I have been a bit weirded out this week with the concept of an impending Leaving-Cert. In merely 4 weeks I will walk out the school doors for the very last time. I have been waiting for this day since I entered that spine-chilling portal of primary school as a junior infant. But have I? When we walk out that door, a thousand memories will depart us forever. School life as we know will be over, the past eighteen years will be nothing more than a memory, a past event, an occurrence, history.

In a matter of weeks, us scholars will enter an exam hall, and experience the torment of maturity. Over a period of two weeks, we will forget years of prized academia. Our social network will be substituted over the following months altered by our imminent transformation. A thousand faces lost eternally.

However, with on our parting we will take with us a respectable wisdom that will enable us to move on and become the proud heritage of the land of saints and scholars. With every step in life we gain a thousand years of experience, every advancement makes us a million times stronger. Live for today and rejoice tomorrow. Look at every single affair from every possible angle. Only when we are wise we are victorious, only when we have truly lived life to our fullest we can say we have gained what is known as wisdom. Wisdom is just an expression; award it your own meaning because the Leaving-Cert is merely one small step of our lives now to take that giant leap…

Tags: changes, college, friends, leaving cert, loss, school

As we all should know the deadlines for course work and upcoming practicals are approaching.

22rd April - Finishing date for LCVP link modules portfolio

25th April - Finishing Date for Textile Studies Elective
Coursework in Home Economics Scientific
and Social.
• Finishing Date for Leaving Certificate
Religious Education Practical
Coursework Journal.
• Finishing Date for Leaving Certificate
History Research Study Report.
• Finishing Date for Leaving Certificate
Geographical Investigation Reporting
Booklet.
• Finishing date for Leaving Cert
Music, Higher Level Elective in
Composing.

28th April - Start date for assessment of LCA Task
Work, (Session 2 Year 1) Vocational
Education and Vocational Preparation

29th April - Question papers for Leaving Certificate Art
– Craftwork and Design to be distributed to
candidates.
30th April - Question papers for Leaving Certificate
Art - Imaginative Composition or Still Life
and Life Sketching to be distributed to
candidates.
• Finishing date for Leaving Certificate
Construction Studies Project work.

Best of luck to everyone who has participated in any of the above course work. Next month will bring the start of many practical exams.

Tags: art, construction, exams, geography, history, lcvp, music, practicals, religion, research

An overview of the past few weeks.

Today I finished my final Oral examination. My Irish and German Oral completed, along with the music practical exam completed. And the feeling is great. But what now?

Mood wise I am better than ever. I enjoy the day of school in a way I have never enjoyed it before. Which is a sure sign that it is time for me to get out of there. And by that I don’t mean I enjoy sitting there listening to the droll voices of teachers who’s own enthusiasm to teach is at the same level of the majority of students willing to learn. And I don’t blame them.

I sat there day after day wondering when it would hit me. Hit me? Yes, that burst of motivation that hits most students around this time of year all over the nation. I feel like I’ve missed that train, and was left behind. Me and a hand full of other students in the same position as myself. Surely I want to do well to get into college. And I do, I really do. But I have not an ounce of motivation inside me, to sit in a class and be told what to do.

To me the pre’s were of no benefit at all. I missed a day due to illness which affected two of my exams. I had not completed course work to be reviewed which affected a further 3 of my exams. And I got no result on one subject, as the school managed to lose my exam answer sheet. Doesn’t get any better than that.

So here I am. Laughing about the Mocks. Enjoying the weather and making the most of the last few weeks I will spend in school with my friends. Only thing left for me to do is, find the train I failed to jump aboard a while ago.

Tags: exams, frustration, german, irish, motivation, music, school

Students: Dare to relax?

Music. Music is the most common way we students study. Right? I sit here at my desk, mindlessly gazing at my heavy workload- history projects, French orals, melodies. I tune into my background music. Ennio Morricone’s love theme from Cinema Paradiso. Dare I put my pen down? Dare I listen? Dare I enjoy?

Exposition. I take a break for just a moment. For just one moment I might actually be given the chance to think, think about something that’s not Pythagoras theorem or the laws of physics. I give myself the chance. I look out the window, to the sky, the clouds, the sun. Imagination overpowers my thoughts.

Development. I imagine myself in the year to come, the near change. Life’s alterations. College. We have 47 days left before exams. Who knows what’s to come. Some of those sitting in that room, we will never see again. Others will become the failures or the successes of todays capitalist world. I imagine myself sitting in a comfortable office chair, designing the latest myspace. I challenge life’s pessimism and I win. I will do what I enjoy and no silly points system will get in my way, I will not let it.

Recapitulation. To do what we crave in life many of us will have to overcome this notorious education system. We are told it is the biggest challenge in our lives. Yes, no one said achieving our ambitions is easy, we must fight for them. Jump the academic wall, gain life’s skills for today’s world and win.

Colin Lowry.

It has all begun and the end is near. This week signifies the start of the official Leaving Cert exams… scary. With my Irish oral behind me and my music practical yesterday, I say to the Leaving cert – “Bring it on!” You’d never expect that you wouldn’t be nervous during these exams but it’s a simple fact of – over preparation. Except for that one girl I know of who puked up before her exam. Looking back on my Irish oral I really could have contributed more:

“What would you do if you were Mary Hannifan”

“Oh, I really don’t know what I would do to be honest, she’s the one in the olympics, yeah?”

It seems that what she was trying to make an opener for the conditional tense, she only had to say!

Music went relatively well too, I am not the most musical of students. It went as well as expected, examiners make great liars “good lad that was very enjoyable” – oh yes, I was only playing something completely different from what I was looking at. Thank you Dan!

My study method is working out great, cramming of course. No professional endorses the idea but it really does work! What’s left? 8 weeks? I’ll give it seven weeks before I study to make sure it all sticks.

What’s next in life for Colin Lowry? Let us see… my very late history research study has to be handed in, French orals in one week and my practical art exam in a few weeks. I feel like getting sick…

Tags: cram, exam, french, irish, music, oral, practical

Ta me go hiontach. Why? I have finally finished the first step towards completing the leaving cert. I had been awaiting this day for weeks now. I’m not exactly one for preparing for exams but I think I am finally getting geared up and motivated. I didn’t realize it was possible to drink 18 cups of tea and 12 cups of coffee in the space of 3 days. And one heck of a caffeine fuelled study session it was.

Cramming. I didn’t think it would was effective until I was proven wrong. Some might argue that’s because its the first time I have tried to prove myself wrong.

11 hours sleep, excessive amounts of caffeine and a session at the local and I was ready. Although I certainly did not feel prepared, I felt a little more at ease knowing I had put in some effort. Sitting outside a in the sun, i sipped my tea. Before I could put the cup down my phone began to ring. I answered and was greeted with : “Kevin.. where the hell are you? You’re up next”. So I began to panic a little and headed towards the school.

I arrived shortly after, out of breath and frozen. Signing in late wasn’t an option at this stage so I made my way towards the prefabs where I was greeted by my teacher and the other students. So I grabbed a chair and joined my friends. I have never felt time going so slow in my life. We were practically counting down the seconds. A combination of bitter cold and my nerves caused the blood flow in my hands to divert and head elsewhere.

You could hear every footstep in the prefab. And then it began.. The examiner entered the room and called me in. I said goodbye to my friends as if I were going to war. Why was I so nervous? And so the fifteen minutes began. Sliocht a dó! And suddenly, the nerves disappeared. I was confident in what I was doing and so I began.

Walking out of there gave me a boost of motivation and satisfactory reward that I haven’t felt in a long time. Having spent the past few days cramming for this day, I was now a happy to know the bit I had learned. I enjoyed it and was proud of it. Irish. Our native language.

Tags: irish, irish oral, nerves, oral

As all of you are probably (should be) aware that the Leaving cert Oral exams begin soon. Very soon as a matter of fact. So the majority of us should be trying to only speak in these languages for the weekend.

Just a note of the dates

7th - Start date for Leaving Certificate Oral tests in:

• Irish
• French
• German
• Spanish
• Italian
• Russian
• Japanese

I’d like to wish all my fellow students the best of luck.

Tags: exams, french, german, irish, italian, japanese, leaving cert, orals, russian, spanish

Just a follow up on the recent downtime that was caused while moving server. With the few minor complications, caused by our own silly mistakes, we ended up with some unexpected downtime. We are now with a new company and speeds should be improved a good bit. This has been an excellent change and been made possible because of our company Tamooka.

We hope to get some changes going in the coming weeks along with the promised Videos section.

Until then!

Happy learning.

Tags: downtime, moving, server