I regret doing Transition Year

TYBoy9991

It's only the second day in and the classes bored me to death. Do you do any work at all in TY? It feels like I'm just wasting time. I went into the maths class thinking we would learn some LC stuff or do actual maths but instead, we did some tedious maths games...

spurious

You will get out of it what you put into it.
Waiting for something to happen is not ideal.

Why not suggest to the Maths teachers that you (and some pals maybe) make little posters or videos (or video games using something like Scratch if any of you know it*) to help 1st years who have trouble with Maths?



*You'd pick up how to use Scratch in no time. It's very simple.

sryanbruen

TYBoy9991 wrote: »

It's only the second day in and the classes bored me to death. Do you do any work at all in TY? It feels like I'm just wasting time. I went into the maths class thinking we would learn some LC stuff or do actual maths but instead, we did some tedious maths games...

I was the same man. Too bad, I had no choice but to do TY as it's mandatory in my school - which is stupid. I did it for 2016/17 and am now in 5th year. It was the most boring year of my life! Thank f*** - had to say that, it's over.

poeticjustice

TYBoy9991 wrote: »

It's only the second day in and the classes bored me to death. Do you do any work at all in TY? It feels like I'm just wasting time. I went into the maths class thinking we would learn some LC stuff or do actual maths but instead, we did some tedious maths games...

I started it too and instantly regretted it. I approached the principal and explained my situation and was allowed to go into 5th yr instead. I was aiming for high points and told him that if necessary I'd prefer to have to repeat the leaving cert than waste a yr in transition yr. Might not work in every school but did for me.

rainbowtrout

TYBoy9991 wrote: »

It's only the second day in and the classes bored me to death. Do you do any work at all in TY? It feels like I'm just wasting time. I went into the maths class thinking we would learn some LC stuff or do actual maths but instead, we did some tedious maths games...

The point of TY is that you are not doing LC stuff. The LC is a 2 year course, not a 3 year one.

Dwellerstew

TYBoy9991 wrote: »

It's only the second day in and the classes bored me to death. Do you do any work at all in TY? It feels like I'm just wasting time. I went into the maths class thinking we would learn some LC stuff or do actual maths but instead, we did some tedious maths games...

Try to get into 5th year, it's not too late, maybe talk to the principal about it, one of my biggest regrets was doing TY since it really disconnected me from what school was really meant for

TheChizler

Transition year was the best year for me. Developed so much personally it had very little to do with academics. Can't imagine I'd be the same person without it. Get involved and use the opportunity to make something of yourself.

sryanbruen

TheChizler wrote: »

Transition year was the best year for me. Developed so much personally it had very little to do with academics. Can't imagine I'd be the same person without it. Get involved and use the opportunity to make something of yourself.

"Very little to do with academics".

See that was the thing with it, I'm an extremely academical student and not sure if the original poster is like me in this case.

rainbowtrout

sryanbruen wrote: »

"Very little to do with academics".

See that was the thing with it, I'm an extremely academical student and not sure if the original poster is like me in this case.

I think what a lot of students who consider themselves academic miss is that learning can be valuable without translating directly into LC points.

The attitude I see here is 'if I can't get points from it, it's not worth doing' and that's not what TY is about.

spurious

TY is about life. People realise that too late when they get caught up in the LC junk, which is very short-lived.

sryanbruen

rainbowtrout wrote: »

I think what a lot of students who consider themselves academic miss is that learning can be valuable without translating directly into LC points.

The attitude I see here is 'if I can't get points from it, it's not worth doing' and that's not what TY is about.

spurious wrote: »

TY is about life. People realise that too late when they get caught up in the LC junk, which is very short-lived.

Actually, I could care less about points, grades etc. All I care about is getting to learn. I love learning. I teach myself all the time when I'm not in school. Whenever I went into TY, I was being taught stuff I already knew from ages ago. I learned nothing new! Also, TY does not have a routine. I'm a person who likes to have routines and it's very difficult for me to accept changes to anything such as routines.

My school has a lot of bad "teachers" whom can either not teach, can't handle the class well, not compassionate and understanding or not fun. As a result, I get demotivated to go into school - especially in TY as like I said above, no routine and learning nothing new. Meanwhile, at home, I am teaching myself. I can have my own routine. I am learning something new all the time. For example, I pretty much taught myself Irish grammar from reading books such as Collins Easy Learning Irish Grammar with little to no help from my teacher in school.

So you thought you could read me like a book..... oh no you can't. I'm a much different individual compared to typical teens you see.

spurious

Not sure why you think anyone was reading you.

TY (done properly) gives a person the skills to deal with people who are not like them, who perhaps do not have the same skills or abilities, or chances in life. Yes, people who in other people's eyes 'don't want to make anything of themselves'. The world is full of all sorts of people and how we as adults react to and cope with/deal with/manage our feelings/attitudes to them goes a long way to helping people cope in life.

School is about learning yes, but the most valuable learning is not anything for exams or from books. People who have set against TY from the start and don't want to put anything into it are as well off bypassing it.

Teyla Emmagan

sryanbruen wrote:

So you thought you could read me like a book..... oh no you can't. I'm a much different individual compared to typical teens you see.

Wow you're so special.

sryanbruen

spurious wrote: »

Not sure why you think anyone was reading you.

TY (done properly) gives a person the skills to deal with people who are not like them, who perhaps do not have the same skills or abilities, or chances in life. Yes, people who in other people's eyes 'don't want to make anything of themselves'. The world is full of all sorts of people and how we as adults react to and cope with/deal with/manage our feelings/attitudes to them goes a long way to helping people cope in life.

School is about learning yes, but the most valuable learning is not anything for exams or from books. People who have set against TY from the start and don't want to put anything into it are as well off bypassing it.

I'll give rainbowtrout's quote:

The attitude I see here is 'if I can't get points from it, it's not worth doing' and that's not what TY is about.

I can explain to you TY in three words in my school. Film after film. It felt like all they did was watch films. First there was Film Studies..... there was no studying on the films we watched. All we did was watch films, nothing else.
Second there was Music. This is what my school says on their site for Music in TY:

The Transition Year music programme gives all students the opportunity to develop their musical talents in a creative atmosphere. This development, for many, continues into the Leaving Cert programme where many students achieve success in the practical and written exam.

What a bunch of lies that was. I was in for 9 of the 10 Music classes there was in TY. In none of them did we do anything besides watch musicals or music genre films. There was nothing about talents - something my school tends to lack in its creative subjects.

Third there was French. Sometimes, we did TY French. We learned about France, the French people and did some Listening from time to time. That was fine but most other times, we watched French films.... I think you can see where this is going.

I'm not a fan of watching films. I go to the cinema on average once or twice a year - I didn't go at all in 2016. I like to think of watching a film very occasionally.

I don't see anything that helped me in my school's TY programme whether be it life skills, education itself etc. I'll repeat what I said in the previous post, I already know everything I've learned in TY - besides one thing in Maths, which was Pascal's Triangle.

sryanbruen

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Wow you're so special.

Who says I was special, please stop with your dumb sarcasm.

Teyla Emmagan

sryanbruen wrote:

Who says I was special, stop with your dumb sarcasm.

You were the one banging on about how unique you are.

sryanbruen

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

You were the one banging on about how unique you are.

First off, it's called being honest. Secondly, I am not like the TYPICAL (the key word is "typical" here) teen at all. I teach myself all the time, I don't go out, I have an eidetic memory, I don't like hanging around with peers - or people in general etc, I could go on and on for days with lots of strange things about me.

I'm not trying to be egoistic, in fact, I was being pessimistic about myself calling me weird, strange etc.

spurious

Sounds like your school didn't run TY properly. Best out of it then.

It actually takes a lot of work and planning in advance by the teachers and co-ordinator to allow it to be a student directed year, as it should be. Not all schools manage this and not all students can cope with what can appear to be quite a loose 'structure'.

lostatsea

sryanbruen wrote: »

First off, it's called being honest. Secondly, I am not like the TYPICAL (the key word is "typical" here) teen at all. I teach myself all the time, I don't go out, I have an eideitic memory, I don't like hanging around with peers - or people in general etc, I could go on and on for days with lots of strange things about me.

I'm not trying to be egoistic, in fact, I was being pessimistic about myself calling me weird, strange etc.

I'm hearing everything you say and can feel your frustration. I think the idea of having TY when students are reaching their mental peak at 15-16 years of age is ridiculous. It should be done in first year, if anywhere, to bridge the transition from primary to secondary school.

As you say, it is not about points. It is about learning and becoming educated. Good education is obtained when serious well-educated teachers push their students to limits they never thought possible.

I agree with Spurious that your TY programme may be poor. However, I sense that the philosophy underpinning too many TY programmes is to entertain students with endless trips and films. Students do not need schools to watch a movie or go on a trip - they need schools to deliver educational content that students would otherwise have difficulty learning on their own.

School plays, trips, annual yearbooks, sports, arts and so on have always been very much part of the school environment and contribute to the social, physical and cultural development of the student. Why we must pause the proper educational development of the student through the imposition of TY is beyond me!

Harry Palmr

Can someone here talk me through the TY (I'm old and grizzled and left school long before it was invented and I have no kids who have been through it), I'm interested as I was working with a teen during the summer hols who is now in TY and she wasn't that thrilled about doing it but I didn't get to know why.

spurious

It is meant to be a year where the students take their foot off the gas (so to speak) regarding academic subjects and develop themselves socially and personally.

Ideally they would get to mix with people from outside their 'normal' social circle, challenge themselves by doing things they would normally avoid or dislike. For many students, particularly those who engage with a good programme, it is a growing and maturing experience. It does not really suit the personality of students who like to be closely directed rather than come up with ideas themselves.

Here are some activities schools doing TY could consider: http://www.tyireland.com/ty-online

Statistically speaking (yes, I know, statistics...) those who have completed TY do better overall in the LC than those who have not. This could of course be down to being a year older, which is never a bad thing when connected with an activity that often requires a more mature attitude.

dreamers75

On the 3rd kid in TY and yes they were bored as **** doing it but they valued the work experience end of it.

2 out in college doing what they want now rather than what they thought pre TY year. Both of them did manual labour and specific Work Ex ( Software Development/ Social Care) they enjoyed it and changed their outlook on the leaving cert and now in college studying Dev/SC.

Pre TY they had other ideas for college so TY gave them an understanding of something they actually liked.

Harry Palmr

How much of the week/term/year (delete as applicable) is out of the school environment doing practical work experience?

lostatsea

Harry Palmr wrote: »

How much of the week/term/year (delete as applicable) is out of the school environment doing practical work experience?

It is usually 2 weeks consisting of 2 one-week work placements

Harry Palmr

Ta, that confirms what I thought I heard someone say. Strikes me as a waste of an opportunity, I'd simply split the week into two - two/three days within school environment and the other days on placement. Admittedly there might be practical issues but two weeks is nothing, a messer or shy/nervous/quiet teenager is not going to get much time to develop in a grown up work place in 10 working days.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

thesimpsons

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Ta, that confirms what I thought I heard someone say. Strikes me as a waste of an opportunity, I'd simply split the week into two - two/three days within school environment and the other days on placement. Admittedly there might be practical issues but two weeks is nothing, a messer or shy/nervous/quiet teenager is not going to get much time to develop in a grown up work place in 10 working days.

Ideally I'd like to see more time spent on work placements but the practicalities of getting employers to take on the TY students can be hard. Businesses get plagued the whole time to take on TY students. While many students are great to try out a job, there is very little practical work in many businesses you can give to students. I take on a TY student once a year, I save up work I can give them to do without too much supervision but often they are left to running errands, post (and there is little post these days tbh), photocopying, filing etc (but this can have confidentiality issues)

2 of my kids had great TY years. Full time tables every day. I'm astonished by the lackadaisical way lots of schools run their TY year. They choose work experience that they didn't want to every work in fulltime but they had a hobby interest in (one worked in a bakery, another with a photographer)

randylonghorn

Please let's not descend to grammar nazi-ism / picking on typos (referring to post I have just deleted, but also a general reminder).

Not all schools are as good at dealing with TY as others, unfortunately ... and no, film after film does not a good TY make, if that's accurate.

Education is about far more than subjects, and TY is intended to redress the balance in a school system which has become increasingly points-driven.

A friend of mine is a TY coordinator in her school, and last year some of the stuff they did included:

- helping with the local meals on wheels, including cooking / going on deliveries etc.
- organising a Christmas party in the school for senior citizens
- writing, preparing and putting on a small play for the school
- An Gaisce awards
- end of year magazine
- three days in an Outdoor Pursuits centre (she still has the video on her phone of one totally unsporty student squealing with delight after abseiling down a 40 foot cliff!!)
... Plus all the normal stuff including work experience, etc.

One thing to remember tho ... While she always has more ideas than can realistically be done in a year, what she really wants is the students to come up with their own ideas / projects (and ok, all the ideas that come up may not be feasible due to insurance / resources / etc., but enough will.)

Even the best TY programme with the most energetic staff will miss the mark if the students sit back and wait to be organised / herded.

Sryan, I'm sorry you don't seem to have had a good experience, because tbh when you say that you don't mix that well with peers etc., I'm thinking that you're exactly the type of person who could have benefitted hugely from a GOOD TY programme!

jeonahr

Harry Palmr wrote: »

How much of the week/term/year (delete as applicable) is out of the school environment doing practical work experience?

It is usually for two whole weeks or some schools do one day a week for eight weeks. I just finished TY last year and for me it was brilliant. My school announced lots of programmes outside of school such as ComputeTY which was run by DCU where students could learn how to code or how to design websites. It was up to us to join the programme, but my school would let us know of opportunities and at the end of the day gave us the responsibility to do it on our own initiative.
My school allowed us to do things that were outside of school. We were able to do extra work experience placements as long as we told them in advance, gave them details on the placement and got our parents' permission. Again, another example of taking our own initiative.
I thought it was brilliant, but some students, mainly the messers, wouldn't take their own initiative and ended up not really getting anything out of TY. In my opinion, what you put in is what you get.

p.s. This is not an attack on you, sryanbruen

rainbowtrout

I'm TY coordinator in my school this year. I'm just back from camping overnight with them. They had to hike to the campsite. We had been there the previous day with a group of them and they pitched tents (large 8 man tents, not pop up jobs). They did a hike and orienteering yesterday, campfire, marshmallows.

Some very simple stuff I know, but a huge number had never been camping, slept in a tent, sat beside a campfire and chatted. We saw very few phones in use over the two days, and we saw a lot of kids engaging with each other. They had to hike home again - the easy option would have been to get a bus to and from the campsite. For students who are used to being ferried everywhere by parents and having modern conveniences, they loved it and I saw kids shine in the group that might have felt a bit left out in third year.

Ours are actually doing 3 two week blocks of work experience. Most have at least 2 blocks sorted already. Parents and students are delighted that we have given them that option to try different things.

Next week we have a barrister coming in for two days to do a workshop. He will go through law in ireland, how the courts work etc on day one, and they will stage a mock trial on the second day. We haven't had TY for years in my school, but this is always something that was really popular in previous years.

Showing films is a non runner for our TY.

Harry Palmr

A mock trial? Will the head be in that say I wonder?