Being One of The Good Guys

The Superintendent

I’ve been supervising state examinations for a few years now. I enjoy doing it because I know that I can ensure the students assigned to my centre, are comfortable and relaxed, informed, and well taken care of, because it is me who is supervising.

Over the years and before beginning this annual role, I’ve been part of and have overheard, many conversations with other serving and former superintendents; and let’s just say there has been a wide variety of approaches, not all ideal or conducive to creating an atmosphere of support or even calm, in an examination centre.

Perhaps that’s the parent in me or perhaps because I am a mentor who among other clients, supports teens on their developmental journey in life; OR maybe it’s simply because I am one of the ‘good guys’. I have always strived to create an atmosphere that aids the students settling into the work as quickly as possible. I am mindful of their needs during each exam, in so far as I can support them in my own role as superintendent.

The role can be seen by some as tedious and if human nature or the human condition doesn’t particularly interest you, I suppose it could be. For my part I always find it fascinating.

From the moment the student enters the examination centre, you can almost feel how they are feeling. You get a good idea of whether they are feeling confident or are anxious. How early they arrive to the centre or how close they arrive to the start time, often says a lot. You can tell which subjects are their favourites by how they conduct themselves as they arrive, sit down, and accept the exam papers you hand out. That ‘passing out of the papers’ process is a snapshot for a human behavioural study in itself.

There are those who will anticipate the instructions, listening attentively in case there is a correction, ensuring they have the timing right and what time the ‘half-way’ reminder will be. They use this routine as a grounding tool.

Once I announce they may begin the exam, something becomes starkly evident – who are the strategists, who are the achievers and who are the dreamers*.

Methodology

I have a few tactics that I engage as a superintendent which have proven successful and lend themselves to the creation of the atmosphere, I believe is most helpful to the students – one of calm.

For starters, I hand out the papers as close to the start time as possible. There is nothing worse for the students than having to sit with an exam paper on the table in front of them, for five minutes or more, watching the big hand of the clock rotate, seemingly ever more slowly, the closer it reaches to the exam start time. I’ll grant it this process may be difficult to achieve when there are a lot of students?, but we can do our best to limit that ‘wait’ time where possible.

I feel helping to ensure anxiety stays at bay is important, so I check in with the students about pens, tissues, water, wobbly desks, and the temperature before we get formal. These are aspects they must actively check which brings them ‘into the room’ and engages them for a moment. I then deliver my instructions, with approx. 6 minutes to go. This gives enough time to provide anything additional needed or remedy an uncooperative desk. If there are separate answer books required, I give them out during this time as I deliver the instructions. It is less formal, allows me to engage personally with each as in “here you go”, “higher or ordinary”, with a smile. They then have time to put the examination number and other required markings on the front cover.

By this point, it is time for the actual exam paper, so in handing it out I ensure there is approx. 1 minute 30 seconds remaining until the start time. Enough time for all students to receive their paper and write their exam number on the front. This is my method before each exam and when you’re in a centre where there are more than 15 exams, the students welcome the routine. It settles and grounds them.

The Students’ Space

Something happens when you hand out that examination paper and say, “You may begin your exam”. A private moment occurs for each student. One in which they steady themselves, either contented with the contents of the paper, or slightly unnerved where they need to take a breath and prepare themselves for a bit of a challenge. It is a moment, I cannot as a superintendent – nay as a parent – witness. I find it difficult to watch their momentary uncertainty, loss of confidence or even panic. The Mum that I am, would struggle with being unable to ‘fix it’ or comfort them, neither of which are part of the ‘superintending’ role, so I look elsewhere.

It only lasts a moment or two at most, during which I remain at my desk. Now is not the time to start walking around, past the students. They need to have that little bubble of space around them to settle themselves. From my desk I can see everyone. I’ve planned it that way from the set-up day, so that each can catch my attention if they need anything, without having to be too demonstrative and disturbing others. It means shifting a few desks here and there and having my room attendent sit in each chair but it’s a worthwhile exercise.

While they are having their moment, I mildly distract myself by feigning great interest in my superintendent handbook, double checking the list of reminders in my Day-to-Day handbook, rechecking the register, labels for the transmission envelope, the trees outside or my pen if necessary, looking anywhere but on the faces of the students.

That moment or two, I believe is so, so private for each student. It allows them space and time to process their feelings about the paper, what it is like, and to begin to create a strategy or adjust their proposed one before beginning to answer the paper.

State Examinations in Ireland

The Leaving Certificate in Ireland, the final exam of formal education before 3rd level, has at least 43 subjects included nowadays. Many of these are language subjects as 21st century Ireland has a wonderful multi-national population and our State Examinations support the continuance of native languages, by allowing students to receive formal qualifications in them.

Each student will sit between 6 and 9 subjects for their Leaving Certificate. There is no longer an emphasis on ‘passing’ these exams or even ‘failing’ a subject. Nowadays, it has more to do with the grade you receive in a subject and how many points that affords you. Add up all the points and you find out what college courses you will be able to access. Very different to times past when if you didn’t pass (40% or over) a subject you failed it and if you didn’t pass English, Irish, Maths and two other subjects you had failed the entire state examination. A crushing reality for many former students, who are now adults and perhaps parents themselves, with an unhappy memory of what the Leaving Certificate entailed for them. That leaves an educational legacy?.

The Leaving Certificate takes place over a period of 15 consecutive days, Monday – Friday. For the students, these 15 days mark the end of the compulsory aspect of their formal education and open the gateway to their adult lives. It is a rite of passage that for many proves challenging and can cause much hardship and distress. For others, they seemingly cruise through. It begs the question of why it works for some and not others, but that is a question for another time and more to do with how we learn and how we are taught, rather than what we learn and manage to regurgitate.

For Leaving Certificate students, they have had so many years of progression leading up to this, beginning in Early Years Education, when they learn their own name, what they like and don’t like. Now after 13 years of formal education, everything after this is about their own choices.

That is a very important and significant statement within the context of this piece of writing.

Next Steps

For too many students, their next steps, post-Leaving Certificate have already been determined months before this exam. The SEC – State Examinations Commission, requires that all students must have committed to their Leaving Certificate Subjects before February in their exam year, when the Options Portal closes. So, at 16 or 17 (for the lucky few 18) years of age, these students must have committed to the subjects they will sit examinations in just four months later, which will determine their further education options.

In fact, if you wanted to be thoroughly accurate about this, those same students when they were 14 or 15 (for the lucky few 16) and came towards the end of their 3rd year of 2nd Level schooling, had to THEN decide on the subjects they would study for a further two years. This was the precursor to them committing to those Leaving Certificate subjects in the February of their year to sit them.

Bearing in mind those subjects chosen may have significant impact on their options at 3rd level in three years’ time, when some may still not be legal to vote, but must decide on the first steps of their adult future.

That is heavy stuff – a lot for ‘kids’ to have to fathom. Granted some thrive in this space and love it but not all and in fact I would hazard a guess to state that for the majority it is a challenging time of differing levels, especially in 2022, post-lockdowns, missed school hours and stunted or delayed social development.

One Good Adult

These are the reasons why I strive to be the type of Exam Superintendent I am. These kids, - students; have had to make decisions they are often not emotionally or cognitively mature enough to make. Their choices may have been heavily influenced by the adults in their lives, parents, teachers, school management, guidance counsellors etc., They really don’t need anyone else making decisions for them, dictating to them, or exerting any kind of perceived ‘power’ over them.

They also don’t need anyone affecting their ability to perform in their examinations. That means no oppressive walking around (why is it always with squeaky shoes?), looking over their shoulders. No fiddling with pencil cases and calculators checking if there are secret notes hidden within. Our Mental Health Awareness organisations here in Ireland have a phrase for what they need. What they need is ‘One Good Adult’.

As an Examination Superintendent you are the last adult these students will meet, as part of their formal education. For some, school may have been a breeze, for others it may have been challenging, distressing and a hurdle too difficult to bear at times. For many more, it has held a space somewhere in between. At this end of their journey, you can do something wonderous amid the rules and regulations of being an Invigilator. You can be their ‘One Good Adult’.

That is my aim. To be one of the ‘Good Guys’. I can’t do it for them, I can’t interject or interfere in any way, but what I can do, is be kind.

When they look around them in that exam hall, perhaps a little panicked, perhaps a little uncertain and they are searching for some spark of assurity that they’ve got this exam, I can smile and acknowledge them. It may not seem much, but I know, having sat it many exam halls, as both Superintendent and as a student myself, that smile can mean and do so much more than you think.

This year, perhaps because my own teen is almost at this point in her school life, or maybe because so many of this year’s students missed so much schooling due to lockdowns and no ‘trial run’ in the Junior Certificate, or it could be because I’m getting older and even more sentimental, I wanted the students in my exam centre to really feel they were in a safe space. The only way I could do that was to create an energy that felt warm and caring. I did that by being kind.

Proof My Methods Work

When the school’s Head Student is in your examination centre, and on their final day, as they leave, thanks you warmly and tells you that they couldn’t have asked for a better exam centre or a better Superintendent to invigilate their exams, you know, that they know, you’re one of the Good Guys.

It's very simple. Be Kind.

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* See my other blog post, ‘Achievers, Strategists, Dreamers and the ‘Great Leveller’

? The current ratio of students to Superintendent is 45:1. In 2021, during the pandemic restrictions, a larger examination centre could have up to 72 students in three pods with 3 Superintendents which would seem a much more suitable ratio.

? Educational Legacy is where the educational experience of one generation impacts on the educational experience of the next.

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