None the less, it seems bizarre to me that a life time of drawing painting doodling sketching and colouring could be synthesised into this compressed afternoon.

As a mother I don’t frequently reflect on the way my children have evolved, but this Leaving Cert Art exam caused me to becomes quite nostalgic and remember all the many art projects we have been entertained with along the last 18 years. It has the end of an era feel about it My son hasn’t made an application to Art College.  I sincerely hope he continues to enjoy art his whole life through. I remember so many drawings, pencils crayons, paintings, doodles, so many of them adorned our walls over the years. My other children enjoy art, but none are so prolific as this one!

 

The second half of the Leaving Cert also introduces a “rest” for some students. This can be both welcome and dangerous. It has a lull feel about it, something like hitting the doldrums in a sailing voyage. A time when you know the tension and the stress is seriously going to crank up again, but for that short period of time; just one day there is relief and rest. Enough to take a real rest and not worry about tomorrow; the natural state of a child’s mind.

What’s the danger in that?

Well part of the Leaving Cert experience is a physical endurance test. In most physical endurance tests its not wise to ease up; to stop still in the middle of the test or race.

A physical endurance test requires the physical mental and emotional capacity to keep going under extreme pressure. It has almost a machine like energy about it. It’s like the task well trained athletes face in a competition, except Leaving Cert students will be doing this for the first time. So of course if the pressure lifts a little the temptation is to fully ease back, stay up all night gaming chatting and watching movies. Some easing of tension is essential, but keeping some pressure on and being mindful of the week ahead is also important. A hard act to balance if you are doing it for the first time.

 This is where an agreed revision Timetable helps. Number of kids that do this? Probably 1. That’s the one you’ll be reading about in the Irish Times when the results come out! Well actually 1  plus all the students planning on doing Medicine, because you (or your family, or both), need to be very driven and committed for that!

That’s not us! So we have tumbled into a weekend of on line shopping, movie watching and sleeping and I can feel the tension of the week that is to come building already! It’s making me nervous as to whether the stamina is still there, plus my son has gotten sick. More about that in the next blog. If there is ever one thing you should never ever do is get sick during the Leaving Cert!

#LeavingCert #LeavingCertMamma #LeavingCert2019 #LeavingCertificate

Exams Completed: 8 Exams Left to go: 3

Subjects Completed: 5 Subjects Left to go: 3