This week in High School we have seen our Year 7 to Year 10 students completing exams. Exams can be a stressful experience for some. As we endeavour to prepare our students to sit the HSC exams, through building in exam skills all the way from Year 7 through their High School years, this can cause excitement in some and anxiety in others.
I remember my experience with exams which ranged from trying really hard, which sometimes paid off and sometimes didn’t; to not putting in any effort and not getting a decent mark in return. As an adult I can reflect on the benefits of giving things a go and seeing your hard work pay off but as a young person that wasn’t always the case. Something I have been working hard to pass onto the young people we have here at PCS is summed up perfectly in Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it will all your might.”
We work with many different students and I’m sure parents can recognise within their own families how different teenagers can be in their approach to school. Exams are meant to challenge students, to get them to prepare, think differently and apply knowledge in a situation that is different to the classroom. Whether it is an exam, an assessment, a part time job or a lifetime career one thing that everyone can hold onto is the mindset of doing your best regardless of the circumstances.
A challenge for us all to look at how we approach areas of our life, work and education. I have enjoyed working with the students this year and in years past to develop a culture where exams are not the big, stressful and life-defining thing that some people can make them out to be but whilst we have the opportunity to do them we might as well give them a red hot go and try our best.
So whatever it is you are doing today I hope you are finding a way to give it your all and learn and grow through the experiences.
Hollie
