Do not fear that if you drop the bundle in the last year of high school that you have ruined your life. You may need to detour a bit, or meander along a different path for a while, but it will all work out for you, one way or another, as long as you keep moving. Forwards, backwards or sideways - it doesn't really matter. There are many doors that lead to the same place.
For the parents of the HSC-ers, remember this: A person who is supported can achieve great heights.
Your kids are not you. They don't think like you, nor feel like you. They don't necessarily have the same dreams as you, or even the same interests. At some point we have to step back and if they need to 'fail' to move forward, so be it. If they need a few years to invest in discovering what drives them, what interests them, what is their passion, then perhaps we need to let them. Dropping out of school isn't the end, it's the beginning. Failing a few subjects doesn't mean they've thrown it all away, it just means they need to reassess their options. Always look at the options. As long as you have options, there is a choice.
I went to a talk where the speaker said that in High school he had no idea what he wanted to do, and his marks reflected that. His advice was to work out what you love doing, and the money will follow. I know it's not always as simple as that but perhaps, with 40% of kids sitting the HSC becoming dangerously over stressed, it's the mantra we need to start instilling in them.
Talk to a 40 year old and not many of them are working where they started out, or even in the field where they began. The HSC is not the be all and end all. 30 years from now you will be asked to write about your final year at school and struggle to bring a single, relevant memory to the fore.
Your life is more important than some numbers, so always remember that. The barrister, Sharna Clemmett gave a powerful and inspirational address to her former high school's assembly. This article has a link to her FB page with the full details of the address. Please take the time to read as it's excellent, and show your kids if they're are heading into the final year of high school.
What did you learn in your final year of High School?
I have one in the final year of A levels right now, it is hard and he is feeling the pressure, but as you say it is not the most important thing in life. #KCACOLS
ReplyDeleteHere! Here! I totally agree with all you have said. Back in 1975 the HSC was the be all and end all and so much pressure! There is more to life any one exam that is for sure. Pity we have to grow up to realise that.
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I totally agree with this, it just seems so important at the time but in the scheme of things did it really matter so much? #KCACOLS
ReplyDeleteUgh, so true. And yet, in the moment, with the school putting all of that pressure on you so that they look good, it feels like the end of the world.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with every word of this. But then, I would! I bombed out in the HSC. Unfortunately I am not an example of someone who went on to become a raging success anyway. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI remember walking around the streets of Goulburn learning my history essays parrot fashion so that when I walked into the HSC I could (in theory) just write a standard essay for each Modern History topic and change the introduction and conclusion to match the question. I passed, but I can't remember a single thing I learned in history today. Oh the pressure.
ReplyDeleteMy son starts his final high school exams this week and we've been having lots of those conversations.The marks he gets are just that and this time next year, they will be a distant memory. Much to the schools horror, I've supported him to make his own choices about the subjects he chose and what career path he is keen to follow. I only wish the school would see things this way and stop putting so much pressure on it's pupils.
ReplyDeleteGreat perspective, Lydia. It was all so very long ago and we were so very young when we sat those exams.
ReplyDeleteSSG xxx
so true! I missed the HSC by a few years, in Victoria we did the VCE for year 11 and 12, there was a lot of pressure, I actually still recall my last year very clearly even though I am 41, but I have a memory that kind of remembers anything and everything, both a curse and a blessing at times. What you say is so true though, I am not in the field where I began, and the stress is so not worth it. #TwinklyTuesday
ReplyDeleteI hear kids get so much homework now in high school too - must be very stressful for them. Su #mg
ReplyDeleteI learned that there is so much more in life than what we presumed in was important in HS! At least for me!
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely not the be all and end all. The pressure can be intense and at the time we think it is the most important thing but looking back, there are many more important moments too! Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly not working where I started out - things change, and hopefully for the better. #kcacols
ReplyDeleteIt’s true. as long as you have support no matter what you do it shouldn’t matter how far you’ve gone education wise. #KCACOLS
ReplyDeleteI am an exam invigilator so see the pressure that kids put themselves under. As an adult, I know that people value personality more than grades. Thanks for linking up with #stayclassymama
ReplyDeleteI loved my last year of school but I went to school in scotland and boarding school so it was very different. I was 18 when I left and felt very grown up. Exam pressure wasn't the same as it is now I don't think. I have a teen facing all sorts of things different from my school years
ReplyDelete#stayclassymama