Academic Examination’s
Stress
An Opportunity of Life
(For Parents, Teachers
and Students)
While in office, a colleague told that the boss had gone to
hospital for some hypertension problem and subsequently he was on medical leave
for ten days in hospital. When I went to him to say “get well soon”, he told
that his son who had appeared in X+2 of CBSE, filled only one form for entrance
to Engineering, and he thought that the boy would lose one year if he did not
come in merit in that exam, while the boy was alright taking care of his
father. When the result of the competition came, the boy was at a high merit
opted for computer hardware. After his engineering degree, he spent a few years
abroad, now a Professor in Alma Mater (real incident but a positive one).
The moral of the story is that examination stress is caused
by parents to children and vice versa. Parents,
teachers and students are in fact the three pillars of stress and management of
academic stress.
There are many reasons. Parents know their child from the day
he is born, his habits, character, capabilities, attitude, nature, physical
fitness, value systems and of course the genes. While knowing so much they
should be able to assess him in more realistic manner. But the stress is caused
by the fact that we want best of things for him and consider he can do anything
which we desire or have failed to achieve in our life; when this does not
happen it causes stress to both. More realistic the parents are, lesser is the
stress. It is wisdom of the parents is, to bring out the genius in their child in
the field in which he is, not in the field they desire, if they succeed, way to
success is clear otherwise stress & strain all round.
“Everybody is a genius.
But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole
life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein
Failure is not end of the
road,
It is cross road, gives
you three more chances, to correct your steps, you are lucky having failed.
Anonymous
Parenting is a complex issue. We should develop the child
that he is not afraid of discussing anything with his parents. No specific
guidelines for this. But at least one meal a day preferably dinner, should the
family take together, everybody has whole of the day events to tell. Taking
meal separately is just filling the belly, it is not meal which should have
taste and love in every bite.
Talk to any parents in India whose children are studying in
LKG, UKG, and primary classes; almost everybody would say that their child
secured first position in the class and everybody knows that in a class only
one can be a the top. A child is made to feel that he has to at the top; when
this does not happen later, he is under stress.
Parents must assess the capabilities and interest of the
child in the most honest and realistic manner. Now a days, many parents take
help of professionals also to find out this aspect of the child’s personality.
There is no harm to do so it plays the part of additional assessment that can
help the parents. No parent should make a child perfectionist that creates more
stress than the advantage accruing. Make the child face to face with the
reality. Parents must teach the child to play the game well and not to bother
for the goals. Every small thing whether academic or otherwise must be done by
the child meticulously. Parents must help the student to keep a positive
outlook and attitude. Marks and studies though important but are not the only
aspect of our existence. Teach your child to do things in time. He would
always be first in the row not the last in the queue.
“Don’t say you don’t have
enough time. You have exactly the same amount of hours per day that were given
to… Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Di Vinci… and Albert Einstein.”
– H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Admission to graduate courses in local University is based on
total marks in X+2, open to all nationals so the cut of merits marks are up to
97-99 %. The greatest cause of stress to the parents and students. Seats are
always insufficient as well the professional and technical course. So student
concentrate on marks and not on the preparation, a negative and reverse pattern
which increases the intensity of the stress.
Some students are afraid of a particular subject rather they
have phobia that causes stress; compulsory the paper, more is the stress. Best
remedy is to leave the subject. But to a stage it is not possible, here comes
the role of the teacher in play, he has to make it more interesting, answer
every question asked by the students irrespective whether easy, difficult or
the absurd and build up confidence of the student. If it so happens many
improve their performance and are free of stress.
Teachers must be highly educated, devoted and dedicated to
their profession. He should be ready to go extra mile, should talk to the inner
self of a child make the child to realize his potential, be positive in his
approach and remarks, he has to be a psychologist, that would help a child to
perform better and reach his dream.
Student has to play his part. Our teaching system must make
the student proficient in every lesson they teach right from the day one and
categorization of the students for the stream of their liking and competence must
start from the very beginning. It is not
that easy, as said but the responsibilities lies on the shoulders of parents,
teachers and students. This would boost the confidence level of the student and
he need not cram everything at the last moment and create stress for him. We
should develop the attitude of the student for the best not for the perfect,
whatever stage he reaches there is always a scope for improvement.
Student should keep the routine intact that is enough sleep,
diet, relaxation and play are also important otherwise it gives the child black
outs, nearer the exams, as if he has not prepared well.
No result can be achieved without labour and sacrifice; so
whatever is achieved that is one’s reward. Do not insult your labour and hard
work accept the reward. Everybody can’t be IAS and if you get a Central Service
that is good enough. Satisfaction from whatever you do is important, there is
always a scope to excel in every field, it is passion that has the magic not
the stress, it depends on how we see the things.
Concentration in class and while studying at home is rock
foundation for stress free exams. While
in class concentration is result of the efforts put in by the teacher and the
student. A teacher should always come well prepared; answer questions odd and
irrelevant with eye-contact. Discipline and decorum contribute to the quality
of concentration and content.
While at home find a suitable environment, create a startup
ritual, block distractions, divide the time, study for about 25 minutes take
4-5 minute break after 3-4 such session take a 20 minute break and break lessons
in manageable time slots. Always concentrate on skills not on grades. Grades
would automatically follow skills.
Physical regular exercise is
another trick that benefits not only your body, but also your brain. It
improves, in the short-term your focus up to two to three hours by increasing
blood flow to the brain. Regular exercise improves mood and sleep, while
reducing stress and anxiety. My experience in life is it is better to study in
the early morning hours than late at night- even scriptures say morning time is
meditation time-time of concentration.
Write what you have learnt – an old technique –it gives you
words, expression, control and a start which you so badly need in the
examination hall as how to start a narrative answer.
When you write down your
ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can
write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper
make excellent concentration tools.
-Michael
Leboeuf
Never think you can do the best first time, certainly not,
otherwise the dictum that there is always scope for improvement would prove
wrong so practice – that makes a man perfect. More you practice more the
intricacies would clear up themselves.
Conscious and sub-conscious mind are two great friends of a
human being. If something is lying stored in the sub-conscious mind and
conscious mind is in need of it, former is too quick to come to the help of the
latter. So whatever one has learnt during the day should be revised mentally
without books and without any other help just before sleeping as it goes
straight to sub-conscious mind. It is of immense value to improve your
performance in examination and with lesser stress.
Intuition that when God, your soul, your inner, the Lord
speaks to you or send you a message, listen carefully, do not ignore, it takes
a few minutes only. What is the relevance here? My experience in life is that
sometimes your conscious tell a lesson or a question that is likely to appear
in the question paper and it does. If you have read there are no regrets
otherwise stress with ifs and buts.
Anxiety before exam is natural, may cause acidity also.
Indian grand-mothers formulae are very useful. Normally that is done as a good
omen. But what is that. It is simple curd and shukker (unrefined sugar) mixture,
a good antacid, a cooling agent, full
of energy and all nutrients: that will help to concentrate during exam.
Reading and revising up to the last minute creates confusion
and minor mental blackouts as if one has not prepared at all which is factually
incorrect. One should keep his balance and have confidence on his mental
faculties: stop reading sufficiently before exam you have prepared well that
should be the feeling.
We don’t grow when something is easy. We grow when something
is challenging. While amidst exam tough paper is always good it brings out the
best a child has. Read the questions two-three times you know many answers or
part thereof and start writing; at the end you have done what you wanted to
achieve.
Keep your mind at peace, positive and focused on broader goal
that improves concentration.
For he who has no tranquility
there is no concentration.
-Bhagavad
Gita
Give whatever you are
doing and whomever you are with the gift of your attention.
-Jim Rohn
Stress is the essence of life, without stress one cannot
achieve anything. But how much quantum of stress. It is difficult to quantify.
But one example would give you a fair idea of how much stress. There is always
a friction present between the surface of the floor and sole of the shoe that
is why we are able to walk. If this friction is increased by broken floor and
uneven shoe sole one would find it difficult to walk. Similarly if friction is
reduced by polishing the surface of the floor and sole of the shoe there are chances
that one may slip. One should have stress as much as friction necessary to walk
on the floor. Stress provides us a forward
moving force and is welcome. One has to take care of preparation. Such a stress
is called Eustress – the positive stress and a person has the capacity to
convert any stress into Eustress instead of distress.
No system for assessment of individuals abilities is perfect;
so is with examinations. Nobody can analyze the X factors ingrained in a person
and there is time when a man blooms to his fullest; so appear in exams with as
much preparation as one can manage and accept the result that is one aspect of
life and there hundreds others that are still to be fruitful. Nobody is good at everything, but
everybody is good at something, find that something and focus on your strengths.
Anything that is unexpected in one’s personality is X factor. Don’t copy
others, find out X factor of your own personality you would be in advantageous
position. However till a fuller system is developed we have to live with examinations
so prepare well.
We can keep the academic examination stress under reasonable
limits provided the parents, teachers and students play their part well.
"You may encounter
many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to
encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how
you can still come out of it."
—Maya Angelou
Don’t stress. Do the
best. Forget the rest.
