My kids are taking their first big exams – and revealing my own anxieties about AI and long division | Emma Brockes

As the traditional route of school, university and entry-level job is ever more precarious, it’s no wonder parents are feeling the strain Called on to do long division, how would you fare? I had no illusions going in. I couldn’t do it the first time round and, four decades later, it seemed unlikely the situation had improved. (For a split second I thought AI might help, but it was like listening to street directions, only worse.) And so, while parents of 11-year-olds offer sympathy and support for their children ahead of year 6 Sats exams next week, let’s not lose sight of the real victims here, which is us parents who have been forced to revisit multi-stage maths problems when we had made large and deliberate life choices to avoid them. Of course, Sats “don’t matter”, or if you’re a more liberal parent, exams as a whole don’t matter – a statement that, if it was a consoling lie at one time, seems to be becoming ever more true.

Arguments around the value of testing have been going on for ever, but as AI eviscerates the entry-level job market and university degrees become increasingly expensive and at odds with the skills young people may actually need, you have to wonder whether the old systems of education are still fit for purpose – and if they’re not, what exactly should replace them? Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading... Emma Brockes As the traditional route of school, university and entry-level job is ever more precarious, it’s no wonder parents are feeling the strain C alled on to do long division, how would you fare? I had no illusions going in. I couldn’t do it the first time round and, four decades later, it seemed unlikely the situation had improved.

(For a split second I thought AI might help, but it was like listening to street directions, only worse.) And so, while parents of 11-year-olds offer sympathy and support for their children ahead of year 6 Sats exams next week, let’s not lose sight of the real victims here, which is us parents who have been forced to revisit multi-stage maths problems when we had made large and deliberate life choices to avoid them. Of course, Sats “don’t matter”, or if you’re a more liberal parent, exams as a whole don’t matter – a statement that, if it was a consoling lie at one time, seems to be becoming ever more true. Arguments around the value of testing have been going on for ever, but as AI eviscerates the entry-level job market and university degrees become increasingly expensive and at odds with the skills young people may actually need, you have to wonder whether the old systems of education are still fit for purpose – and if they’re not, what exactly should replace them? So, too, learning to move on if you don’t get the grade that you need, or that, correctly channelled, adrenaline has uses. If nothing else, Sats serve a ritualistic purpose that marks the end of something and the start of something new.

Obviously, this makes a case for exams more as life experience than learning tool, in the same way that a university education these days seems to offer best value as a very expensive developmental stage that may not be met by plunging straight into work. Financially, if it makes more sense for kids to eschew training systems built for a world becoming rapidly obsolete, what else will afford them the time to grow and think and look at the world? My child pats my arm: “It’s OK.” Explore more on these topics Share Reuse this content As the traditional route of school, university and entry-level job is ever more precarious, it’s no wonder parents are feeling the strain Called on to do long division, how would you fare? I had no illusions going in. I couldn’t do it the first time round and, four decades later, it seemed unlikely the situation had improved.

(For a split second I thought AI might help, but it was like listening to street directions, only worse.) And so, while parents of 11-year-olds offer sympathy and support for their children ahead of year 6 Sats exams next week, let’s not lose sight of the real victims here, which is us parents who have been forced to revisit multi-stage maths problems when we had made large and deliberate life choices to avoid them. Of course, Sats “don’t matter”, or if you’re a more liberal parent, exams as a whole don’t matter – a statement that, if it was a consoling lie at one time, seems to be becoming ever more true. Arguments around the value of testing have been going on for ever, but as AI eviscerates the entry-level job market and university degrees become increasingly expensive and at odds with the skills young people may actually need, you have to wonder whether the old systems of education are still fit for purpose – and if they’re not, what exactly should replace them? Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading... My kids are taking their first big exams – and revealing my own anxieties about AI and long division | Emma Brockes