Assistant Principal Pastoral Care
A Star (might be) Born!
Ms Mockler, who is the real, official Virtual Learning guru for the Canberra-Goulburn Diocese, asked me the other day if a had a few minutes (she knows me well and understands that you can’t give me an open ended time frame) to talk about Pastoral stuff with some developing sister schools - McAuley at Tumut and St Anne’s at Temora. The brief was Year 11s heading towards their first major exam block after expansion from K to 10. Nice to be thought of.
Road trip I thought, but no such luck. Of course: it’s virtual; a Team’s Meeting. That’s OK, I’ll get some of my Yr 10s to help me. But who would have thought that shortly I would be an internet star? I’ll have to review my previous position on social media, maybe bust some moves for Tic Tak…
Thought I’d better do some preparation, I might look like an elderly goose, but I’d rather not sound like one. Rehearsed spontaneity. Remember to be supportive.
Perspective
* Something along the lines to keep your head on straight, almost certainly your life will not turn solely on whether you receive 70 or 80 for the particular subject at hand. Will it matter in three months, let alone thirty years?
- Exams are about learning, an ongoing progression. Do your best – absolutely, but perfection is a trap. Met plenty of kids paralysed by it’s search.
- You are on your way to Y12, you’re not there yet (and even if you were the previous points still hold). Character
- Dispel the forming opinion that I just said that it doesn’t matter what you get. Emphasise that what you should be about is trying to be your best all the time. You don’t turn right and wrong off and on ( Note to Self - hold yourself back here). Exams are another facet of the rich tapestry of your life where you are trying to do right all the time. (Note to self – Drop the tapestry metaphor – too full of yourself)
- Get yourself in a position where your first reaction to your results is not an excuse.
Preparation - Of course, the best preparation is to know what you are talking about, to have done the work in class, engaged with the material and put the time in. No substitute for that.
- Are you doing scaffolds? As you move towards the exam are you reducing the “must knows” down and down towards one easily accessible sheet etc etc ? Know paper formats; thought about time allocation for sections proportionate to weightings? Leave nothing blank. Practice timed handwriting (a lost art). TALK TO YOUR TEACHERS BEFORE / DURING IF NECESSARY / AND AFTER – they care about you. (Note to self - Don’t rabbit on about this, Ms Mockler will pick it up).
Self-Care - Caution against the whole last minute, all-nighters thing – often counterproductive. Avoid.
- Day of the exam – no panics. Leave plenty of time, DRIVE CAREFULLY!!! Eat breakfast. And the dream of every parent – lay out your clothes (uniform?) the night before. Equipment check.
- Breathe, relax.
- Understand and use what is in place to support you if needs be – eg Illness and Misadventure / Special Provisions. With the latter, make sure you know how these are going to work.
- In the run in - eat well ( have you already said that?), sleep well. Both provide brain power. Equally, in the days before, exercise can be tremendously beneficial and is a FAR better study reward than eg gaming.
- Speaking of which, some self discipline with screens, Get your study notes on paper asap and get away from screens if you can’t resist the distractions of social media and gaming.
- Suggest ( they will think you really are mad!) a social media ban / restriction during the exam block. I have seen supportive study chats, but more often the spread of fear or malaise. Have seen Y12 get off it for months before their exams and describe it as a revelation.
Afters - How are you going to respond to your results – learn and keep growing; or run up the white flag?
- Talk to mum and dad, process it.
Well over your time quota I suspect. I’ll ask a kid about Tik Toc. 