The last few weeks have been a turbulent time for Year 12 students.
At first, Catholic school leaders called for this year’s HSC exams to be cancelled but this was quickly shot down by the NSW Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell.
Later, the NSW Government announced Year 12 students would return to class in mid-August, but they would need to undergo rapid antigen tests and those in the west and south-west of Sydney would be prioritised for the Pfizer vaccine.
These latest decisions, according to The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), have caused confusion and feelings of anxiety amongst Year 12 students as they worry about their final exams and the potential health risks.
One of these students is Ambrose Konstantinidis from Sydney Technical High School, who shared his lockdown experience with the SMH and detailed how he’s found it difficult to study.
“My fist bangs against the desk as my face falls into my hands. This is the third time I’ve tried to write this practice English essay today. I’m on the verge of exploding,” Konstantinidis said in his personal account.
“I look around my stuffy room at the infinite number of possible distractions. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook. None catch my eye. Instead, my eyes glance down toward something much worse: my unchecked to-do list.
“Are trials really only two weeks away? I feel like I’ve done nothing this entire lockdown. I call my friends. The knot in my chest loosens as I find out that my household isn’t the only red zone in this productivity pandemic facing my me and my peers.”
Konstantinidis goes on to say that although he is trying to see the positives and “reassure himself” everything will be fine, he still finds himself reminiscing about “a better time.”
“I stare at my empty wall. It was where my 99 ATAR goal hung before I binned it. A week ago, I wasn’t sure there’d even be HSC exams. I try to reassure myself. I don’t have it all that bad. My four-unit mathematics class set up an online study group. It was where students sacrificed their precious study time just to help others,” Konstantinidis continues to the SMH.
“I collapse into my chair. As I stare out the window of my cement cage I reminisce about a better time.”
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald.
