Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Across the electorate of Lalor, year 12 students are preparing for their final exams. I want to congratulate all of our local students studying year 12 this year on the year so far and the work and commitment that they've already demonstrated. I wish them well in their preparations as they approach their final exams.

Examinations, I will remind all young people, are as much a test of our community as they are of an individual young person. Going into the examination room and thinking about all the years of education and this final moment and what it means, I want you to remember that everything you have done to date is much more important than what you're about to do. That said, we all know that there's lots of pressure on young people and lots of pressure on families. My thoughts are also with the teachers who have prepared those young people for these exams. I wish them well across the next few weeks. I know how stressful the exam period can be for teachers as well as students.

It's always important to remember that your final score in VCE is not who you are and it is not a measure of who you are. It is a stepping-off point. I wish them all well. I know how aspirational the young people I represent are and how much they want to contribute to society beyond their schooling. I know they're all looking forward to the pathways that they will take from here.

To the parents of those young people I say: please, keep them watered and fed. That's your job. Keep them watered, fed, and balanced. Be as supportive as you can, but you're still the boss in your house. So make sure that the young people are listening to you as well as to their teachers as they study and not cram. Again, I say that's really important. It's the years building up to now that have created your knowledge base. It is the work that you have put in to this year. It is the attentive way you have attended to your studies to date. These last moments are not the be-all and end-all. Remember the notion of fight or flight. If you're in that exam room and you suddenly go blank, write your name. Pick up a pen, make a move, click back into cognition, relax and push forwards. Thanks very much and congratulations on the results. I know you'll be very proud of yourselves at the end.