“I am on the verge of
crying. English is on Monday and I can't absorb information. I feel like
sleeping but that is just another form of procrastination that will add to the
guilt and, consequently, stress. The difference between getting a 96, and being
where I aspire to be, and having to settle for second-best is a mere two or
three marks. The pressure to achieve academic excellence is incredible but I
prefer this to the alternative, a well-rounded education. If I had to complete
geography or history, for the sake of a well-rounded education, I would
have given up. Academic excellence is a holy grail at this stage of my life,
and yet the fear I might fall short of this goal is crippling. I have to
go study English now” (Gibbs, 2012).
It is that time of the year again where year 12
students across the country are beginning to sit for the dreaded HSC exams. Too
many, the HSC comes at a cost as Simon Lonergan argues in his article, The HSC and education have nothing in
common. With the mounting pressure to do well, just how much are these
students sacrificing in their “relentless quest” (Lonergan, 2013) for those oh
so desirable ATAR points.
Simon Lonergan is the father of a current year 12
student undergoing his HSC; a current year 12 student who has become a “joyless
study drone” (Lonergan, 2013). As a father, he has become frustrated by his
son’s uninterested attitude towards other aspects of life that aren’t concerned
with his upcoming exams. Having recently completed the HSC myself just last
year, I can completely relate to Lonergan’s son, and I think I can speak for
nearly all other students in my year who valued education, that you become a
bit of a hermit crab. Why? Because our whole thirteen years of schooling has
finally come down to this point and we want something to show for it.
“Education and schooling are two of the most
important ways in which we learn to live within and contribute to our own
cultural lives” (Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. 2007). We identify with education
and with the school that we attend, and therefore, we feel a certain pressure
to do well and represent not only our school, but ourselves. Thus, an enormous
amount of pressure is generated in the hope of doing well, and being identified
as a high academic achiever.
This goal of achieving academic excellence has however,
come at the expense of gaining a “well-rounded education” (Lonergan, 2012). I
believe that while the HSC is by no means a measure of all-round ability, or
skill, society has unfortunately used it to decide the future of year 12 students.
This is why I think of the HSC in some ways as an identity thief. As HSC
students, we constantly doubt ourselves and question if we are good enough. And
while we all understand that the HSC is not the be all and end all, we are
driven by our own desires and identities to achieve success.
References:
Gibbs, H. (2012) Do
we put too much pressure on students? Retrieved from: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/society-and-culture/do-we-put-too-much-pressure-on-students-20121013-27jmw.html
Lonergan, S. (2013) The HSC and education have nothing in common. Retrieved from: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/hsc-and-education-have-nothing-in-common-20131013-2vfzs.html
Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007). Culture and education. Sydney: Pearson
Education. Chapter 1: What is culture?
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