When exam results are out and new school terms are beginning, for some it will be a time of celebration, for others it is anything but. I am all for getting a good education, in all senses of the word, and I can see the value in getting exams too. I do think we need to keep some perspective when it comes to formal examinations though.
Not passing an exam comes down to one of three things. Either
1. you didn't understand the subject in the first place
2. you didn't work hard enough or
3. you just don't have a good recall and exam technique.
The good news is that in all three cases you can do something about it! If you don't understand something, it is your right and your responsibility to ask questions and to seek and receive help. It may be you were unfortunate enough to have an uninspiring teacher who didn't teach you in the way you learn best. It happens, deal with it and move on. Today more than ever, you have a wealth of knowledge at your disposal and if you can't get help from your teacher, look online or find someone else in your life to help you. We might appear to know very little, but many of us adults know lots of stuff and would enjoy sharing if you only ask!
Not working hard enough. Well, do I really need to say more about that? Just think about why that might be and who you are really affecting. Playing up in class may make you feel cool at the time and make you more popular than your more book wormy class mates, but who will pay the price long term? It won't be your teacher. They might suffer whilst you're in their charge, but in a short while you'll just be another kid they used to teach. Your 'swotty' mates might envy your coolness now, but if they keep working hard, you can bet they'll have the last laugh when they're earning so much more than you and have a better car, house, new pair of shoes etc It won't even be your parents. Lots of us rebel at school because we want to get our parents attention, but again, guess what, it's only you who loses out in the long run!
The third reason, poor recall and exam technique is also not fatal. Your memory can be trained to make it more efficient and there are many ways to help make your revision more effective. Work out how you learn best (visually, by listening, or by walking through things in some way) and use it to your advantage. Your mind is the most miraculous machine if you only learn how to use it more efficiently. So you didn't do so well in your exams. It doesn't mean you are stupid or that you'll never pass an exam. It doesn't mean you are bad or hopeless or doomed to a miserable life. It just means you didn't pass this time, don't let it define you and how you think about yourself. Pick yourself up and then ask yourself some key questions and answer them really honestly. Write your answers down, it will make you think harder.
Don't waste your own time by lying to yourself about the answers. You want to be treated like an adult I imagine, so react like one. Take responsibility for your learning and for what you are going to achieve because I can guarantee you, if you do, you will learn and achieve far more than if you see it as someone else's job.
Your time in education is your time. It's the only time in your life when people are on hand to help you (even if they don't really want to!) without you having to pay them for their time. They are giving you stuff for free every day and the stuff they give you, knowledge, you can use to make a great life for yourself.
Work out where you want to go in life and work out how to get there. If you need exams, resit them, it's not the end of the world and a year out of your life now is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Look at other people who are successful and see what you could copy from them. There are lots of really successful people who didn't do well at school but they believed in themselves and that carried them through. Believe in yourself too and make sure you have good self esteem.
If you don't know what you want to do, don't worry about it! Speak to someone sensible and pick subjects you can do well in and that will give you a good overall grounding and maximum choice.
For me that's what education and exams are all about, choice. Doing well will give you more choices when you are ready in your life to make them. I don't know anyone who at 16 was ready for the big life choices, so give yourself the widest selection possible. Exams do not make you a good person, or define you, but they will be used as a benchmark and to funnel your options. Doing as well as you can will just make sure the funnel is as wide as it can be.
Above all, stay positive and do it for yourself.
I am a Master Practitioner of NLP, Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis, a mother of two and the author of The Self Help Bible series.
The Self Help Bibles are short, practical books designed to help you harness the power of the mind and create the life you really want.
Please visit my website http://theselfhelpbible.com for information on personal development, self help and self improvement or to check out the free resources available.
Why not join me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TheSelfHelpBible for the latest news and to join in the discussions there:-)
By Amanda Ollier Nee Ball
Not passing an exam comes down to one of three things. Either
1. you didn't understand the subject in the first place
2. you didn't work hard enough or
3. you just don't have a good recall and exam technique.
The good news is that in all three cases you can do something about it! If you don't understand something, it is your right and your responsibility to ask questions and to seek and receive help. It may be you were unfortunate enough to have an uninspiring teacher who didn't teach you in the way you learn best. It happens, deal with it and move on. Today more than ever, you have a wealth of knowledge at your disposal and if you can't get help from your teacher, look online or find someone else in your life to help you. We might appear to know very little, but many of us adults know lots of stuff and would enjoy sharing if you only ask!
Not working hard enough. Well, do I really need to say more about that? Just think about why that might be and who you are really affecting. Playing up in class may make you feel cool at the time and make you more popular than your more book wormy class mates, but who will pay the price long term? It won't be your teacher. They might suffer whilst you're in their charge, but in a short while you'll just be another kid they used to teach. Your 'swotty' mates might envy your coolness now, but if they keep working hard, you can bet they'll have the last laugh when they're earning so much more than you and have a better car, house, new pair of shoes etc It won't even be your parents. Lots of us rebel at school because we want to get our parents attention, but again, guess what, it's only you who loses out in the long run!
The third reason, poor recall and exam technique is also not fatal. Your memory can be trained to make it more efficient and there are many ways to help make your revision more effective. Work out how you learn best (visually, by listening, or by walking through things in some way) and use it to your advantage. Your mind is the most miraculous machine if you only learn how to use it more efficiently. So you didn't do so well in your exams. It doesn't mean you are stupid or that you'll never pass an exam. It doesn't mean you are bad or hopeless or doomed to a miserable life. It just means you didn't pass this time, don't let it define you and how you think about yourself. Pick yourself up and then ask yourself some key questions and answer them really honestly. Write your answers down, it will make you think harder.
- * Why didn't I pass?
- * Which one of the three categories do I fall into?
- * What can I learn from this?
- * What could I do differently next time?
- * What will I do differently?
- * Who can help me?
- * What am I good at?
- * How did I learn to do that?
- * How can I use that way of learning for other things?
Don't waste your own time by lying to yourself about the answers. You want to be treated like an adult I imagine, so react like one. Take responsibility for your learning and for what you are going to achieve because I can guarantee you, if you do, you will learn and achieve far more than if you see it as someone else's job.
Your time in education is your time. It's the only time in your life when people are on hand to help you (even if they don't really want to!) without you having to pay them for their time. They are giving you stuff for free every day and the stuff they give you, knowledge, you can use to make a great life for yourself.
Work out where you want to go in life and work out how to get there. If you need exams, resit them, it's not the end of the world and a year out of your life now is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Look at other people who are successful and see what you could copy from them. There are lots of really successful people who didn't do well at school but they believed in themselves and that carried them through. Believe in yourself too and make sure you have good self esteem.
If you don't know what you want to do, don't worry about it! Speak to someone sensible and pick subjects you can do well in and that will give you a good overall grounding and maximum choice.
For me that's what education and exams are all about, choice. Doing well will give you more choices when you are ready in your life to make them. I don't know anyone who at 16 was ready for the big life choices, so give yourself the widest selection possible. Exams do not make you a good person, or define you, but they will be used as a benchmark and to funnel your options. Doing as well as you can will just make sure the funnel is as wide as it can be.
Above all, stay positive and do it for yourself.
I am a Master Practitioner of NLP, Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis, a mother of two and the author of The Self Help Bible series.
The Self Help Bibles are short, practical books designed to help you harness the power of the mind and create the life you really want.
Please visit my website http://theselfhelpbible.com for information on personal development, self help and self improvement or to check out the free resources available.
Why not join me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TheSelfHelpBible for the latest news and to join in the discussions there:-)
By Amanda Ollier Nee Ball
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