Yesterday…

I went to a parent’s evening for Mini-Pooflake1…

My jaw dropped when the teacher told me that he was very intelligent and had a wonderful way with words, but was a bit lazy, and did not seem bothered to reach his full potential.

I was told he was a bit of a worrier, that he seemed tired a lot, only really applied himself on the subjects that he was interested in and that it was a bit frustrating for the people around him because they all knew he was capable of so much more…

So what goes around truly does come around…I had myself perfectly described back to myself through my son…

(Except for the ‘intelligent’ and ‘way with words’ bit - he gets that from the missus)
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Wed 27 Feb 2008, 10:19, 20 replies)

Ah lovely.
Was he also told he was very handsome and lots of fun : )
( girlinthehole, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 10:40, closed)

^^Nope, but he is...

unfortunately though...nowt to do with me again!
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Wed 27 Feb 2008, 11:16, closed)

I'm like this too
I manage to piss off every tutor I have, by being obviously capable, but never doing any work...
( Mr.Ons knows you can hear him, Earthmen., Wed 27 Feb 2008, 11:26, closed)

I was a smart little bastard at school
so was able to pass exams in academic subjects without trying. Especially science subjects, which I was interested in and so made the effort to learn lots about. But when it came to stuff like PE, because I was a fat lazy sod, I wouldn't run about if I could help it.

The comment on my report card was, "Works to minimum requirements".
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 11:33, closed)

I was the same
got an A in a module of physics A-level and my teacher went "I hope you don't think this means you don't have to do any work"

I couldn't stop myself blurting out "well I didn't do any for this one"
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 11:40, closed)

...
I got an A in GCSE Russian through extensive study not of Russian, but of the marking scheme. I was greeted by my ex-teacher when I went back in the VI form with the words, "Congratulations. You don't deserve it."
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 11:52, closed)

^^^
Likewise, O grade Latin could be passed (55%) by not actually knowing any Latin, save for the first few words in the set passage, which you could learn parrot fashion.

I actually managed an A, but had to study for it, as I was never much good at languages. Too much stuff to remember and nothing to work out.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 11:58, closed)

^OK: does this ring any bells?
ecce! in pictura est puella romama nomine Cornelia. etiam in pictura est puella romana nomine Flavia. Cornelia cantat dum Flavia sub abore sedet.

It's amazing how I can recite the first page of a Latin textbook from 20 years ago. More amazing is that so can everyone else I know who learned from Ecce Romani. (Although it was from the Oxford Latin Course that I heard about Plato, and eventually got me into my present career...)
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 12:05, closed)

Ecce Romani!!!
What's sad is i still have volumes 1-5 knocking around somewhere.

Also I'll take your Russian GCSE and raise you a Latin A-Level. The A grade in which was achieved mostly by memorising vast passages of various texts for the 'unseen translation'.
(Milo Minderbinder, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 12:27, closed)

^^
My friend aced GCSE Latin by memorising vast chunks of book VI of The Aeneid. I settled for an affinity with the accusative infinitive and ablative absolute and scraped a B.

What is a gerund, exactly?
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 12:37, closed)

I've no idea
But I do know how to spot one in a comprehension.

See also the subjunctive and a cum clause, arf.
(Milo Minderbinder, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 12:45, closed)

Ecce Romani
was co-written by the deputy head of my old school!

I remember it well - Cornelia, Davus the servant, Flavia, Marcus, Sextus et al.

Latin also taught me more about the formalities of English grammar than 12 years of primary and secondary English lessons.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 13:39, closed)

Quite
Everyone should learn Latin the better to speak English.

Davus iratus est!
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 13:52, closed)

Romans go home?
Now write it out 100 times before dawn, or i'll cut your balls off.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 14:31, closed)

...
Of course the irony is that in the film the correction is wrong as well. I remember my teacher gleefully explaining this to us and making us learn the correct one.

Did mean i got to watch Life of Brian in school aged 13 (he says desperately trying to recover some street cred)
(Milo Minderbinder, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 15:41, closed)

English to Latin
Apropos of the Latin conversation, and not Pooflake's post, I'd be interested to know if anyone is up to the challenge of translating a little 6 word phrase for me (from English into Latin). It might clear some cobwebs from those great and dusty brains... ;)
( e.m.m.y. foxtrot uniform charlie kilo india tango, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 16:17, closed)

Ecce Romani!
I remember reading that!

I vaguely recall Vesuvius erupting (in the book, not first-hand), and the dog wailing as his master died...

Powerful stuff.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 16:41, closed)

My PE report
"Frankspencer is a lazy and immature boy who nobody likes."

And a gerund is a verb that acts as a noun = I like *running*
(frankspencer, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 17:09, closed)

@cunning linguists
Pft! I'll see your Russian and Latin and raise you Hebrew as a first year university option. Why? I have no idea. Possibly because they didn't teach Arabic. My Arabic is also rather minimal but I can do a cracking conversation about donkeys.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Wed 27 Feb 2008, 17:35, closed)

Ecce Romani...
Is that the same as the Cambridge Latin Course book with Caecilius and the Vesuvius eruption? Maybe they changed the name, but those books were the bane of my life a few years back

Quintus est in horto :D
(neorockz :), Wed 27 Feb 2008, 18:58, closed)