What I learned during EXAM week

It's the 2nd quarter exams for most schools...I know this because I have 2 children that are in Grade 1 and 4 who are coming home early and are reviewing and answering worksheets for various subjects that have been prepared for them to aid in their learning, along with lots of question and answer review sessions with their "tiger" mommy.

I am sometimes amused by the level of seriousness that the kids and Jac have in this undertaking...but more often impressed as I get to see that they are studying not just for the sake of making the grade, but really working towards an understanding that allows our kids to think critically about the world that they live in.

Both Jac and I, do not come from well to do families which helps explain why education was very important for both our families. I remember my mom distinctly telling me and my other siblings that the only thing that she can leave us that other people can not take away from us is an education.

We could afterall be materially wealthy later on in life and be left with a hefty inheritance only to lose it all, if we don't have the business acumen and education to sustain it.

I have not been a student for many years now, but I continue to learn from my kids and other people from their experiences on exam week, which for me contains numerous life lessons.

So, in a tribute to David Letterman, here is my top 10 list of what I learned from exam week.
10. Doing well in exams, does not necessarily translate to doing well in life. To do well in exams means getting an A or 100%. To do well in life, requires that you APPLY what you have learned 100% of the time.
9. If you don't study and fail, you learn that actions have consequences.
8. If you cram everything to exam week and are stressed due to the volume of material to go through, you learn the importance of planning and time management.
7. If you don't enjoy the subject, you won't do well in it.
6. Conversely, if you enjoy the subject, you will not only do well in it, but discover that you are craving to learn more than what is in the syllabus. Here we learn the value of pursuing what you are passionate about.
5. It's not the end of the world, if you don't do well. You learn to face your fears and overcome them.
4. It's better to guess if you don't know the answer rather than leaving the question blank. By doing so you learn that sometimes to act based on your gut is better than inaction.
3. Cheating may help you get a good grade, but will definitely not help you gain a good reputation.
2. If during the test, a question is not clear to you ask the teacher for clarification. If we do, we learn that it is important to ask questions in important endeavors in life - instead of relying just on our own understanding.

1. Lastly, the person who knows why he is taking the exam, will always be in a better position than the person who knows how to take the exam.

In life, we are to focused on how to get a 100% in everything that we do...instead, we should be more concerned about why we do it, doing so will make life more meaningful.

Now who said that EXAMS were a waste of time...