The High School Roller-Coaster

Going through high school can feel a little like being on a roller-coaster.

When we first step through the school gates, we are still children in many ways. We are young, curious, and often unsure of where we fit into the world around us.

We begin experimenting with different versions of ourselves. We choose our friends, discover new hobbies, figure out what music we like, how we dress, how we speak, and even how we carry ourselves.

At the beginning, so much of our identity is still being formed.

Then, almost without noticing, the years start to pass.

By the time we reach the final years of high school, things look very different.

We have established our social circles. We have a better understanding of where we belong and who we want to spend our time with. We begin to understand our own strengths and weaknesses, and perhaps even have some idea of the results we expect from our exams.

For some students, there is also the growing question:

What am I going to do with my life?

University, apprenticeships, careers, gap years, further study. Suddenly, decisions that once seemed impossibly far away begin to feel very real.

And somewhere along the way, we grow up.

We enter worried about making friends and fitting in. We leave thinking about our future.

We arrive knowing very little about ourselves, and hopefully leave with a clearer idea of who we are and who we want to become.

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The Trap of Next Year

I remember something from high school that taught me an important lesson about time.

I had a friend in high school who would often say:

I will study next year.

If an exam was coming up, there was always a reason why there was no point worrying about it yet.

There would be plenty of time next year.

Next year, he would start taking school seriously.

Next year, he would study consistently.

Next year, he would stop leaving things until the last minute.

And then the next year arrived.

The same conversation would happen again.

There was always another next year.

At first, it was easy to laugh about. We were teenagers. We had plenty of time, did we not?

But looking back, I think there was something much more important hiding underneath that phrase.

The problem with waiting

I will do it next year is an incredibly easy thing to say.

We tell ourselves that the future version of ourselves will be more disciplined, more motivated, more organised and more prepared.

And perhaps they will be.

But the problem is that next year eventually becomes this year.

The exam that seemed far away suddenly arrives. The topics that we thought we would eventually learn begin piling up. The small gaps in our understanding become bigger gaps, and eventually we find ourselves trying to catch up under pressure.

This is particularly true with mathematics.

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Mathematics Builds on What Came Before

Mathematics has a habit of remembering what we have forgotten.

A concept from Year 8 can quietly sit underneath something we are expected to understand in Year 10.

A weak foundation in algebra can make equations harder.

Struggling with fractions can make later topics unnecessarily frustrating.

A student might think they are struggling with a new topic when, in reality, the problem began several years earlier.

This is one of the reasons I believe mathematics should be taken seriously well before VCE.

By the time VCE arrives, there is already a significant amount of knowledge sitting underneath the topics you are expected to understand.

Trying to build that foundation at the same time as preparing for your final exams can be extremely difficult.

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Taking Mathematics Seriously

Taking mathematics seriously does not mean spending every afternoon studying.

It does not mean sacrificing your friends, hobbies, sport, or everything else that makes high school enjoyable.

It simply means starting earlier than you think you need to.

You do not need to wait for Year 12.

You do not even need to wait until next term.

Sometimes, the most important step is simply deciding:

I will start today.

If you do not understand something, ask a question.

If you make a mistake, work out why.

If you have forgotten something from a previous year, go back and revise it.

If a topic feels difficult, do not immediately assume that you are bad at mathematics.

Give yourself time.

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Do Not Leave It Until VCE

One of the biggest mistakes students can make is assuming that they will suddenly become a different student when VCE begins.

The reality is that the habits you develop before VCE are the habits you take into VCE.

If you are used to leaving everything until the last minute, Year 12 will not magically change that.

If you are used to avoiding topics that you find difficult, those gaps will eventually catch up with you.

But the opposite is also true.

If you learn how to study consistently, ask questions when you are confused, practise regularly and take the time to understand the fundamentals, you will give yourself a much stronger foundation when the pressure increases.

You do not need to become the perfect student overnight.

You just need to stop waiting for next year.

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Start Today

I believe the most valuable thing a student can learn is not simply how to get a good mark.

It is how to start.

Start before you feel ready.

Start before the exam is approaching.

Start before the teacher tells you that you need to catch up.

Start before VCE.

Because the future version of yourself that you keep promising will work harder is being created by the decisions you make today.

Do not wait until next year.

Start today.