As this article goes to press, hundreds of thousands of A Level and GCSE students will be embarking upon the dreaded 'Exam Season'.
As the Headmistress of my school back in the 1980s used to say: ‘Remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint’. That, I’m afraid, was all the revision advice that was given to us at this time; this was decades before Carol Dweck’s ‘Mindset’, Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours theory, and Professor Steve Peters’ ‘The Chimp Paradox’. Therefore, my generation of O Level (yes, I am that old) and A Level students muddled through with record cards, recorded notes on to a Sony Walkman- if we were lucky enough to own one of these highly-prized ‘gadgets’ – and kept ourselves awake with a ready supply of Nescafe Gold Blend.
Students, today, however, have a plethora of exam tips and revision guides, with the ubiquitous Post-It notes covering every available surface with aide memoires and checklists. Exam revision schedules are created and, surprisingly, adhered to; ‘productivity’ apps are increasingly used to ensure that revision time is carefully calibrated, with time even built in for review and recall. Our teenagers are, overall, well-organised, diligent and ambitious to do well. Therefore, what these young people need is adult care and common sense during this period. Those who are looking after them need to ensure that they work, of course, but then they ‘rest and play’- without necessarily resorting to eating the chocolate bar that this mantra used to advertise. We, the adults, need to be mindful that the health of our teenagers – mental and physical – is of paramount importance. As the proud Head of a girls’ school, I have used assemblies this term to emphasise the importance of sleep, rest and the restorative powers of reading for pleasure i.e. ‘Bibliotherapy’. Today’s students are au fait with how to learn effectively, but I am conscious that some of them are so busy being human doings that they need reminding of how to be effective human beings.
To our glorious teenagers and their patient parents, I salute you and wish you Godspeed.