Even though I am only in 5th year I am aware of the pressure that is being cast down on me and everyone else.The prospects of doing homework and having to study on top of that sounds quite daunting for the next two years of my life.Honestly,I can bear(to some extent) the piles of homework and the continuous, tests day in day out. Its the pressure of the next two years.The fact that the Leaving Cert is going to determine what I am going to do career-wise and whether I'm going to get a place in college or whether I'll get the points I need,the list goes on...However two years seems like a short time to sacrifice for your future,still you can't escape the present and the knock-downs and challenges it may bring unfortunately.
Thinking that Orals,Written,Aurals,comprehensions will be stuck in my life for the next two years makes my stomach turn.Also, I am utterly torn with time, one moment I want it to accelerate on to the weekend to be free from tests and homework(if I feel like doing it on Friday evening) and the next time its going too fast and I want time to slow down so as I can avoid the thoughts of the prospects of the Leaving Cert as much as possible. In a way I can get time on my side, to benefit me with homework and whatever else to ,pace myself and to stop worrying about things that haven't even happened yet(easier said than done) and not to leave everything until the last minute(which I admit at times I am guilty of).Albert Einstein once said.-'The only reason for time is so everything doesn't happen at once'.Thank God for that!
In my opinion there is too much pressure on students shoulders concerning the Leaving Cert .In relation to the media the Leaving Cert is portrayed as a frenzy of worry,anxiety and pressure.This image has gone totally out of proportion and secondary school students are expecting some sort of impossible,gruesome exam. In some respect this could be the reality for some people but that's only because they worked themselves up to believing it. But at the end of the day,the Leaving Cert is designed to test you on what you already know(hopefully) and to provide the stepping stone for your future career choice. I think I'm always going to be nervous about it no matter how much reassurement I get. However it wouldn't be right if I wasn't a little nervous...it's only natural!
G.P.