GCSE exams are in a few weeks - GCE exams are already taking place ...
So, how soon is it that the media will tell our youth that the exams they studied so hard for; the exams that they missed out on their holidays for; the exams that they struggled to prepare for were "too easy".
Every year the newspapers print articles saying how much easier the examinations are getting - how much easier 'kids today' have it. As a teacher, I am fully aware of the pressure over children to perform at a high level. I hear teachers from schools nearby talk about their children in regards to what they will achieve and the pressure on them as a teacher, them as a school, to get such a percentage of above C's. The government's expectations of schools are that of a very high standard and if they are not performing at a high standard that action is taken to change this. And yet, we still hear the question, 'Are exams getting easier?'
Surely the excellent results should reflect the state of the school's teaching?
What about other negative effects that this question poses?
Are we pushing our non-academic children to a state of disillusionment? Where believing in themselves will find them face first in the mud?
Do 'they', these intellectuals that decide our children are getting an 'easy ride', ever wonder why some young people worry themselves into stress disorders, sleeping disorders, eating disorders? Could the pressure that the media places on our youth be - forgive me - unhelpful even, harmful in the growth of the younger generation?
An article in the 'Telegraph' stated that a charity 'YoungMinds' had said that "Every year we get calls from parents asking for advice on how to help their children cope with exam stress". They recieved 884 calls about young people, 39% in relation to exam stress.
We hear stories about children at school who cannot control their levels of stress; the pressure that they are under to perform pushes some to resort to self-harm to deal with their depression/anxiety or frustration. Where does this pressure to perform come from? Yes, I believe we want children to do the best that they can do, achieve the best they can achieve - but what if the best they can achieve at GCSE is an E and all their friends are getting A's and B's? I hear people say that it's ok, each person is different - but I know that feeling...I've seen children experience that longing to do really well, above and beyond their ability level.
Do we want a society filled with people who believe that doing their best isn't good enough and so resort to settling for below average, the safety zone - or do we want to raise young people to do their best and to always aim for things that regardless of whether they achieve it, that they tried and they were brave and strong and continued to be strong? Pupils, children, people should know their self-worth ... not question it based on academic ability.
There are so many people sitting in luke warm water - too afraid to turn up the temperature for fear of getting burnt, yet bored and dissatisfied with where they are at.
If we are not careful, and we keep leading our children to believe that performing at their best is not good enough and or that when they do perform excellently it's because someone else made a mistake (easier exam papers...), they will settle for less than average. They will settle.
Let's be brave and get uncomfortable...
