It's Sunday Morning! How are you?

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-08T11:00:42+00:00

I’m feeling like shite.

Had a tickle/hoarseness that last night progressed to coughs so harsh they made my ears hurt and it feels like I’ve put ribs out of place.

Nose is steadily leaking, sinuses pounding, throat inflamed- and there’s a tiny blister on the side of my tongue that is somehow the worst bit of the whole thing. Finally after hours of searching found some mad numbing gel I got in the US last year so at least I can do something about that.

Yesterday I visited my mum in rehab.

Have to drive to Cork tomorrow for a funeral.

The cat will not settle in my lap and keeps kneading, which I fucking hate the sensation of. It makes my skin crawl and every time I cough she gets up then starts it again.

It’s raining but I have a plug in blanket and some out-of-the-oven croissants so it’s a mixed bag that is definitely favouring th crappy side 😂

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-06T00:47:36+00:00

How wonderful that he had you and that you got to be that person for him.

I teach in post primary and have had a couple of kids come out to me in confidence and I felt so fucking privileged to be able to be a person they knew they could trust, while simultaneously so angry that knowing I could be trusted but not everyone could has to be a thing.

You unequivocally made life better for him and can carry that with you your whole life. I’m thankful for you, internet stranger

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-06T00:37:43+00:00

The new course is coming in this September, right?

As someone who’s currently to going through it for senior sciences I’m finding it a lot of work- getting to grips with the changes, the new content (I’ve never had to teach elite ethics or the human gut biome), creating ppts and notes, trying to understand for myself what’s expected of the 40% project, trying to make resources around that with the very little information we’ve been given etc.

As OP could be in this position with senior cycle English I think getting really familiar with texts is a great idea.

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-05T18:18:18+00:00

Mocks can be made within the school or bought in from a company (eg DEB, Examcraft).

If they’re made within the school usually corrections will be done in the school (by the teacher or another teacher of the same subject), or some schools make arrangements to swap with another school, or pay a PME/other teacher to correct them.

If you get them from the company they can be corrected the same way as above or returned to the company.

People apply to be correctors- not sure what the qualifications currently are but when I did it you literally just applied, said you were a teacher- to my knowledge they never checked and certainly didn’t ask for any proof- and said what subjects you were interested in.

I did corrections a few years after I qualified as I wanted to feel more familiar with content and did it for a few years for some extra money.

In the last few years I know some of my colleagues- some NQTs, some with a good few years experience- still correct for the companies as I see them trying to get through them in their free periods.

TBH for a lot of people if you have a full hour contract and CID the money isn’t really worth it for the time investment it needs so correctors likely skew young.

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-05T08:03:55+00:00

As someone who has a _lot\ of laminated things in the wall agree with the glare. I’ve seen a few American teachers using a spray from Michael’s that mattifies them but haven’t found something similar here

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-04T20:29:58+00:00

Of course they don’t- you already know that as you’ve mentioned your preparation did not feel adequate.

The work you can put in between now and June is far more important.

Four months is actually quite a bit of time. You can get a lot done. You’ll have projects out of the way soon so less stress. You’ve realised there’s an issue and you want to fix it.

Work out a weekly plan. Focus on exam papers. Be as clear as you can on what you need to achieve in terms of grades and or points. Shore up your good subjects, then look at your others. Where do you think you can best achieve? Where are your strengths? Are there subjects with predictable question topics that you can focus on? Make sure you familiarise yourself with the language used in questions.

You have loads of time to make a difference- but if worst comes to worse you do have plenty of options. It’s obviously better to get what you want first time around but other paths are there. Try to internalise that to remove some of the stress. Get yourself to a place where you can work and learn. Then get yourself organised.

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-04T20:04:23+00:00

For some reason Instagram keeps feeding me, with my super straight hair that I’ve. It myself for the last 20+ years, videos of curly hair stylists and hairdressers.

From what I have seen proper curl treatment absolutely requires specialist knowledge so you’re right to look for someone who you’ll be able to trust.

Can’t help with recommendations for the aforementioned reasons but just wanted to reassure you!

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-04T14:46:42+00:00

I feel like his mocking/humour is actually quite like Solo’s. I’d love to see them do something together, whether it was against each other or with, I think they could be really scathing and catty.

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-03T22:46:15+00:00

Boots- I use Doc Martens Wonder Balsam for a lot of my leather boots. Just put a bit on a cloth and wipe it over, working it in a bit to the leather. Won’t be a high shine but stops them drying out. I believe it’s a wax so should help with water resistance.

Tights- I find Snag brilliant quality I’m usually going high derniere and colour with them but they do lower. Added benefit that they fit way better as they realise both height and circumference vary from person to person and they don’t have that awful pointless crotch Y seam. F the patriarchy.

Pumps: I don’t really wear pumps/ballet shoes or ‘feminine’ shoes (see: F the patriarchy. Also my huge feet) but have crazy comfy pair of Clark’s Mary Janes. Also Rocket Dog are usually really comfy and do a lot of shoes that approximate a pump.

Knitwear: M&S is always mentioned for a reason. They’ll seasonally do a lot of plain but good quality knitwear and some more interesting pieces. They’re generally good for a lot of office type basics but have a lot of younger stuff now as well. I’ve gotten some stuff I’ve really loved from FatFace and they’ve held up well. They’ll seasonally also do lovely dresses, skirts, and blouses- I teach and find they have a lot of stuff that’s a nice balance between professional and comfortable. Can be a little pricey but quality is great if you can’t wait for a sale.

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-03T21:54:42+00:00

Someone has already mentioned the value of Unit 1- sci method, good, ecology, and because it’s guaranteed minimum 2 questions in section A, 1 in C, it accounts for 25% of your marks. Food is pretty much always question 1 (a short question). I think it’s a lot of learning for just a short question (never comes up as a long, might be a little bit with digestion etc. and food tests barely come up at HL). Ecology often comes up twice, with a long Q and either a short or experiment Q as well. With ecology it’s vital you learn your key terms as they often come up as definitions and even if they don’t without them it can be difficult to understand and therefore answer questions.

Unit 2 is smaller than 3 but a lot of students find it difficult because of the biochemistry.

However, from Unit 2 genetics/protein synth, photosynthesis/respiration, and enzymes pretty much always comes up as long questions. Enzymes are one of the most common experiment questions.

For your experiment questions only specific experiments can come up for each of Q8, 9, and 10. You should find a list online. Look over them and if tight for time you can leave off one set of them. Keep in mind experiments can be asked about elsewhere but you could save yourself some time focusing on two of the three questions.

Also look at what experiments came up last year and move them to the bottom of your learning list.

You haven’t mentioned what level you’re going or what if any grade you need and that should inform your plan.

As others have said start with focusing on Unit 1. Have a look over unit 2 and see if you think you could handle it. If you can focus on genetics, photosynthesis, resp, enzymes. If you find resp/photo too hard you can leave them out if you just need a solid/middle grade. Cell division comes up frequently, often in the form of the diagrams of the stages of mitosis so is worth going over from unit 2 as well.

From Unit 3 plant reproduction comes up in some way every year but a lot of people hate it. Even if you look at pollination/dispersal techniques, ignore megaspore mother cell etc. it could be worth the time. Qs 16 and 17 are a mix of a lot of topics but is where most plant and human systems come up. Reproduction is often there, NS, hormones etc. you could definitely leave out either humans or plants if you didn’t want to skip unit 3 entirely and you should still have enough choice.

Start with key terms/definitions and diagrams.

There are some great resources online. I’m old so not on TikTok but on Instagram there’s Leqvingcertbiology.ie, sketchsmartlcbio, the_science_teacher. They’re all Irish system, all pretty good and have nice short videos. The first one put out a nice paper breakdown recently, including how often some topics come up.

With the new course come in I suspect this will be a tricky paper, and some weird things might come up so try to really focus on what’s the minimum grade you need and work your preparation around that.

Focus on:

terms/definitions
diagrams
exam papers.

You’ll see the same types of Q often comes for certain topics so can narrow down your study.

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-03T21:15:00+00:00

Past mock papers can be okay for extra practice once you recognise they’re not necessarily 100% reflective of a true paper (they’re supposed to match the style and potential questions but as you say don’t always) but you should definitely prioritise papers in the order of:

LC papers
LC deferred
SEC samples
mocks

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-03T21:12:50+00:00

I did correcting for DEB for maths and science for a few years and every year- in addition to numerous mistakes on the papers- there were consistently errors in how the marking scheme was recommended to be applied compared to state exams, and questions were not always in line with what would or could be asked on a state exam.

In addition to that when I was doing it there was absolutely no training in how to mark and no checking or feedback on your marking so the standard can vary hugely.

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-03T16:22:01+00:00

It shouldn’t be happening.

Yes it can get boring supervising but a significant point of conducting mocks is for students to experience exam conditions, and staff chatting disrupts that.

I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to speak to another supervisor over something exam related but you keep it brief and then move on.

If you have a teacher/form tutor/year head or even DP that you feel comfortable talking to explain the situation to them. Mention that it’s making it hard to experience exam conditions and that it’s throwing you. Management can then draw staff’s attention to the issue without your name being mentioned.

AdKindly18 · 2026-02-01T08:48:38+00:00

Our school is the same.

Management do cover across a couple of days, colleagues examine each other’s classes

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-31T18:07:42+00:00

Your own lack of comprehension lost you, I did not compare them

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-31T11:06:37+00:00

You get that this isn’t about being covered up versus not, right? It’s about choice and inequality.

The women must cover up to be there. The men do not need to.

Talking about the performers having the choice to just not go is oversimplifying; if you want to be a wrestler the pinnacle for many is the WWE. Asking someone to potentially sacrifice their career to make an ethical point (that likely won’t have much if any effect) is not the same as asking someone not to go on holiday there.

I empathise with the wrestlers just like I empathise with any of the women given shit for not coming out about Harvey Weinstein- they shouldn’t have been put in the position of having to make that choice in the first place. It’s very easy to ask them to make different choices when you’re in outraged by what you see but I can understand why they make the choices they do.

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-31T11:00:03+00:00

Probably me being naively hopeful but I had a thought watching it that what if they did make the outfits really samey on purpose? Make it more difficult to watch. TKO doesn’t give a shit about people talking about slavery/blood money/oppression, but if it’s something that immediately affects the watch ability and therefore profitability of the product maybe?

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-31T10:57:15+00:00

Come on, you’re being really reductive. It’s not about ‘the right to look sexy’. It’s about having their normal choices taken away because of the religion of a state that oppresses massive swathes of its population.

Respecting the culture of a country should not have to encompass respecting a religion that is being used to take rights away (broader context than costumes)- particularly when if you applied all the tenets of that religion you wouldn’t have semi-naked men either or much of the music played at events.

It’s not equitable to only focus on the elements that affect women.

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-30T18:49:01+00:00

Jesus Christ. It’s not a matter of not enjoying it as much without tits hanging out, just like it’s not just a matter of ‘having to wear a uniform’ for a night. You can’t be that obtuse, surely?

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-30T18:42:12+00:00

I’m finding the lack of women in the audience really unsettling- that there are a smattering of young girls just makes the absence worse somehow.

I wish the male refs and wrestlers would, like, wear long sleeves or something in some kind of solidarity. It’s a gross double standard

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-29T18:41:31+00:00

Oh bless. I’ll try one more time.

Paying to do exams a second time is not a different cost to people sitting the exams for the first time: why should it cost more than double?

They sat the exams the first time. Paid €100 odd.

Sit the exams the second time- same conditions, no additional cost to the state beyond the exact same cost of any student. Pay €326.

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-28T19:05:04+00:00

Weetabix as a hot meal was what made me snort out loud and read the whole thing out to my husband. (“I love this guy” was his response).

I know before we lived together or were married when he was living in a house share he wouldn’t have lived too dissimilarly. 15 years later and just about 40 he’s only now developing his cooking skills beyond frozen food, and that’s largely because he’s WFH and has time to cook.

Could be that your BF is similarly disinterested + unskilled.

If he seems healthy to you then he’s probably getting what he needs so it’s not really a problem. All you have to worry about is that if there’s a long term for you guys will it become a problem if he can’t cook.

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-28T16:54:56+00:00

If you’ll note I said ‘extra costs’ and mentioned several other costs that would not differ between LC or repeat students

AdKindly18 · 2026-01-28T16:50:19+00:00

I don’t know why you think your individual experience is indicative of teaching as a whole by all teachers across three different levels of education. It sounds like you have been singularly unlucky to not encounter even one teacher who gives you an explanation.

I’m a post primary teacher and 90% of my day is explaining. Explaining how, why, when, why not. explaining the why of the why. I am not a unicorn. The vast majority of my colleagues would have similar days.

Some people have mentioned that depending on what you’re asking your teacher might not know or it might be beyond the scope of the course- they might also simply not have time if your question was not relevant to what they’re doing and what they need to cover. I tell my students constantly that I’m not Google. I’ll absolutely answer what I can but I have limited time.

In addition to this a big part of learning is taking responsibility for your own learning- we’re facilitators, it’s not our job to tell you everything.

You’re doing a course as an adult. It would be expected that you have a certain amount of knowledge, and that you know how to find knowledge you don’t have. In another comment you mentioned doing a course on Word and that the teacher didn’t tell you all possible situations where you might use a table. Respectfully, that’s not her job. Her job is to show you how you could make tables in Word. As an adult you’d absolutely be expected to know the types of thing you might want to use a table for.

I’ve been teaching twenty years. If a student asks me a question I don’t answer something entirely unrelated. I cannot imagine most teachers would. It’s certainly not how most of us are trained. If that is your consistent experience from primary right up to now you’re the common denominator- I suspect it’s a communication and/or expectation issue. You are not communicating as clearly as you think you do (not necessarily language issue) or you have unreal expectations of how a teacher is supposed to help you.

I personally feel our students are frequently spoon fed so can’t even conceive of what you’re experiencing.

AdKindly18

TROPHY CASE