I recall my eldest coming home from school at 12, livid that her headmaster had told her that she should aim for being a nurse rather than being a doctor!
The same man also told her that she wouldn't get better than a "C" grade at GCSE mathematics at 15 when she had already passed it at 14 with an "A*" and would not accept that he was wrong. Same for Physics, Chemistry and Biology. She taught herself history and geography because the school only ever had supply teachers for those subjects and they never knew where they were with the curriculum.
The local popular 6th form college told her not to bother with the sciences as they would prove too difficult - it had it's favorite feeder schools and eldest had not attended any of them. On hearing that she wanted to be a doctor, another teacher said "good luck with that!" - sarcastically.
She got 98% or above in all of her "A" levels - first go - all "A*" grades (chemistry, physics, biology), whist holding down a job on Saturday and volunteering to do the make up / nails and hair for sick patients at the local hospital so they would look good for their visitors on a Sunday.
|
