Well, you can't say yes and you can't say no; just be right there when the whistle blows (The Rolling Stones)

Photo by Sam Moghadam Khamseh on Unsplash

There is no substitute for focused work when it comes to preparation for exams.

Our two week study break is coming to an end and students will have two heavily disrupted weeks to finish their preparations at school. Then they are on their own.

There are plenty of good tips out there for how to prepare for exams, like this article from Edutopia. But unless a student decides to commit to study and then use these kinds of techniques to focus on what they have learned and then be able to apply that to exam questions they won't do themselves justice.

Bottom line: commitment and focused preparation.

There might have been things I missed, but don't be unkind (ELP)

This one's about a student I know who suffers from exam paralysis.

She's a good student in normal situations - diligent, hard working, keen to do the best she can. Only trouble is the exam room - where she freezes.

As she explained it to me, it's like her brain is suddenly empty and she can't find the way back up, out of the rabbit hole (I added the rabbit hole bit - poetic license you understand).

Her anxiety in these situations proves fatal. Although she remains outwardly calm, her inner sensibilities scramble and she can't actually answer anything. 

A Guardian article I bookmarked a while ago may be able to help her.

They suggest 10 tips for anxious students and mentioned that Anxiety UK have a student guide to anxiety. I've plucked out a few that involve taking control back. They may even help my student:

• Self-talk. If you feel yourself start to panic, tell yourself: don’t panic; you can do this. Self talk can reduce anxiety.
• Work on controlling your breathing. Try breathing in through your nose for four seconds, holding for two seconds, then breathing out through your mouth for six seconds. 
• Be kind to yourself – but disciplined. It is easy to become your own worst enemy. Accept that things are tough right now and think about how you can work with your brain to make things happen. 
• Remember you are not alone. Everyone else may look as if they are coping fine but many of them are struggling too.  

1. Her other solution would be that NCEA external exams didn't exist... 

There must be something deep down in the dark down there (Tame Impala)

Here's another tight five (go The All Blacks!!):

1 This mixtape of education goodies is worth it's own post but, hey - this is my tight five so they only warrant one place. 

It comes from the good people at Bright. If you haven't caught up with that source...what are you waiting for? It comes warmly Purdzilla recommended.

2 Lots of Lolly
Lolly Daskal (yes - her real name) writes wonderful stuff. Here she is on 12 hard truths about leadership! Again - this could be a post in and of itself but - yep - you got it - I'm in a generous mood.

3 Exams
The bane of a student's life. This Guardian article (I LOVE The Guardian) is a spot on piece of advice about sitting exams! Did you hear that in the back? Come on! You can do it! Never give up! NEVER SURRENDER!!

4 Social media
I liked this article about a school leader's use of social media to communicate stuff. Feels a bit revolutionary, a bit subversive, maybe a tad dangerous. I like it!

5 OTT blogging
In keeping with the OTT nature of this post here are twenty (TWENTY) educational bloggers you could delve into. Woo Hoo - how cool is that?!!