adminGlen Dhliwayo Cool FeatureSo most if not all Zimsec candidates have written at least one or more papers by this time. Yes, the exam writing season is upon us, feel it!
This will be one of the longest periods in the life of the candidates as they have a torrid time anticipating what each paper holds for them. Every exam that comes and goes brings relief regardless of the performance of the students in the exam. They are all counting down to the day they will be over.
Upon visiting any school, you will be confronted with a similar message that might be packaged in notices of different types and sizes; the message “Silence, Exams in progress” is common. This sign is an indication that it’s not business as usual at the school.
To the students who are not sitting for exams it means that they should observe the utmost silence possible so as to avoid distracting the candidates. In some Group B schools it might at times mean a disruption in learning activities for those not sitting as there might be no base rooms to use for classes or the teachers might be engaged as invigilators.
But to the clever students this does not mean a mid-term exit holiday has been granted. This could be the perfect time for them to put in some effort on their weak subjects and improve their all-round performance so that when the end of term exams are upon them they won’t be pressing panic buttons.
During the two weeks or so that exams are written a student can actually go through a literature set book and finish it uninterrupted, some can actually seek remedial classes during class in a certain topic which is known to be generally problematic but rewarding in terms of mark allocation in exams like Probability or Transformations in Maths.
Parents should also feel the effects of the message on the sign as it spreads from the school which is the epicentre of learning to the various aspects of life of the student, the most important one being the family aspect.
There are many distractions that might arise from home that might affect the student’s performance. Parents need to be sensitive to those sticky areas and avoid them at all cost. These might include the normal conflict areas within the family, conflict should be avoided by all means in the home as it will adversely affect the performance of the students.
Parents can also play a regulatory role to ensure that the student is ready for exams, by regulating the routines and activities to match the season.
The parents might advise from attending church choir practice during the two weeks just to ensure the student’s focus is on the exam only and to also ensure the student gets adequate rest in between papers. Some parents leave their children to make the wrong priority choices but then the same parents become too hard on the child if the child fails.
Remember in previous articles we agreed that exams are a national collective responsibility. Some are supposed to be there to provide moral support. Way back most students knew the whole family was behind her/him because of little things like a letter or a Good Luck card. These days few gift shops stock the gift cards because they have a low demand.
These little things are important as they make the student feel the love and concern from the family and friends with the constant reminder of the card always before them. Friends and family can also make small calls and send short messages of support to the students. The main influencer of the student, in most cases the parent must have a copy of the student’s statement of entry so that they are able to give short motivational talks before the student writes the exam in order to motivate the student and to ensure the student is calm and collected. These calls will provide more than motivation, but will also provide reassurance and motivation which might aid the student’s performance.
Finally, tomorrow all churches should hold a mass prayer for all students writing exams. The person to lay hands should be the highest authority like the prophet, bishop or pastor. This has a far-reaching effect than we can ever think of.
The influence of the church leaders is and should be beyond the Church walls but it should reach even into every aspect of the life of the student. Imagine how a student would perform if they know that Archbishop Ezekiel Guti laid his hands on her, or Prophet Uebert Angel has said a word about him. Most likely that student will go out thinking nothing can stop them. Know what the “Silence, exam in progress” sign implies to you and do it for the greater good.
Till next week, God bless you all.
Ciao . . .
The writer is a Motivational Teacher. He can be contacted on [email protected]
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