When exams are a drama

Now that the university entrance exams are over, here's a comment from a teacher who accompanied her students to the test yesterday: "The victim exam was a tragedy; half of them came out crying. Not to mention the fact that they've been sleeping poorly for days and living on coffee, but from monsters."

This observation is a partial portrait and is not intended, in any way, to be a general case against young people, which, moreover, would immediately be turned against us, the adults, as those responsible for their education. But the government's own rectification, hours before the exams, on whether spelling mistakes counted or not is sufficiently eloquent, and not only regarding the fact that the standard has dropped, but also the fact that it has known for years that we are not doing well and it is so difficult for us to rectify them.

Life awaits these boys and girls, and so does the job market. At the Business Meeting in the Pyrenees, held in La Seu d'Urgell, asked those present who plans to hire workers in the coming months, and exactly half of the hands went up. They asked who has difficulty finding qualified workers, and almost all of their hands went up.

Being prepared is a combination of aptitude (grades) and attitude (desire). The latter can be worked on from a young age with the former, by consolidating small academic achievements each day, which build self-esteem and strengthen personal confidence for the future. That's why the teacher's final comment is devastating: "I also think they don't feel sufficiently prepared. Many know they've been passed with a free pass that perhaps isn't theirs." It hurts to feel that way.