at me haha) and just want to make a difference to our kids!

I hope this offers a little bit of perspective on what teacher-led learning is about for anyone in a position to be considering it! I'm also happy to answer any questions in the comments below

GCSEs have ended and while many of you will be off celebrating never having to see a maths textbook again, it's also totally normal if you are feeling a bit unsettled or lost rather than excited.

For many students, school isn't just about lessons and exams. It's a familiar routine (the only one you have ever known up to this point), a place of predictability and stability, and a place where (hopefully) there are adults who genuinely care about you and who know and see you.

So if you're not feeling purely excited about leaving, it doesn't mean that you are doing anything wrong. It just means that you're human and you're leaving behind something that mattered to you (possibly in ways that other people aren't even aware of).

If you are feeling a bit like these, here are a few suggestions that might help over the next few weeks:

1. Write thank you letters to the teachers who make a difference to you, or friends that you will no longer be going to the same sixth form/college as - this can be really therapeutic in terms of giving you time to process the positive relationships you had and how much you value them, as well as just being a really lovely thing to do. From a teacher's POV, I can tell you that I have student's that I lie awake at night worrying about after they finish their exams and leave, and I'm sure many of your teachers would appreciate hearing from you in this way. You can drop cards or letters off at the school office and they will get delivered to teachers.

2. Try and keep some sort of daily routine - it doesn't need to be rigid or "productive", but try and keep a rough rhythm to your day. E.g., you could do some reading in the morning, see friends in the afternoon, do a sport/craft hobby in the evening. This will help you keep a bit of a sense of direction, while also getting some rest and feeling refreshed after exams.

3. Get excited about what's coming next - if you are going to sixth form or college, get on the website and research the courses for your subjects, the building, different clubs, enrichment opportunities and clubs. Find things that you are really looking forward to when you get to sixth form/college!

4. Build yourself a really strong community/find "your people" - school friendships can be incredible and persist for decades, but they are also built on convenience and can start to drift when you no longer see them every day. This is a really good opportunity to figure out who your people are - the people who lift you up and make you feel really good about yourself. They might be friends you've had for a long time, or they might be friends from a sports team, a volunteering role, a part-time job, a club, or a local community. Spend time nurturing these friendships and making them stronger while you have time and energy. It's totally normal for friendships and relationships to change over the next 12 months or so, and having people around you that you can trust is so important.

5. Make a (realistic) summer bucket list - think about all the things you wanted to do during revision but were too busy to actually do! Make yourself a list and then you can plan them in during the summer so you have things to look forward to! Some ideas are day trips (trips to different cities, museums, inflatable water park, hikes), pick up a new hobby that you've always wanted to learn (a sport, an instrument, learn to sew or paint), spend ages cooking or baking dishes that you really love, research a random topic that you are interested in, go on longggggg walks with friends, start a journal or make a scrapbook

In summary, right now you are in a huge transition period and that is super exciting but it can also be HARD. Be gentle with yourselves and reach out for support if you feel you need it (I can also signpost to a few different support services or ideas if you are not sure). However you are feeling now, that's valid and okay. You will be okay and you will find things that give you the same sense of purpose and belonging and connection that you had at school.

I am a teacher but also currently doing online tutoring with a complex student who has both ASD and ADHD. They need a 2-3 minute max brain break in our sessions, but I am struggling to think of ideas that will re-engage him without creating additional demand. He is also very sensitive to feeling like he can't do something or has failed so I ideally need a task where there is no losing/getting things wrong/frustration!

Would love to hear ideas of brain breaks that students use with their older high school students!

I have just posted my last "ask a teacher" science series of the year but I also just wanted to address this separately!

I have seen a few people writing their answers out on paper inserts or tracing paper etc and then bringing it out of the exam to share as an "unofficial markscheme". Please PLEASE do not make these or refer to them.

Here is why I say this:

1. If you get found with a sheet of paper with answers on after an exam, you may be accused of cheating. If there is no way for you to prove that you only wrote the ideas during the exam, you risk disqualification. If you get disqualified from one exam, you may also get disqualified from ALL EXAMS for that exam board. At this point in the exam season, the last thing you want to do is inadvertently get disqualified from all your science and maths exams, for example.
2. Also linked to making official markschemes, it is really REALLY not a good use of your time during the exam. Even if you think you've finished, unless you are certain that you've got full marks on the paper (which the vast vast majority of people will not have done) then you should be spending every spare second double, triple, quadruple checking answers for small errors, counting through to check you have answered all questions, adding extra detail to any longer-mark answers or methods etc etc. In no circumstance would I suggest to any student that the most valuable use of their time during a real GCSE exam would be making a markscheme. It may feel productive but if on results day you don't get the grade that you wanted then you will probably reflect and really regret having spent that time writing out answers rather than focusing on making your answers better to get more marks.
3. They aren't accurate. As a teacher, I can't be 100% sure what will be on the markscheme for any given question, nor can anybody except the senior examiners...
4. ... as a result, there's just no point in relying heavily on these. It can create problems when people feel like they have a really strong idea of the grade they should get and then either really stress themselves out or get an unpleasant shock on results day. It honestly is best to just accept that it's very difficult to judge your own performance and to keep your options open and an open mind in the lead up to results day.
5. Less relevant now but especially during main exam seasons (for any Y10s reading this) it is just a total waste of time. Once an exam has happened, you have zero control over your mark on that exam. What you do have control over is your performance on every remaining exam. It's a really inefficient use of time to be writing up/researching mark schemes for a paper you have already sat when you have other papers you could be revising for. Control the controllables and try and let go of everything else!

Happy to explain more but just wanted to leave this here as a very important PSA as you go into your final exams.

I’ve been on the smallest possible dose (2.5mg once a day) of Ivabradine for the past month. It has been amazing - my HR has been much more normal while walking and the spikes have massively reduced, and I’ve been able to do so much more.

BUT the last couple of days I have felt pretty unwell (nausea and general exhaustion) and have noticed that with it my resting and walking HR have both been a little lower than they were a few days ago. E.g. my typical walking HR on ivabradine is 90-100, today it has been in the 70s. My HR also dropped down to 40 overnight and generally sat in the 43-46 range for most of the night. Not sure whether this is just a further improvement on the drug that my body isn’t used to yet, or if this is too much of a drop?

Will ask my doctor when I see them next (should be in the next couple of weeks) but just trying to work out if I might need to contact them sooner for an opinion or if this is all okay? (we love POTS + health anxiety xx)

Hi! I'm a Cambridge grad and now a teacher - I work a lot with students on their uni applications and I noticed several posts on this sub the last few days with the title "I think I've missed my offer" or similar - so here is exactly the advice that I would give to my students in the same situation.

"I think I've missed my offer... what do I do now"?

Step 1: Do NOTHING. I know this sounds crazy because panic sets in and you just want to do something, anything to try and fix the situation. But in all honestly, there is no action you can take right at this very minute that will be beneficial.

Step 2: That said, if there are any mitigating or extenuating factors that have affected your exams so far or you are concerned may affect your exams coming up, please please please report them to school and your exams officer ASAP. They may count with unis, they may not - but reporting them now means you have a much more solid record so this evidence is certainly more likely to be accepted.

Step 3: Pour all the energy, frustration, anxiety etc you have into your revision for your upcoming exams. Right now you have no control over your marks in exams you've sat or in the decisions unis will make, but you absolutely have control over how you prepare for the rest of the exams. Make a really strong, detailed plan of how you are going to optimise your revision and stick to it.

Step 4: After exams are over, give yourself a week to decompress completely and gain some perspective on things - often it feels like an exam has gone really badly because you are focusing on every question that felt tricky, but with time you also come to remember all of the questions you were able to get right.

Step 5: If you still feel concerned that you genuinely may miss your offer. Now is the time to start looking at other options. There are plenty of things you can consider:

- resit if you feel you have the capability to do significantly better (though carefully investigate whether your uni will accept resits before committing to this)

- go through clearing for an alternative course - have a really good research of courses on offer at different unis that may be more likely to have spaces through clearing and to accept your grades, then rank these into a hierarchical list so on results day you can literally go down your list of options starting with your preferred one

- get a job and get some experience that way instead. In several careers, an apprenticeship or work experience may be equally as beneficial as a degree (and ofc you get pay and no student debt!) so don't discount this as an option either!

No matter what happens, you always have options and if you are determined and passionate enough, you will get to where you want to be - the journey might just be a bit different from what you envisioned.

EDITED TO ADD: Lots of people asking about whether unis might still give you a place if you miss the offer but there are extenuating circumstances. The answer is that it's complex and it's done on a case by case basis.

However, it's likely to depend on:
- how far you missed the grades by
- whether your application overall was strong
- how competitive the course is
- when the uni is made aware of the circumstances

If you are in this situation, you should immediately make both school and the university aware of the situation! Send as much evidence as possible to the university as well. It is also often very helpful if school write a letter to the uni explaining the situation.

Hi! I have a first-class degree from the University of Cambridge and I'm now a qualified teacher. I tutor science and maths up to GCSE (approx age 16) level and psychology all the way up to university level. I have significant experience with students with SEND and have worked with many students that are currently completely disengaged from school or refusing to attend school. I also offer assistance with university applications - I have particular experience with Oxbridge applications and can support with personal statements and mock interviews. Please get in touch if you would like to know more!

I've had a couple of messages about paper 2 science content since my last post so thought this would be an easy way for people to ask questions to a (hopefully) fairly reliable source!

Feel free to ask any content questions about the remaining science papers, questions about revision, teaching, sixth form and next steps etc!

To give some context: I was the first year group to sit the 9-1 GCSEs and got eight grade 9s and two A*s, I then got three A*s at A-level and went on to study at Cambridge, where I graduated top 5 in my year with a first-class degree! Now I'm a qualified science teacher and doing my master's in education.

I am a teacher and was wondering if there are any tutoring/teaching groups that young adults who were previously unschooled/homeschooled can go to in order to catch-up and learn the basic maths/english/science skills for a relatively cheap price (like $3 a session or less). I am super passionate about educational inequality and am constantly trying to find new ways to expand education to as many groups of people as possible. If nothing like this already exists, is it something that people would be interested in? What sort of barriers do you face now that might get in the way of you being able to go to weekly sessions like this?

Recently I've noticed that my HRV will spike some night while I'm asleep up to 130-170ms. Last night it went up to 240ms which is obviously above the normal range and definitely not a reflection of my fitness. I will only get one reading this high, the rest will all be in my normal range the rest of the night. My HRV is quite spiky anyway through the day but stays below 100ms at all times during the day, these spikes are only at night. I have never had any symptoms with them or been woken up, and my apple watch also has atrial fibrillation notifications enabled and has never given me one of these.

I am wondering if this is something that fits with the POTS profile or if I should be chasing it up a little bit more as a possible indicator of something else going on?

Thanks!

PSA from your friendly neighbourhood teacher:

Well done for getting through the week - that's a huge achievement! This is your reminder to take a true break at some point this weekend - I know it probably feels like you have 2495737 things to revise but a proper rest will reduce the risk of burnout & increase your productivity when you are study.

Just to be clear though, a rest is not:

- doomscrolling on your phone for two hours

- staring at a TV or computer while you think about all the things you need to be doing

- staying up super late gaming or texting

An ideal rest would involve ideally physically getting out of the space where you usually study and doing something that requires you to be present and helps you feel refreshed. Some suggestions if you are not sure are:

- go for a walk with family/a friend/some music/a podcast

- do a 30 minute yoga or stretch session (use a youtube follow-along if you're not sure)

- do a craft activity (colouring, painting, sewing, embroidery, scrapbooking), would 10/10 recommend doing this with an upbeat/relaxing playlist or a comfort TV show

- spend time cooking a meal and then sharing it with friends/family

- have an everything shower & self-care session with a podcast

- journal (non-academic related) in front of a film/TV show

- read a book for pleasure, ideally tucked up in a nice cosy corner somewhere with a hot drink

Remember that you absolutely should not feel guilty for resting - in fact you will need to rest to be able to get through exam season and work most effectively! If you are struggling to rest, then organise something with a friend/family member so you are held accountable to actually take some time doing something else.