• Review of Predictions for 2018

    On 1 January I made predictions for the coming year. Time to see how I got on.

    1 – General Election in the second half of the year.

    Well, no we didn’t and the government linger on. Not right

    2 – “…and as the polls close, our exit poll predicts that the Conservative Party is unlikely to be able to form a new government…”

    Well, the government did linger on of a fashion.  N/A

    3 – The next but one leader of the Conservative Party becomes Ruth Davidson MP.

    Too soon to tell. Not right yet.

    4 – The hipsters get bored of vinyl and discover cameras with actual, you know, film.

    In September, I happened upon three or four hipster types from Denmark in the cathedral grounds taking photographs for a fashion shoot in Belgium. They had stopped shooting for a moment…. to reload film canasters.  Right – but likely to become more common yet.

    5 – No date for a new referendum on Scottish Independence.

    No date for a new referendum and no great call for one either. Right.

    6 – No progress for LGBT affirming Anglicans in England.

    Sadly correct. Right

    7 – Progress for LGBT affirming Anglicans elsewhere, particularly Brazil.

    Stunning progress in Brazil – marriage agreed by huge majority on synod floor. (And who else saw that coming!) Right.

    8 – Increasing realisation that sexual abuse is part of church culture. #churchtoo #metoo.

    Yes – meetings happening all over the place trying to work out how to respond. Few coherent policies yet. Right.

    9 – FTSE lower at the end of 2018 than it is at the beginning. (7687)

    As I write this the FTSE is at 6728 – worst year in a decade. Right

    10 – The end of the beard.

    Those with style, manners and culture have seen the error of their ways and shaved. A few young and misguided types cling on. Completely and utterly right.

     

    Not a bad year, I think.

3 responses to “5 things about exams that matter more than results”

  1. Matthew Pemble Avatar
    Matthew Pemble

    The important thing isn’t the results themselves, but whether you can carry on and do what you wanted to do, whether or not you need to take a little detour on the road. I was lucky and didn’t. Many people aren’t as fortunate.

    My heart goes out to all those older kids / young adults who are looking at their SMS or results sheet and think their life is in ruins. Really, it isn’t.

    1. Beth Routledge Avatar

      In the end, that little detour on the road is sometimes the thing that makes the journey better and prettier and more fun.

      I’ve been where those kids are today. It’s not the end of the world. It feels like it, but it’s really not.

  2. Imogen Vibert Avatar
    Imogen Vibert

    Lovely words of wisdom! As a school chaplain I’ll be in for A level & GCSE results days in England soon…think I might just print a few copies of this off to take with me. 🙂

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