We began this grey and windy week with a vibrant blast of drums and colour from our visiting Chinese Lion and Dragon Dancers! This marked the start of lessons across the school devoted to the Lunar New Year, and the cultures and beliefs of people across the world who celebrate it. Every year group had a go with the giant puppets, and we had a Chinese inspired lunch complete with fortune cookies. Reception had a visitor who described the celebrations in their home. Year 2 made origami snakes to celebrate Year of the Snake. Year 6 children enjoyed looking at Taoist and Confucian teachings, and applying them to stories in Winnie the Pooh. Tigger getting stuck in the Tallest Pine Tree proves Confucius’ maxim “The wise know their limitations”. We may now be in Year of the Snake, but there is an elephant in the room! In Upper School, there are exams for Year 7 next week, and the Year 8 Mocks follow after Half Term. This inspires my topic for this week.
Appropriately enough given events this week, the best response to exams is a Buddhist one. Exams are part of life as everyone has to encounter them at one stage or another. They are experiences that we can learn from, even if we don’t always look forward to them. Doing well in exams is about far more than remembering the right answers on the day, although that certainly helps! By the time St Christopher’s children reach their final exams in the Summer Term of Year 8, we expect them to confident in the way they approach assessments, having had plenty of practice along the way. They may have made errors, mistimed a final question, or misread the rubric in their progress through our Upper School, but each of these setbacks is something to pick yourself up from and remember for next time. By the time the “real thing” arrives, they are ready to give the best possible account of themselves on paper.
By the Summer Term of Year 8, we expect our Seniors to fully understand the importance of balance in revision and preparation. Little and often is the best way. In between sessions with a textbook or online, get outside in the fresh air. Walk the dog, go for a run, or take the bike for a ride. Or, if the weather is like it has been, paint a picture, bake a cake, or practise your scales. Early nights with screen time ending long before them, the importance of a proper breakfast and staying hydrated in Exam Week; our Year 8s should know all of this.
For Year 7, Form Teachers have been making clear the importance of this message this week, and in lessons their teachers have been showing them different revision techniques to help them learn. Mind mapping, cue cards, post-it notes on the fridge, mnemonics, the Quizlet App – it’s just a matter of finding a method that works for you.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head