Can you find the message inside?

I am thinking today of all the students sitting their exams. My heart and my thoughts are with them and there are special people in my life going through them this year!

Exam numbers have been given and the papers have been set. The new pens have been purchased, special meals prepared, cards given, prayers said and the love and support of family and friends assured! The time has come when students strive to answer or attempt to answer questions as best they can.

I have noticed that exams can bring about mixed emotions. There may be some students feeling a lot of pressure, as years of learning and school life can be seen to be measured in these next few weeks. It could be said, that exams are a snapshot of aspects of learning. They help to identify strengths, areas for continuous improvement and signpost us towards future careers. It can be the common ground to work from.

However, can we ever fully measure ability? There are many types! When I first heard of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences I was blown away! The idea of Intrapersonal intelligence and Existential Intelligence resonated with me. According to Gardner, these acknowledge the ability of students to ponder life introspectively and yet also question the world around them. It was the first time it dawned on me that just maybe I had a place in this world of education! I felt my curiosity was affirmed. I was assured that an enquiring mind about the big questions in life was good, even encouraged! I found my tribe and enjoyed my college years with the Jesuits who embody this type of learning .

Having been co-ordinator and advocate of the Transition Year Programme for years, I see the value in embracing different learning opportunities outside of exams and the classroom. We are still discovering other ways of learning that play to our strengths and embrace aspects of our personality. So, do we ever fully know or have the ability to assess what we have learned throughout years of school?

When the exams finish, the papers are marked and results are given, students will go on with their lives. Maybe the time will come for them to set their own agenda and ask the questions! Who am I? Who do I want to be?

Learning about life and discovering resilience when faced with adversity, managing loneliness when we struggle to fit in, finding strength to be brave when we are scared I think is part of the learning in this journey to find ourselves.

In a world where we can be anything, I think that being ourselves is key. It sounds simple but I feel it is quite challenging to try and dial down the noise of the world around us and listen to ourselves. The world can sometimes tell us what we want or need or who we should aspire to be, so it can be tricky figuring it all out! I have found that it is a steep learning curve amidst fear, excitement, doubt and uncertainty!

Preparing for and sitting exams give us a taste of what it means to commit, show up and have faith in ourselves that it will all work out in the end. It is in one way, a step in the process of learning about ourselves.

We may take the popular road or prefer the road less travelled. Whichever way, the message is in there somewhere! Learning to discover who we are, who is worth our time, what inspires us and actually matters to us is a lesson that lasts a lifetime long after the exams have finished!

I wish all students doing their exams every blessing!