Fifth-former recalls ‘wild ride’

Rebecca: Practising discipline is akin to wearing a life jacket to stay afloat.

PRIOR to my upper secondary education, I had always emerged from examinations with good grades. Hence, it only made sense to my parents that I enrolled in the science stream when I entered Form Four last year.

Although I had my reservations, I agreed obediently. After attending classes for two months, I was enveloped in confusion.

Prefixes and physics formulas, especially relating to the topic of gravitation, were as helpful as a collection of hieroglyphics. Additional Mathematics left me stunned and staring blankly at my computer screen.

My friends in the arts stream echoed my sentiments when talking about their struggles to comprehend the seemingly foreign information in their Economics and Principles of Accounting books.

Then, the dreaded by-products of formal education – namely, homework and assignments – began to pile up.

My friends and I felt driven up the wall by the deadlines and the difficulty level of our homework. Oftentimes, we joked that we spent hours staring at our homework rather than completing it.

Consequently, I started noticing that the “free time” sector in my pie chart gradually diminished to a fine line to the extent of becoming almost invisible.

With homework to complete, and tuition classes and a host of extracurricular activities to attend to, I worried that I wouldn’t have time to fully grasp the content.

My assignments constantly bugged me, like an alarm clock that could not be snoozed – not to mention that combing through the Internet for an explanation which was simple and related to the syllabus was time-consuming.

These stresses snowballed rather rapidly, no thanks to online learning, until I found myself in a hot mess after just seven months into my Form Four education. It was a textbook case of burnout.

Fortunately, with the support of my friends and family members, I was able to pick myself up.

To those of your starting out, I can vouch that upper secondary education is no cakewalk. That said, I can offer some tips for navigating this wild ride.

Firstly, I learnt that it’s wiser to find out than to suppose when in doubt. Make a note of any area on which you need clarification from your teachers and clear up your confusion as soon as possible.

This enables you to understand the subject matter better and attempt practice questions effectively. Do not let procrastination get the better of you.

Secondly, practising discipline is akin to wearing a life jacket to stay afloat. Sticking to your revision timetable and daily targets is the key to ensuring you do not drown in incomplete work. It will help you be a more organised student, as well.

Also, make sure you pay attention while lessons are ongoing. While it may be tempting to sneak a peek at your social media feeds during online classes, you risk not only losing out on important information, but also using your free time to catch up on your lessons.

Believe me, studying in a tidy space (and not in your bed), and waking up early before online classes make a world of difference.Interestingly, having fun is important to maintain your sanity in upper secondary school. Once the grind had begun for me, I neglected my playtime, which made me feel miserable. In retrospect, having virtual movie nights with my friends, playing the piano, reading a good book or starting a new hobby would have helped me immensely in coping with this new phase of my life.

In fact, it would have boosted my ability to perform well in school because one can only take in new knowledge with a calm and open mind.

Also, remember to exercise self-compassion. As a perfectionist, I often felt upset and frustrated with myself whenever I made a mistake or missed a deadline.

Instead of pushing yourself over the edge, practise speaking kindly to yourself such as “I am struggling with my assignments right now but I will overcome this eventually”. Carrying this attitude in life will definitely make it a more pleasant experience.

As the academic year rolls on and will inevitably bring with it adversities, I hope you draw strength from knowing that “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”.

Upper secondary education is a time of self-discovery and our preparation for the outside world.

Make the most of your time at this stage of your life to develop yourself as a person.

And if you ever feel like a failure for not meeting your own expectations, remember to always give yourself another chance because you are worth it.

Rebecca, 17, a student in Selangor, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.

1. “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” is a proverb that serves to remind us that we can never gain personal growth if we are not challenged in life. Now, look in today’s copy of the Sunday Star newspaper for a photograph of a person you consider inspiring. Cut out the picture and paste it on a piece of A4 paper. Then, draw a speech bubble with the proverb written within to motivate you to be resilient in times of adversity. Decorate the paper as creatively as possible, before pinning it up in your study area.

2. An analogy is a sentence that compares two things with similar characteristics. Rebecca used two analogies in her article:

> My assignments constantly bugged me, like an alarm clock that could not be snoozed.

> Practising discipline is akin to wearing a life jacket to stay afloat.

Can you think of an analogy to replace each of these?

> My assignments constantly bugged me, like _________________________.

> Practising discipline is akin to ____________________________.

At the end of the activity, discuss your answers with an activity partner. How different or similar are your analogies?

Since 1997, The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Through Star-NiE’s teacher and student workshops, annual contests and monthly English language resources for classroom use, participants of the programme reportedly showed marked interest in the language and progress in their proficiency. Now in its 25th year, Star-NiE is continuing its role of promoting the use of English language through a weekly activity page in StarEdu. These activities are suitable for use individually and in groups, at home and in the classroom, across varied proficiency levels. Parents and teachers are encouraged to work on the activities with their children and students. In addition, Star-NiE’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme will continue to be a platform for participants to hone and showcase their English language skills, as well as develop their journalistic interests and instincts. Follow our updates at facebook.com/niebrats. For Star-NiE enquiries, email [e-mail].