Whilst I am aware that
a ‘revision hermit’ cannot be defined by the Oxford dictionary- or any
dictionary for that matter- I think that it should be under the subheading
‘revision’ as a noun that can be defined as ‘A person who structures there life
entirely by revision so that they do almost nothing else, leading up to a form
of examination.’ I think this because at some point, people experience the
feeling of being a revision hermit, the feeling that exams are dominating their
lives and should in all seriousness, have a way of voicing their feelings. Some may be revision hermits through
‘cramming’ two days before their all important exam, whereas for me, it was the
complete opposite.
On a day where I told
myself I would do revision... I would do
revision. Like being at a military boot
camp, I would be very strict with myself, remembering that revision was my
priority and had to somehow get into the mindset that ‘EastEnders’ could wait.
Of course I gave myself breaks where I would sit and eat the entire contents of
my kitchen, but thoughts about revision would linger like a bad smell. After a mini feast usually consisting of an
assortment of delicious biscuits, the sergeants’ whistle would blow in my mind
and it would be back to the cave I would go.
Apart from times where I would emerge from the darkness, going out with
my friends or family, up until my exams I took part in a mixture of cramming
and doing productive revision that left me in an almost zombie like state.
I could rant about the
government not giving us an official study leave; I could also rant about how
our exams are all grouped together so that we have to revise for what feels
like a million exams in one week. However,
I believe that we live in a society fuelled by examination and pressure,
pressure that is unnecessary and can leave us feeling like we need to be
constantly achieving. Being young is the
time to have fun; we have limited responsibility, aren’t tied down by a job or
a marital commitment and should be enjoying our lives whilst learning about it
as we go along. Examination is necessary
and is right, but sometimes I feel as though we are tested too much and that we
are made to think that our whole future depends on exam results, when they are
only a small part of what will shape us as a person. Employers want to know what we are like as people;
they want to see what we have to bring to their line of work besides a string
of letters known as our qualifications.
I am not proud that I
became a revision hermit, oh no. Now
that my exams are over and I am literally free,
I have had the time to reflect on what I was like so that I can in some way,
help others that become engrossed by revision to the extent that they become a
‘revision hermit.’ For this reason, I have created below, the Mullaney Mini
Guide to Revision Hermits.
You know you are
revision hermit if:
1.
Your thoughts
are consumed with mostly revision and the work you should be doing.
2.
You don’t want
to go out as much in the fear that you are wasting revision time.
3.
You read this
article and think; I am just like how Sarah was.
You can stop being a
revision hermit by:
1.
Doing work in
half an hour slots and giving yourself good, fun breaks with some lovely FOOD!
2.
Giving yourself
something to look forward to.... even if it is catching up on the latest
EastEnders.
3.
Remembering that
exams aren’t everything and you should be out there living and enjoying life.
As I sit here typing
away on a day where I would normally be at school if I hadn’t have left, it
gives me comfort to know that time is now on my side as I have months until I
am to start preparing for AS exams, meaning that for now my inner revision
hermit has no opportunity to surface.
Goodbye revision hermit... hello life!
*This article is
slightly exaggerated, so please remember this as I don’t want you all thinking I
am a crazy mad woman, because I’m not (yet).
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