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School holidays are upon us and there is an apparent sigh of relief from both parents and pupils. Parents rejoice at the end of the school run as they get to spend more time with their children while pupils/students celebrate the much awaited days of rest and relaxation. End of term breaks are a time when students get to clear their head, relax a little and stretch their brains in different ways bearing in mind that ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ and ‘practice makes perfect’. So there is a need to strike a balance between work and play during the holidays.

The biggest mistake students can make is to completely go into ‘snooze’ mode and not study or read at all. Completely breaking routine will mean when schools open, students will spend precious time trying to get back into the grove of things and settle into school for the next term. This week the examiner wishes to give some tips on how to rest and maintain intellectual alertness during the school break.

1. Revise — Due to the busyness of a school term, it is very likely that your notes and books are not in order. The school break is a good time to rewrite notes onto well sequenced study cards. You can either choose flash cards or note pads on which you put your elaborate notes into point form which make for easy reference and memorising. Keeping work fresh in your mind and reading over your notes in a relaxed environment will help you understand the concepts and theories better and put you ahead of the class when the second term opens.

2. Exercise the brain — Even when the body is at rest the mind remains active. The saying, ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop,’ rings true. You can never be thinking about nothing. The brain is a powerful tool, a muscle which requires regular exercise to keep it healthy and diligent. A mind which is kept active will have less problems keeping abreast with pressures of learning many subjects or trying to solve problems because it is fit. The same way your body needs exercise and if left to itself becomes incapable of engaging in activities which involve running or fitness in general.

3. Motivate yourself — It is not easy to sit down and study, so it is expected that the first few times you do try to study, you may feel distracted or unable to grasp what you are reading. As such you may want to use motivators to keep your study time interesting. Things like group discussions with friends or families pertaining to certain topics, on line quizzes or mathematic games are also a great way of encouraging you to practice and read more. Flash cards can be decorated if you are a lover of colour. Create an environment that inspires you to achieve your long term life goals, for example, in your study space you could hang pictures of your dream house, car, or your mentor or someone who inspires you. Visuals and sayings which will remind you of where you are going and what you wish to achieve will inspire you to work hard so as to get the expected results.

4. Parental involvement — Parents should take a keen interest in the education of their children. Instead of waiting to see the grades of your child at the end of the term, keep abreast with their weekly work and achievements. This will help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your child and better inform you on how to assist. Tools and gadgets to enhance learning are more readily available in this technologically advanced era. Smart phones, laptops, iPads etc can be useful for older children who need to research and do much more reading. Abuse may be inevitable but the option of providing the tools and moderating them as the parent is much better than having them get one that will be hidden from you, leaving everything in the hands of the child to do as they please.

5. Go out and Experience it — Parents should expose their children to different environments which assist in stretching the perception and mind-set of a child. Hiking, visit to mountainous areas, balancing rocks, game parks, farms can assist in Geography, History, Agriculture and other related subjects. Having a first-hand visual of what is being taught at school goes a long way in tutelage. It is during these visits that parents should make a conscious choice to engage their children in meaningful and educative discussions. This will broaden the mind of the child as well as assist the parent to realise the mental capacity and strengths of the child.

6. Time Out — Like we said at the beginning ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Take time to play games, engage in sporting activities and socialise. It is during this time that the mind gets to destress and the body gets to unwind. Taking breaks between your study time will ensure that you don’t get mental block and that you do not burn out. (What a tragedy it would be for the term to start and you are already stressed and exhausted!) Make sure you get enough sleep on a daily basis. A good night’s sleep will ensure a fresh mind and a healthy body.

Do not be fooled, your attitude towards school and life will determine your level of success and achievement. You only go as far as you are willing to take yourself. Don’t let the national crisis become your personal burden and crisis, play your part, study and work hard, aim high and the rest will fall into place. Great Starts make great finishes! Cheating is not cool, stay away from examination malpractice, it not only affects you but the nation as a whole. Whether you peep, leak a paper or copy, you are still a cheat! And to be true…You will reap what you sow, things have a way of catching up with you. Is the embarrassment and jeopardy to your future worth it? Say NO to Cheating, Say NO to examination malpractice!! Happy Holidays!

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