There’s been a TON of awesome stuff happening in the Exam Pop-Up Group I’ve been running over the past couple of months, but there’s also been something missing.
Two words that are super-common around exam time, but you won’t find me saying or writing anywhere.
It’s something I’ve found myself consciously avoiding saying or writing or typing more and more over the past year or so.
(You know, when something hits you and then kinda becomes a bit of a ‘thing’).
Here’s what it is, and most importantly WHY.
I’ve come to believe over the years, through both my work with students and in life in general, that we create our own luck.
So much so, that you won’t ever hear me say or see me write anywhere any more, the words:
“Good Luck!”.
It’s the most natural thing to say to someone as they go into an exam.
But I actively and consciously find alternative ways to send good wishes and positivity to students, and let them and their parents know that I’m thinking of them and sending them awesome vibes through the airwaves.
(Sometimes, that ain’t that easy! For someone like me who definitely isn’t a natural writer and doesn’t just have a way with words!)
Here’s why…
Unless something comes down to the flip of a coin or roll of a die, then it’s never about ‘luck’.
It’s about the choices and decisions we make.
It’s about the actions we take.
It’s about the skills we choose to build, the ways we decide to work, and the strategies we choose to enact.
Let’s apply this to exams…
The questions on the exam paper will be pre-determined many weeks or even months previously to exam day.
They’ve been strategically written and selected and scrutinised.
It’s not about the ‘luck of the draw’ as to what Qs are on that exam paper as students open up that front page.
How well each student answers and responds to each question is dependent on their skills and abilities in:
- dissecting the different elements of the question to understand what is required
- how actively they revised and to what extent they prioritised the content the question’s covering
- how skilled they are in constructing an effective and efficient response.
And each of those is a result of a series of conscious actions taken over the years, months, weeks and days leading up to that point.
In case you hadn’t already realised, I’m a big fan of being pro-active.
Of taking control of life’s situations (or doing my best to!) and not leaving things to chance.
Chance is ‘luck’ and ‘hoping’ and ‘wishing’.
I believe we can all take steps and actions to tip the odds (massively) in our favour.
Katie
P.S. I’d love to get your take on this! Let me know whether you ‘believe’ in luck or not in the comments!
And until next week, let’s MAKE this a fantastic week!
(See what I did there) 😉
