School grinds..... what to do?

O

onekeano

Guest
Was thinking of arranging for my daughter to go for ginds to the Institute in Leeson St. However at a parents / teacher meeting last week most of the teachers recommended that 1 to 1 grinds would be far more effective and were in effect against the Institute.

From what I had heard the teaching and notes provided in Leeson St are excelelnt and by and large the result very good too. My daughter has done pretty well to date but would benefit from some extra tuition and exam preparation.

Just wondering if the school teachers are being biased, maybe want to organise some grind for themselves?

Any suggestions / personal experiences in this area would be appreciated.

Roy
 
Hi onekeano,
It depends on your daughter really, and what kind of student she is. The Institute is great for last minute revision and year long courses, but there is a huge temptation to doss on the revision courses, so if she is the kind of student that needs supervision or guidance, then 121 is the way to go.
I speak from experience, having a (much) younger brother who wanted to do the same thing this year, but when left on his own, he can barely motivate himself to get out of bed - never mind apply himself to a 90 minute long class!
 
School Grinds

I went to Leeson Street myself for two terms of Saturday Morning grinds - A few of us from home travelled into town on a Saturday. Mostly we went to the classes and they were excellent - Sometimes we went to the pub - big temptation for country bumpkins let loose in the city!

We used to take one 2-3 subjects per morning per term and we would photocopy and swap the notes with each other - They were the best part of the course. If she can get her hands on a set of the notes it's nearly as good as the course itself.

I also used to give grinds in Science after I finished my degree. And have to admit that just before the grinds I had to learn some of the topics myself. The benefit to the student though is that they have someone sitting over them and can explain things to them in a way THEY understand. They dont feel as silly asking questions.

So benefits of both as said before! And disadvantages - like the grind teacher not being as au fait with the subject as they should - and it is easy to bluff - believe me!
 
Re: School Grinds

Grind schools in general are notorious for being little more than social/fashion clubs.

However, as said before, if your daughter is motivated she could benefit from them, but from what I remember of those places, she really would need to be very motivated - drive by the one mentioned above some Saturday to see the gaggles of expensively dressed teens hanging around smoking outside...
 
Re: School Grinds

Thanks folks for the feedback,

My daughter would be described as pretty motivated, has done very well to date. I had heard great reports about the notes / handouts and felt that she would probably benefit from those in conjunction with a class who generally wanted to do well.

At the end of the day I suppose it will be up to the boss herself as to which she is more comfortable with.

Thanks again
Roy
 
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