By Victor Ochieng’
The bell has blared. Candidates are doing last lap. It is homestretch. They should finish the race with great grace. They should not finish weak, sick or tired. If they want to shine as stars in KCSE, they should finish strong. Finish like champions.
The story of the Tanzanian athlete called John Stephen Akwari offers lustrous lessons. He participated in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico – South America. It was a 42 kilometre race, which had 75 participants. But as they were doing their 19th kilometre, something tragic happened to him. As athletes jostled to bag the big prize, one of the athletes knocked him. He fell, and injured his knee. But he never stayed down. He collected himself, steadied his nerves, and finished with great grace. By the time he touched the finishing line, other athletes had done it. Journalists crowded around him like a swarm of safari ants – searching for the cure of curiosity. They wanted to know what inspired him to that great extent. When asked what pushed him, he simply said, that when his country sent him several miles from Tanzania to Mexico, they did not send him there to start a race. Instead, they sent him to finish the race.
There is power in finishing strong. Finishing strong turns out to be a story of glory. In 2 Timothy 4:7, Apostle Paul of Tarsus writes to his protégé Timothy: “I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” Therefore, finishing strong requires this and that. Especially this.
• Management and Mitigation of Stress
Practice and preparation for exams can tighten tension. It can cause stress, which is part and parcel of life. It is why we talk about management of stress. Stress can be eustress (positive) or distress (negative). If (di)stress is not managed, it can spill to depression, and eventually lead to suicidal thoughts. But stress candidates go through because they are poised for KCSE is useful.
Therefore, it is imperative for candidates to explore various ways of managing stress. It is important to seek psycho-social plus spiritual support. It is good to open up to people in the school who can provide hope and help. It is advisable to engage in aerobic forms of exercise. At least 20 minutes, thrice a week, to enhance physical fitness. For a weak body can lead to a sick mind. Peace of mind and quality sleep is also crucial. Mark my word. I’m talking of quality not quantity sleep. It is not psychologically healthy for candidates to miss sleep for craze of grades. This can increase stress. Also, during the day, they may sleep in class, which therefore can puncture puissant revision programmes put in place.
• Five Forms of Discipline
Finishing strong means that candidates adhere to every ambit of discipline. In Proverbs 12, Solomon said, “Whoever loves discipline, loves knowledge…” Knowledge and discipline are close cognates. For quality grades to be realised in the candidate class, discipline and diligence are key. Candidates can be bright like light, but if they lack the two, they fail and fall flat. Discipline is following the raft of rules and regulations. It is doing the right thing in the right way, at the right time, in the right place.
There are five forms of discipline: self-discipline, external discipline, self-drive, mind-level discipline and academic discipline. Self-discipline focuses on conquering laziness, complacency, indecision and inaction. External discipline is the respect we accord to others: explored as humility (meekness) and obedience (submission). Self-drive is taking personal initiative. Mind-level discipline focuses on controlling what gets into the mind – more so, through eyes and ears. Academic discipline delves deep into stupendous strategies students employ to evince academic excellence like sticking to: content and concept strategies, memory (retention) strategies, exam strategies, high achievers and aspiring achievers strategies.
• Academic S.W.O.T Analysis
Candidates should look at the subjects they are doing. Point out strengths and weaknesses. Strengths are subjects where they are scoring top grades. Something less than that is mediocrity – Being on top of the bottom. Or being at the bottom of the top.
Again, candidates should open their two egg-like oval eyes, and explore the infinite spectrum of opportunities, which could be: wealth of health, being in a boarding school, ubiquity of several teachers teaching same subject, availability of teachers who are examiners and experts, et cetera. Indiscipline, laziness, pride, despair, pessimism, among others; could be possible threats.
• Exam Preparation Strategies
KCSE requires ample preparation and plenty of practice. Elite athletes dedicate and devote 90 % to preparation, and 10% to winning the race. Candidates should go through shedloads of papers. As they focus on trends and formats of exams. Candidates should be prepared for the unpredictability of exams. Through it all, candidates should learn how to plot work on paper. Candidates should not forget about the Table of Specification (ToS), which focuses on topics that must be tested in various subjects based on the format, KNEC recommendations and syllabus objectives. Candidates should be aware of mistakes students make in exams like: wrong interpretation of questions and failure to bring out skills required. They should know how to provide answers in the required breadth and depth.
• Personal Academic Audit
A conscious candidate can conduct personal academic audit by asking quality questions like: Have I read Form 1 to 4 notes? Have I reviewed Form 1 to 4 past papers? Have I mastered the art of exams in all papers? Have I mastered the Table of Specification in all subjects? Have I conducted self-evaluation in every subject? Have I corrected the grievous goofs I made in the previous exams? Do I have affirmative action in subjects I am registering poor performance? Have I implemented all necessary recommendations made by the external examiners? Have I reviewed and revised more than 10 past papers in every subject? Have I expanded my learning time?
The writer is a motivational speaker and trainer. vochieng.90@gmaill.com.
