ESB -- Extra Special Boy?

Got his ESB (English Speaking Board) exam results yesterday. Had a 'Merit Plus', whatever that means.

Then went on to say that his best friend got a Distinction.

There was a look of clear disappointment on his face and I felt so sorry for my little boy.

The point is he refused to let me or his dad help him with the preparation.

For the poem he chose Alfred Noyes 'The Highwayman', just Part I because it is a long poem. I thought that was a bit ambitious. But he wanted to do that as a challenge.

For the talk he talked about his 'blue bear'. It was short, presented in his own clumsy little way.

Then he read from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I know for a fact that all the other parents gave a great deal of help to their boys. They would listen to their talk every day, maybe helped even in writing some of it, primed them on how to answer the questions from the floor, made them read and taught them how to read with expression, etc.

My son would have none of it. "If I get a Distinction I want it to be ON MY OWN WORK, not somebody else's."

That, I think, is a very good attitude. But he was disappointed that he did not get a Distinction.

He also did his 'Maths', "How could I get Distinction in the talk and reading, and a Merit Plus in the poem and still only get a Merit Plus?"

Let's hope he has learned his lesson. That sometimes he should listen to the opinions of his Mum and Dad and take their suggestions on board.