Mike's Minute: We should teach that exams aren't everything

We are not unique, but we are most definitely different from the way we were. 

Once again we are into exam season, and once again we have the flurry of stories of questions that can't be answered, the tears that flow, and the end of the world that is ensuing. 

For comfort, the same number of stories are floating about the place currently in Australia. 

For context, the last time I did exams these tears and high drama were nowhere to be seen. 

So what has happened? Is it possible the way we study has changed? 

Is it possible all the mocks that are taken lead you into an area of confusion, whereby unless the real exam looks remarkably similar to the ones you have just practiced on, you freak out? 

Is it possible because of the way we teach, it's too rote? In other words, you can parrot back what has been taught but you can't extrapolate out? 

Is it also possible that exams and entry to university has become such a big deal that the whole of the future of your life is flashing in front of your eyes, and unless it appears to have gone well you have no future? 

Perhaps my advantage was that I wasn’t going to university. I was out into the world to get on with it. 

What I needed was University Entrance, preferably endorsed, and that would give me, at the very least, a foot in the door to a job. 

Yes, exams seemed hard. Yes, a lot of people were nervous. 

Yes, a lot of people after the exam, as we wandered off home, either ran the line that it was a nightmare and they don’t stand a chance, or that it was so easy they couldn’t believe their luck. And we ran those lines no matter what had actually just happened. 

We were full of it. 

But what we didn’t do was melt down, the media didn’t cover the fallout, and we had no headlines. We were simply kids doing exams and sometimes they went well and sometimes they didn’t. 

I wish I knew then what I know now – that school is but a fleeting moment in time that will seem increasingly irrelevant. Although it's your whole world, or at least a decent chunk of it, when you are a kid, ultimately it will all be put into perspective. 

Life and its success is rarely, if ever, defined by what you did in year 12 or 13. 

Maybe we could teach more of that. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We are not unique, but we are most definitely different
from the way we were. Once again, Ah, once again,
we're into exam season. Once again, the flurry of stories,
of questions that can't be answered, the tears that flow,
the end of the world that's ensuing for comfort. The
same number of stories are floating about at the moment
currently in Australia. For context, the last time I did exams,

(00:20):
these tears in high drama were nowhere to be seen.
So what has happened? Is it possible the way we
study has changed? Is it possible all the mocks that
are taken lead you into an area of confusion, where by,
unless the real exam looks remarkably similar to the ones
you've just practiced on, you freak out. Is it possible
because of the way we teach it's too rote? In
other words, you can parrot back what has just been

(00:41):
said to you, but you can't extrapolate it out. Is
it also possible that exams and entry to university has
become such a big deal The whole of the future
of your life is flashing in front of your eyes,
and unless it appears to have gone well, you have
no future. Perhaps my advantage was. I wasn't going to university.
I was out into the world to get on with it.
And what I needed was university entrants, preferably endorsed, and

(01:03):
that would give me, at the very least a foot
in the door of a job. Yes, exam seemed hard,
of course they did. Yes a lot of people were nervous.
And yes, a lot of people after the exam as
we wandered off home, either ran the line that it
was a nightmare and I don't stand a chance, or
that was so easy, I couldn't believe my luck. And
we ran those lines, by the way, no matter what
had actually happened, because we were full of it. But
what we didn't do was melt down. The media didn't

(01:25):
cover the fallout. We had no headlines. We were simply
kids doing exams, and sometimes they went well and sometimes
they didn't. I wish I knew then what I know now.
School is but a fleeting moment in time that will
seem increasingly irrelevant, although it's your whole world, or at
least a decent chunk of your world when you're a kid.
Of course, ultimately it will all be put into perspective.

(01:47):
Life in its success is rarely, if ever, defined by
what you did in year twelve or thirteen, or Form
six and Form seven. Maybe we could teach a little
more of that. For more from the mic Asking Breakfast
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