The Role of the Family in Examinations
Examinations are a challenging time for most students, who feel the pressure to perform and do well, not just on account of what they think and believe is essential for them. But also on account of what others around them frequently tell them. Much can be written about the impact that a family?s words can have upon a child. But in brief these effects include but are not limited to the following:
* A pressure to do well and beyond what anyone around them is doing
* Anxiety about not doing well enough
* Lack of certainty about how they potentially will perform
* Unreasonable expectations frequently from their own selves
* Anticipation of some grave consequences in case they don?t perform well enough
* Feelings that they may not be good enough
How Families Need to be
The role of the family is rather crucial given that their expectations can frequently lead to some rather difficult situations to arise.
1. Don?t nag continuously ? Often the mistake that family members make is to get into this cycle of nagging the child who has his examinations coming up. This only causes the child to feel pressured and increases his irritability and anxiety which is not helpful.
2. Be supportive and balanced ? Easier said than done, being supportive can be rather challenging at times, especially when you begin to feel that you child can do far better and put in a lot more effort than what we actually is currently. Your communications with your child need to be balanced in order for them to have a positive impact.
3. Encourage your child for the work that he is doing ? It is rather essential that besides pointing out what your child still needs to learn that you also praise and appreciate the work that he is finishing. Taking such an approach allows your child to feel supported and experience a sense of goodness about how he is doing.
4. Help your child have a balanced life ? It does not help to expect your child to continuously study and not do anything else. In fact a balance of all activities is more beneficial as the child is then able to break through the mundaneness and fatigue of continued studies.
5. Set limits in collaboration ? Frequently parents unilaterally decide what things need to go off a child?s routine when the examination time is on. However, it is usually more beneficial to make these decisions in a collaborative manner and convincing your child by sharing your logic with him.
6. Have fun also ? Besides encouraging your child to study also have some fun with him. This would help him feel relaxed and would also ensure that he approaches the examinations in a balanced way.
Balance is the Key to Life
Balancing different aspects of lie is a must for all. And this statement does not exclude students. Your child who is approaching his examinations needs to lead a balanced life as well and this cannot be emphasized enough. As a family member, you can be instrumental in helping your child achieve this balance in his life.
Examinations are a learning experience and they teach a child important life skills such as decision making, problem solving, managing time effectively to name a few.
