HESSEQUA NEWS - The academic year 2018 is virtually over. At this stage of the year, school is all about mark-schedules and learner portfolios and getting ready to submit question papers for the final examinations. Within the next few weeks, the matriculants start their first papers, after which the rest of the school enters into its own examination mode.

Back to school this time can be a time of quiet expectation and optimism, or it can be a traumatic experience of depression, anxiety, coupled with feelings of inadequacy and failure. To be successful, whatever the grade, the following may serve as useful points for learners and educators.

Self-motivation
No matter how much is preached by educator and parent, the learner, in the end, has to make that decision to henceforth look at the present, and project to the future. The past does not matter. The earlier in her/his school-career the learner becomes self-motivated, the better for all role-players. The learner must have a reasonable and attainable goal in life, and then drive towards it, supported by educator, parents, and/or mentor. The confidence of successful learners rubs off on others, and eventually teaching and learning becomes an enjoyable exercise for all involved.

The learner must be acknowledged as a young adolescent, as a social being; as developing-intellectual, with an own opinion on issues of the day – a person with needs. When there is no, or insufficient provision, in any, or some of the needs of the learner, such a learner, including gifted learners, may fall through the cracks, and becomes lost to the community.

Support base
Learners with solid home support tend to achieve better because their parents and family are solidly behind them. Many schools have learners who require all the things others take for granted, even loving care. The school becomes their refuge. The school through committed educators and/or its parent support group, or mentors, stand in to provide in the material and pastoral needs of the learner to enable the learner focus on the immediate, which is a success in the examination at hand.

Organisation
The key to good results lies in good organisation: Where you sit and study, your textbooks, notebooks, and additional material and videos you have complied over the months. Self-organisation has to do with how you have organised yourself: weeks before the final examination you already highly-motivated, you've cut down on time with friends, and have turned inwards to yourself- it's about you now. You have committed to a study timetable, cleverly synchronised with your exam time table, and devoting sufficient time to your strong points and equally to the weaker subjects. 

It would be a mistake to assume learners, especially those in the lower grades, know how to study, or how to draw up a study timetable. They need guidance and it may take a lesson or two to install in them the discipline that goes with using a study timetable.

Especially where learners under-perform, a series of lessons on study methods would help to improve study skills. A finely-crafted study timetable, synchronised with the exam timetable to which the learner is fully committed will lead to improved results all-round.

Positivity
Surround yourself with people who are positive. Think ahead to next year. Apply to universities or to advertised work-opportunities. Expose yourself to positive messages only.

This is A-team effort
Parents, educators, learners, friends and family all work together as a team. If the project is successful, you have a template on which other successes can be built. In case of poor results, role-players simply meet to discuss possible adjustments to ensure better results in future.

You will have read between the lines that preparation for this final exam starts day one in January, with the first dry-run in March. Thereafter it's full steam ahead towards June with all roleplayers and their contributions in place. 

Vacations in March, June and September are pit-stops to assess progress and to make the necessary adjustments.

The above is the ideal. In reality, schools will tell you there are matriculants who as yet haven't opened a book.

But let's remain positive they may surprise with a powerful, late burst towards the finish line! This is where we are now: The finish line is in sight… only one more hurdle remains.

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