“In a sea of uncertainty,year 12 can’t help but feel we haven’t been offered a lifejacket. No message of hope and certainty to cling to whilst we swim against the currents of anxiety. From information being withheld from us overnight until the 11am briefing,to the revolving status of trial and HSC exams,this is the sense of ‘needless anxiety’ my cohort is experiencing at the moment.
Despite making an effort to stay across the new COVID updates,I am left with so many questions unanswered,and my voice drowned by political platitudes. Am I putting my family at risk by going to school? How are my friends in the Blacktown LGA going to have equal access to their education? How is my teacher going to be safe at school when she isn’t eligible for Pfizer,yet has been advised against AstraZeneca by her GP? How is it safe when students have the option to come to school unvaccinated?
All year 12 students in NSW may be in the same storm,but whilst some elite private schools may have a superyacht at their disposal (or in this casean early Pfizer vaccination),others are clinging onto a buoy,desperately trying to avoid succumbing to the waves of distress and burnout.
It’s time for the Department of Education to reassess what really matters;the magic number we receive at the end of the year,or the physical and mental wellbeing that keeps us afloat?”
Emma Skehan,St Ives High School
“What is expected of every year 12 student currently in lockdown:go to school for six hours,do the set homework,study for three plus hours every night at the same desk you have been sitting at all day,find some time to exercise,eat and have quality family time,and yet still be emotionally prepared for the HSC.
I understand the lockdown is necessary and so is the HSC,but the wellbeing of myself and all my peers need to be taken into consideration when thinking about what the HSC is going to look like.
Case numbers are rising by the second and my peers are having to travel from all different areas,some even on public transport. I feel trapped. If I do attend school,I am risking the health and safety of myself and my family. But if I don’t,what happens to my future without my ATAR? I want to study criminology in Canberra. I want to have my final year of year 12. I want to graduate,I really do.
But after losing my father late last year,risking the health of myself and family for an exam that only shows the ability I’ve already proved over the past 13 years seems a bit redundant,don’t you think?”
Ambrose Konstantinidis,Sydney Technical High School
“My fist bangs against the desk as my face falls into my hands. This is the third time I’ve tried to write this practice English essay today. I’m on the verge of exploding. I look around my stuffy room at the infinite number of possible distractions. YouTube,Instagram,Facebook. None catch my eye. Instead,my eyes glance down toward something much worse:my unchecked to-do list.
Are trials really only two weeks away? I feel like I’ve done nothing this entire lockdown. I call my friends. The knot in my chest loosens as I find out that my household isn’t the only red zone in this productivity pandemic facing me and my peers.
From friends,I learn it has even penetrated the mighty walls of James Ruse. We’re all in the same boat,right? Well,I also hear of some fellow students who are immune to this productivity pandemic:students who can study through the night until the sun rises once again.
I stare at my empty wall. It was where my 99 ATAR goal hung before I binned it. A week ago,I wasn’t sure there’d even be HSC exams. I try to reassure myself. I don’t have it all that bad. My four-unit mathematics class set up an online study group. It was where students sacrificed their precious study time just to help others.
I collapse into my chair. As I stare out the window of my cement cage I reminisce about a better time.”
Dori El-Khoury,Holy Spirit Catholic College,Lakemba
“I was born with an eye condition called nystagmus that severely affects my ability to undertake online learning efficiently. This condition has made my eyes very sensitive to the light emitted by laptops and phones,which means I rarely use devices in my day to day activities - unless I’m in the mood to spend the rest of my day sleeping and sooking.
But now,that is the only way I can learn and I am constantly faced with the severity of a creeping migraine and bloodshot,sore eyes.
I feel like people assume that because we went through lockdowns last year,we are suddenly accustomed to it this year. We aren’t. It is draining and has caused a world of problems. There are 100 different ways the state could go about administering these exams more effectively and fairly. But instead,it appears as if they have thrown us right into the deep end,with the expectation that we can swim.
We want some kind of modification that extends beyond a two week delay.” We need some display by[the school system] that they favour the interests of the students,and the ambitions of the hard working few,rather than the automatic presumption that the HSC must happen .”
Jessica Grimes,Sydney Secondary College,Blackwattle Bay
“When this lockdown was announced,I lost motivation for my education. It’s hard not to think about all the possible negative outcomes,especially when HSC exams are just weeks away. I do music and drama and I’m deeply concerned about our major works. Lockdown has impeded my ability to properly learn and rehearse for these practical units,so the few weeks of extensions are just not enough.
But with the Delta variant,why bring us back to school so soon? Education is a priority,but so is the health of me and the people around me. I find it irresponsible that they’re making us go back to school without the guarantee of vaccinations for everyone,including teachers!
The recent ‘solutions’ put in place are taking up all of my headspace. I understand the situation is complex,but where are the alternatives to traditional examinations for those of us who don’t feel comfortable being crammed in rooms with hundreds of other students? I want to see more compassionate solutions put in place - ones that show us our voices are heard,allow us to have a fairer go and that better address our individual needs and circumstances.”