Foggy Dew

We woke up to a foggy morning today. We know that fog occurs when cloud hits the ground. One of the main problems with fog is that it reduces visibility. We can be living our lives quite smoothly and then suddenly be hit by a blanket of fog.

A type of fog that causes problems is called localised fog. This is especially dangerous when we are driving as a little wisp can obscure our vision. We need to be especially careful and pay attention.

What happens in the eleven plus examination when a fog comes over the mind? Here we could meet a child who is bright, sunny and confident. In the examination everything is moving ahead smoothly. Suddenly the child is hit by a ground fog. The brain stops working. The answer to a question is hard to find. We can just pray that at the crucial moment the fog lights will come on and guide the candidate through.

We know that most types of fog are created when relative humidity reaches 100% at ground-level. Sometimes fog is accompanied by dew. What we can be fairly certain of is that remarkably few eleven plus children will be hit by the sort of problem facing the participants in these few lines:

When I was a bachelor, I lived by myself
And I worked at the weaver’s trade;
The only, only, thing that I ever did wrong
Was to woo a fair young maid.
I wooed her in the winter time,
And in the summer too;
And the only, only thing that I ever did wrong
Was to keep her from the foggy, foggy dew.

Good examination preparation and counselling will help. Remind your child to keep focused – to keep the fog lights on and think about `other things’ at other times.