Good luck in your exams

So, the time has come, and the exams are here. In five or six weeks, all of those of you who are sitting exams this year will be done. Scary thought, isn’t it?
But please try not to let the pressure build up. I know you’ve worked hard, you know you’ve worked hard, and that you can go into your exams, and do your best.
I recently read a post online that was worthy of paraphrasing at a time such as this, and wanted to share it with you all:
Remember, though, these exams do not assess all of what makes you special and unique. The people who write and mark these papers do not know each of you like we do, and certainly not the way your family and friends do.
They do not know that some of you speak multiple languages, or love to sing and draw, they do not know your natural talent for dancing, music, or the arts. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them, that your laughter can brighten the darkest day, or that your face turns red when you feels shy. They do not know that you participate in sports, wonder about the future, or sometimes help with your little brother, sister, or elderly relatives after school. They do not know that you’re kind, trustworthy, and thoughtful… and every day try to be your very best.
The results of these exams will tell you something, but they cannot tell you everything. These exams do not define you. There are many ways of being smart. You are smart. You are enough. In the midst of all these exams, remember that there is no way to test all of the amazing and awesome things that make you, you.
Do your best, and never give up. You’ve been working for these tests for many years, and are ready for them.
Text modified from original by Pleasant Crossing School, Indiana

We believe in you.
Good luck from Richard, Vicky and Maria.

Stephen Hawking, 1942 – 2018

Today, the science world is mourning the death of one of the most significant physicists of modern times.
There are many biographies and obituaries being published today, for example, http://www.cam.ac.uk/stephenhawking from the University of Cambridge, where Hawking was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, so please go to them if you wish to find out more information about his life and work.
I would simply like to share this quotation, to hopefully inspire you all.

Welcome to the 2017-18 Academic Year

Welcome to the 2017-18 academic year!
We are now 8 months away from the start exams next May (sounds quite a while, but it really isn’t!), so it’s time to start working hard again and prepare ourselves for the next year.  All our current students have now been timetabled, and so bookings are now open for new students in the limited slots we have left.  Please see the availability page if you wish to check what is available.
Building on past success
The last academic year bought a lot of success for our students, in particular those sitting GCSEs.  Two of notable mention scored extremely high marks – much above their school predicted grades (in one case 3 whole grades above!).  Hopefully this trend can continue into future years.
As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you wish to make a booking for tuition, revision questions or if you have any questions or queries: you can find our details on the Contact Details page.
 

It’s too hard!

It’s not.
Sometimes these posts are inspired by something a student has said to me, and other times when I simply need to get some information across.  Today’s was inspired by something completely different: a post shared on Facebook by a friend.
The post was a version of this image, created by @sylviaduckworth, and reproduced in an unedited form below.
The image contains ten statements – which, honestly, I hear a lot whilst teaching – and 10 much better, more positive ways of thinking.
Why does positivity matter?
As I posted about some time ago, it’s really important in studying, as with everything else in life, to try and keep going.  But if you have a fixed mindset – that is, think that you can’t improve and that things will continue as they are, keeping going can be a very difficult challenge.  However, with a positive outlook on yourself and your capacity to learn, anything is possible.
Remember though, that a growth mindset isn’t the same as uncontrollable optimism.  This is exemplified by point 2 in Duckworth’s image above.  Yes, you may be getting everything right in this particular topic so far (well done!) but that just means that you’re one stepping stone close to your goal: you still have a lot to do, so use that positive energy to keep going.
Don’t give up
If you’re struggling to do something, ask someone.  Maybe ask more than one person – a teacher, a tutor, a friend, your mum… don’t feel bad because you’re needing to ask for help – sometimes everyone has to have things explained to them more than once before they can truly understand them!
You’ll figure it out, I know you will!