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Ireland's big school secret: how a year off-curriculum changes teenage lives

(www.theguardian.com)
204 points joveian | 4 comments | 16 Oct 24 17:36 UTC | HN request time: 0.204s | source
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anotherhue ◴[16 Oct 24 18:50 UTC] No.41862429[source]▶
20 years ago it was considered a 'doss year' (waste/screw-around etc.), and the general perception was that it was for those that require a little more time in the oven developmentally before proceeding to the next stage. I was a child then so I don't know if that was true, but certainly the majority of people who took it were not academically inclined.
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1. Filligree ◴[16 Oct 24 18:54 UTC] No.41862502[source]▶
Which seems fair enough. There’s already a year difference between the youngest and oldest student in any given class; if you want your children to do well, make sure they’re among the oldest.

The problem is it might come too late to change their self-perception. A year is a lot of time when you’re nine

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2. wiredfool ◴[16 Oct 24 19:01 UTC] No.41862584[source]▶
TY is typically at 15ish.
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3. SoftTalker ◴[16 Oct 24 20:45 UTC] No.41863685[source]▶
A year is still a lot then. You can do a lot in a year if you don't have to worry about earning a living and have the time to engage in things that are interesting.
4. Filligree ◴[17 Oct 24 02:48 UTC] No.41865982[source]▶
That's the problem — it might well be far too late.