Madam,- In response to John Murphy's letter of June 21st in relation to students' attitudes to project work, I feel Mr Murphy needs to realise that the times are changing.
What educational policy is trying to do is make the dreaded Leaving Cert not only more adaptable to students' capabilities, but to their passion and their personal determination.
Project work (or pre-exam submissions) is a small test of students' abilities to put their full, personal effort into the project. In subjects such as history, geography and home economics, students have a chance to make something their own and to put their full and most concentrated effort into these submissions because although deadlines are placed, there is plenty of time given to perfect the submissions that could make the difference between a B and an A, without the panic that consumes some students during terminal examinations.
What Mr Murphy failed to mention is that some students who really want the top grade, and who need high points DO NOT wait for the teacher to direct them.
Leaving Cert projects are a test of the students' commitment to the subject and those with initiative and drive will have the projects they have undertaken done before or on time.
Mr Murphy should not have painted such a blase picture of Leaving Cert students, especially when some of us work so hard. - Yours, etc,
RACHEL TRACEY, Celbridge, Co Kildare.