Jo Raphael: Young people to be praised for their NCEA efforts

The country's in good hands, writes Jo Raphael. Photo / 123RF

OPINION

I’ve recently discovered beta waves.

Well, not me personally. I can’t take credit.

Beta waves are a category of brainwaves (types of electrical activity) generated when the brain is actively engaged in mental activities.

According to Wikipedia, beta waves were discovered in 1924 by German psychiatrist Hans Berger, who invented electroencephalography (EEG) to record electrical brain activity from the human scalp.

Being in a “beta” state of mind means you’re task-focused. And these waves can be supposedly enhanced by listening to a special type of music.

I wish I had known about them when sitting my school exams.

Sometimes I have trouble staying focused. I procrastinate and I get distracted easily.

At school, I think I absorbed information through osmosis rather than actual study or hard work.

If I ever cracked a textbook it was under teachers’ orders during class time and not of my own free will after hours.

I wonder whether I might have done better in my maths and science subjects, or even developed an affinity for them had I enhanced the power of my beta brain waves back then.

We talked to some youngsters recently who clearly had their beta waves in control after receiving their NCEA results last week.

Mount Maunganui College Year 13 student Tay Ririnui blew me away when he said he had Covid, but still managed to sit four of his six exams.

The two he missed during his isolation, he will get derived grades for.

He says he’s “pretty happy” with his results.

And so he should be. He passed level 2 with an excellence endorsement and he also got an excellence endorsement for five out of his six subjects.

An amazing feat for this young man, who’s not only had to do most of his senior schooling amid Covid disruptions, and lockdowns but also had to deal with Covid himself.

Another thing about Tay’s maturity impresses me too: “Although it seems like a big deal at times. These results don’t define us. They’re just a small part of our journey.”

Meanwhile, Year 12 student Neve Allibone from Rotorua Girls’ High School has decided her NCEA results are just another learning experience for her and is determined to make the most of her final year at high school. “That’s what I am going to prioritise over everything.”

So while I’m still staring slack-jawed out of the window, waiting on beta wave-induced inspiration, we can rest assured the country’s future is in good hands.

Our young people are focused, unfazed by small failures and have an insightfulness I wish I had at their age.