Surviving Year 12 – Mar

As the end of the first school month of 2016 approaches, so too does the realisation that year 12 has well and truly begun. It is at this stage that a trend is set, a path that will endure throughout the year. How to use the study sessions?

Approximately 50% of students have chosen the café for a quick latté, soy-milk, double shot fix. Another 25% are known to discuss their latest maximum weight on the bench press, or where they’re going on the weekend to do anything but study. What do the other 25% do?

Effective use of study sessions are a true indicator of success’ argues every teacher sick of seeing year 12 students in the lane way. The basic principle of human psychology is that an overworked, stressed out 17-18 year old running on no sleep and lots of red bull will be in no state near capable of studying. The basic principle of school, though, is that human psychology comes second. So what can a student really do in a study break?

As a student myself, the obvious answer is practice essays and reading, as well as any unfinished homework. A student capable of completing such activities consistently in study sessions is sure to have a certain edge over other students. It just so happens that sanity is not the kind of edge I’m talking about.

The real dilemma of Year 12 is not the study scores you get, but your ability to prove yourself as an adult. What is most prized in academic performance is, or if not should be, maturity. The ability to balance fun and education. The ability to work consistently whilst maintaining good sleep patterns. Year 12 is not a test of your intellect, it is a test of your adulthood.

Tom Shute

March 2016