The topic for Week 43 in Amy Coffin’s and Geneablogger’s 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History series is: Worst School Subject. What was your worst or least favourite subject in school and why?
The first thought that came into my mind with this topic, was “Chemistry”. Imagine my surprise when I went back to look at old report cards that I’d actually got better marks for it through high school than I sometimes did in subjects I liked much better. However in those days it was the results you got in the state-wide end-of-year exams that really counted. These were held at the end of Year 10, called the Junior exam, and Year 12 or matriculation was Senior, and your results determined what you could do in the subsequent years as well as whether you gained a Commonwealth scholarship – critical support for on-going education in working class families. In those days, too, Chemistry was a prerequisite for 1st year science at university where it was my undoing: I guess that’s why it’s stuck in my mind as a least favourite subject.
On my primary school report cards it was drawing and physical education/sport that consistently scored the worst marks. I would have loved to be able to draw but plainly it just isn’t one of my talents. As to sport, well, that’s never reached my high-enthusiasm levels either at school or beyond. Dancing, however, was a different story.
Why were these the worst subjects? I think we love most what we’re good at. These subjects simply didn’t meet that objective. Committed study may get you better marks but you’re never really going to fall in love with that subject.
I was ironically amused by this report card I got in the 7th grade. I’d come 1st in my very small class in a very small school but the comment simply said “good progress”. Those nuns didn’t give much away…you wouldn’t want the kids to get too big-headed.
BTW love my Flip-Pal for these quick scans 🙂
Family history across the seas 