I am the guinea pig generation when it comes to the English National Curriculum. My year was the first with SATs throughout. I was the first year for curriculum 2000 (now known as a/s a-levels). I was also the first year to have the UCAS scoring system change because of the half a-levels.
I was also under a shit load of pressure to succeed. Not from my parents, but my brothers.
My parents I know love me unconditionally because I tested that love once. They have never told me off for not getting amazing grades, but the brothers have.
With an age gap of 13 years we'd had very different opportunities. I'd been told that what I would be doing was college and university as that would open so many doors for me. I should work hard and get into uni, because they hadn't had the opportunity. The starting salary for those extra years study would be higher than those the same age as me already in the job. So I studied.
Of everyone I fear the judgement of my brothers over my parents. Lesser of brother B but holy shit did we fear the wrath of brother A.
Brother B was and still is a lazy git. It's always someone else's fault he didn't do as well as he could. Or it's his health that let him down, (he has asthma and nice said he would and could use this to ensure he always got an interview. He's a dick).
When brother B had a go at me for getting a D in my A level general studies (an exam you just did at my college), I told him to fuck off.
When I got a third (2 marks from a 2:2) and had rung my mum distraught, she came round with my dad and Brother B in tow, I knew he'd have a pop at me. We went to the pub to drown my sorrows. Mum and dad had told me it wasn't the end of the world and they were still proud to have seen me make it to uni and hey you have a degree!
When brother B came to the bar to help me with the drinks, he told me I clearly hadn't applied myself enough. I could of punched him in the balls.
On the other hand brother A worked and had shown us the value of working. His sermons although preachy and really annoying are, on occasion justified. He'd made a similar sacrifice as our mother had for her siblings and unlike his little brother been a grown up and helped the family out.
If it wasn't for him telling me to do better and to get the uni, I'd not gone and have a massive debt looming in the background. But I also wouldn't have my GCSE's after he helped me so much with my course work and revision and ended up at college.
Although I'll never again tell brother B about anything, I will brother A. Even if it means he'll get on his soap box and tell me I'm not doing it right or I should stop upsetting mum. He still helped me out more than he knows, so he stills gets away with it even now I'm a married woman.
So when I make a joke about him being jealous of those happy fresh faced teens in the paper and how he could only get a fake degree. Half my success is his.
If only I could get him to halve my student debt.
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