Mental Health.

[Special At Specialist]

Remember to keep nagging your teachers about it! If you stop nagging them, then they may conveniently 'forget' to arrange a spot for you to speak.

Btw lozmatron, I just want to congratulate you on your courage to speak out against this. It must take a lot of confidence to make a speech like that in front of your whole school. You will be remembered for this

[Lolly]

what about a spot at final assembly?

Nope...in the last assembly year 12s party it out and make ridiculously long speeches and basically do whatever they want to say goodbye. It's usually pretty fun to watch and I wouldn't want to dampen the mood
 

Remember to keep nagging your teachers about it! If you stop nagging them, then they may conveniently 'forget' to arrange a spot for you to speak.

Btw lozmatron, I just want to congratulate you on your courage to speak out against this. It must take a lot of confidence to make a speech like that in front of your whole school. You will be remembered for this

Haha, I don't exactly feel confident, or even the best person for this job, but I seem to have a one track mind at the moment. This has to happen- I remember how mad I was when a friend was barred from talking about eating disorders for public speaking. She talked about cats instead...-.- I have to do this.

[thushan]

"I seem to have a one track mind at the moment."

This alone shows that you are the best person for the job.

[Lolly]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/blood-on-the-health-tracks/story-e6frfhqo-1226500251155

 
 I don't know why these guidelines have been waiting since /February/ but I'm so glad this has been brought forth as a public issue once again. Hopefully some kind of reform will be made.  A similar story ran in my local paper as well.

[Mr Keshy]

I agree that depression is among some of the most serious health related issues that I've seen many face. Most students are very closed on the matter so it's incredibly difficult to be able to identify the few that are experiencing such trauma...

Headspace came to our school and gave a speech for about a period, pretty insightful, apparently 1 in 10 (I believe) of us at school, might be at risk of either being in depression or heading straight toward it. Following that last point, one of the most surprising and shocking facts I also leant was that many people do not realise that they are falling into depression. You endlessly hear students complaining about stress and workload, so these vulnerable students seem to believe that they're in no different state of mind than that of the rest of their peers. Had they realised and taken action before it was too late, a lot of the time, the problem would have been quickly turned around!

Which brings me to another question.. We all question the VCE system, how it's unnecessarily stressful, faulty and causing illness... But what actions can be done to solve the issue? What can possibly be changed in the current VCE system. I'm very curious to see what we all think, whilst thinking about feasibility of putting it into real world practice. Personally, apart from an overhaul in awareness of mental illness, I can't seem to think of anything I could change in the VCE system to reduce stress. (This might get a bit of flame, who knows) I think VCE does its best rank students, they rank us based on their knowledge and their ability to handle stress. They supply us with a study design which outlines the necessary content that we need to understand and apply, and we're given a time constraint well in advance.

At this point, I know many of us do think (and rightly so!) that we're given too much content to study in too little time, we should either be given a longer timeframe (not possible), or be given less content to remember.. But I believe this, the ability to study and comprehend more, is what separates and ranks our abilities, but unfortunately for some, this sadly leads to a sickness that is without question or shadow of doubt, very serious and incredibly difficult to overcome.

I would do anything in my power to help those with depression or mental illness, trouble is I don't know what it is I can do..

Anyway, sorry that I've blabbered on and sorry if it doesn't make sense, my essay is pretty much complete, though the question I posed before still remains and if mods want to separate it into a different topic, then it's totally fine, if not, I'd like to hear..

We all question the VCE system, how it's unnecessarily stressful, faulty and causing illness... But what actions can be done to solve the issue? What can possibly be changed in the current VCE system. I'm very curious to see what we all think, whilst thinking about feasibility of putting it into real world practice.

[paulsterio]

I really don't think it's a fault of the VCE system, it's a fault of the way students tackle VCE, which stems from a fault at the lower levels of education.

[Lolly]

Kesh I think this is all very relevant to this topic.^^ Really appreciate your thoughts.
I don't have a lot of points of comparison as to how VCE differs to any other school system. However I'm sure there are other schooling systems around the world which could be considered more strenuous - for example, the meritocracy in South Korea. Also while I was on exchange I got the impression that the German system was quite harsh too. I remember sitting in a Biology class with a girl crying because she received 68% for her test. However, I soon found she wasn't distraught, but elated- 68% was the best mark she had got all year!

But in putting this back in context:
The pressure of VCE is intense, and could even be considered excessive, but in any case I figure  that this time in my life will give me the resilience and coping mechanisms for stressors imposed on me in the future. If I can deal with this, then I can deal with anything.

But what actions can be done to solve the issue? What can possibly be changed in the current VCE system.

In a nutshell: emphasis on support.
 Remember that the role of the school isn't just to impart knowledge, but also ensure the wellbeing of the student. For the greater part of this year our school didn't have a psychologist. I have to say that this left a real gap in resources and was conducive to a lot of added stress, for me personally and, judging from what I heard of other's experiences, the school community at large. I think this is a key point - VCE is surmountable, but support is absolutely essential.

[Eriny]

  Anyway, sorry that I've blabbered on and sorry if it doesn't make sense, my essay is pretty much complete, though the question I posed before still remains and if mods want to separate it into a different topic, then it's totally fine, if not, I'd like to hear..

We all question the VCE system, how it's unnecessarily stressful, faulty and causing illness... But what actions can be done to solve the issue? What can possibly be changed in the current VCE system. I'm very curious to see what we all think, whilst thinking about feasibility of putting it into real world practice.

This is a good question. I'm not sure if the problem is with the VCE specifically, or a whole culture that normalises working pretty extreme hours and valorises stress. As I mentioned a couple of pages ago, VCE is more stressful than the following years at uni but there are many people in the workforce who are exposed to prolong stress and unhealthy demands - being on call 24/7, working difficult and long hours without much chance for a rest, and being expected to make their career central to their life. It works for some people, but I don't think this kind of thing suit most people, most of us want a full life with friends, family, hobbies, travel, and career (or school) is only supposed to be a part of life, not all of life. (hehe, I'm rambling now).

I think that if you have a friend who is depressed, there is heaps you can do to support them. If they feel up to it, you could take them out to a cafe or something, you can help them do little things they might not have gotten around to like tidying up, you can help them out with catching up on missed classes, etc. of course you can always let them know that you're there for them and are fine with talking about anything, though only do this if you really are up to talking about anything, if you don't think you are, don't just say it. Also, don't ever say things like 'snap out of it', 'why can't you just be happy?', etc. they're probably already thinking those things themselves anyway.

[thushan]

Something to watch relating to depression.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc&feature=youtu.be

[Mr Keshy]

Kesh I think this is all very relevant to this topic.^^ Really appreciate your thoughts.
I don't have a lot of points of comparison as to how VCE differs to any other school system. However I'm sure there are other schooling systems around the world which could be considered more strenuous - for example, the meritocracy in South Korea. Also while I was on exchange I got the impression that the German system was quite harsh too. I remember sitting in a Biology class with a girl crying because she received 68% for her test. However, I soon found she wasn't distraught, but elated- 68% was the best mark she had got all year!

But in putting this back in context:
The pressure of VCE is intense, and could even be considered excessive, but in any case I figure  that this time in my life will give me the resilience and coping mechanisms for stressors imposed on me in the future. If I can deal with this, then I can deal with anything.

But what actions can be done to solve the issue? What can possibly be changed in the current VCE system.

In a nutshell: emphasis on support.
 Remember that the role of the school isn't just to impart knowledge, but also ensure the wellbeing of the student. For the greater part of this year our school didn't have a psychologist. I have to say that this left a real gap in resources and was conducive to a lot of added stress, for me personally and, judging from what I heard of other's experiences, the school community at large. I think this is a key point - VCE is surmountable, but support is absolutely essential.

Couldn't agree with you more, we have adequate resources and support at our school, however the problem is that the students who need it aren't using it. I think the predominant reason behind the unwillingness (for lack of a better word) of the students to seek help, is that, like the video posted by Thushan said, there is a social stigma which surrounds depression and mental illness, which I think is appalling.

[Lolly]

I think that if you have a friend who is depressed, there is heaps you can do to support them. If they feel up to it, you could take them out to a cafe or something, you can help them do little things they might not have gotten around to like tidying up, you can help them out with catching up on missed classes, etc. of course you can always let them know that you're there for them and are fine with talking about anything, though only do this if you really are up to talking about anything, if you don't think you are, don't just say it. Also, don't ever say things like 'snap out of it', 'why can't you just be happy?', etc. they're probably already thinking those things themselves anyway.

This is true. However, just a warning: remember that you're only their friend and there is a limit to what you can do. Do not; I repeat- DO NOT- fall into the trap of becoming their counsellor, therapist, or even their parent, even if they unintentionally pressure you into doing this. You have your own life too . You must look after yourself as well or else there is a real danger that you will fall into your own depression.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc&feature=youtu.be

Wow I relate to this ten times over. Thank you so much for posting this.

Couldn't agree with you more, we have adequate resources and support at our school, however the problem is that the students who need it aren't using it. I think the predominant reason behind the unwillingness (for lack of a better word) of the students to seek help, is that, like the video posted by Thushan said, there is a social stigma which surrounds depression and mental illness, which I think is appalling.

And judging from the news yesterday, this stigma exists even on a political level. I really hope that some important decisions will be made in coming days. I know the healthcare system is tight enough as it is, but this review is desperately needed. It took so long before my friend was considered "ill enough" to get into hospital. And once she was in there I thought she would be safe but...I'll admit that impression was /somewhat/shattered. In any case I empathise with the families who can no longer trust the system. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the therapy is effective but it really comes down to a lack of resources. Since our budget is in deficit  the government is probably more likely to make cuts than anything; I don't really know what the solution to this could be.

[Mr Keshy]

Since our budget is in deficit  the government is probably more likely to make cuts than anything; I don't really know what the solution to this could be.

I think the solution is within us, the students. It's a big call, but I think the large reason may be down to friends and peer pressure.. I for example, hang out with some pretty bright students, I myself don't try as much in some subjects, but just struggle to understand others. These guys do pretty well in all of their subjects. The real problem lies when friends and students start talking about education and SACs and say things like:
(he can be replaced with a name I guess)

'lol, he's your competition, you'll obviously do fine' , some of the most powerful ones were 'Hey dude, I hope you didn't beat me in the last SAC' 'Even he might've able to beat me on this one' And the one that affected me the most, 'Dude I got 88% on my SAC' 'wow man, you did crap, even he beat you on this one'

I've had this said and heard this being said

Some of these are probably meant in good nature as they might believe it's not harmful to their friends, (not sure how), but if I were in that position I'd give an awkward laugh, but I would feel kind of 'depressed' or more sad, that they have such an opinion about me.. When they say it to others, I feel like throwing a large brick right into their face. Some students who achieve well in school have an ego issue and have little or no sympathy for others in that they may have a learning difficulty or simply cannot process the information fast enough. They have no clue that what they're saying, is having an adverse affect on the recipient of their words.

But when this happens to me, it just makes me more determined for next year, when it will count towards that number.

[thushan]

"This is true. However, just a warning: remember that you're only their friend and there is a limit to what you can do. Do not; I repeat- DO NOT- fall into the trap of becoming their counsellor, therapist, or even their parent, even if they unintentionally pressure you into doing this. You have your own life too . You must look after yourself as well or else there is a real danger that you will fall into your own depression."

I semi-agree with this. There is something you can do that a counsellor/psychiatrist/psychologist cannot, and that is show love (now don't get all 'oh sex', love means love, whether it be that of a friend, or a sibling, or a significant other). They are bound by professional boundaries, but you are not. And in my experience...one really powerful medicine for someone with depression is love.

[paulsterio]

It's a sad day when education becomes a numbers game, where students try to beat each other, try to outplay each other, it's almost like a game where you have to use tactics, cunning and a competitive edge to come out with a high score. Gone are the days where we learn because we love to. Gone are the days where the students who do Maths, Physics and Chemistry are the students who truly love, enjoy and want to learn about the subjects.

The issue with today's education system is what I like to call "Asianism", that our education system is becoming much more like the education systems in the so-called "high performing" Asian countries (I'm not going to name which countries, because I don't wish to offend, but research it if you wish). To me, this is absolutely terrible because it means that students no longer enjoy learning, it means that kids want to learn strictly to curricula rather than to depth and breadth. The phrase which I hear time and time again, when tutoring students is "do we need to know that for the exam?"

You might ask how I would reply to this, well I always say "probably not, but if you truly love the subject you are learning and you truly wish to become better at it, you should know and read broadly". This is what I believe education can be, students shouldn't fear learning things that they don't have to know, neither should they overlook the applications of their subjects, I hate hearing "oh, this is just applications, we don't need to go over this" - it's very frustrating trying to teach students who have a mentality of marks ingrained into them. All they want is to GET BETTER MARKS. When students come to me for tutoring, I don't want them to come to me so they can "GET BETTER MARKS", I don't teach them so that they "GET BETTER MARKS", I want them to come to me because I have the knowledge and experience to help them extend their knowledge, not necessarily beyond the course, but I want them to come to me to LEARN ABOUT PHYSICS or LEARN ABOUT MATHS, so that they understand and know more.

If we all did subjects which we truly enjoyed and learnt for the knowledge rather than the marks, many issues will be resolved so much more easily. We wouldn't be anywhere near as competitive, we become interested in our subject matter and by default, will get better at SACs and Exams - assessment becomes a secondary issue, as it should be, the primary goal of education should be knowledge and skills, not assessment. Exams become a fact of life and a challenge rather than a competition.

It becomes a question of "I want to sit this exam to see how much I know, I'll relax and try to do the best I can" rather than a question of "I NEED TO GET THIS MARK ON THIS EXAM SO I CAN GET THIS ATAR". Have you guys ever done an exam where the result didn't matter (*cough westpac maths comp *cough), how did you feel? No stress, pretty relaxing, pretty chill right? This is how all exams should be, they should be a test of your knowledge, something that is fun, rather than a live-or-die competition.

In the end, however, I understand why our education system is heading towards Asianism, it's because the ATAR isn't just a score, it's become something that defines you, it's become something which determines what you can do in University and what you can't, but then and again, it's laughable how many students want to do Medicine or Law, when you have 3,000 students applying for 300 spots in Medicine (at Monash) you know there's something wrong, but that's another story.

This is why I want to become a teacher, because I think that an inquiry model of learning is much better - we should always be thinking about what we learn, enjoying what we learn and applying it to our lives. I want to help engage my students in the subject so that they move away from just marks to actual education. I wish to promote subjects which are important but often under-represented such as IT and the Humanities, where many students, even though they are interested in the field, choose not to take those subjects because of "scaling" or "parents" or some other obstacle. Maybe I'm just an idealistic prospective Education student who wishes to do more than he can ever imagine, but actions start from plans and plans start from dreams.

So, in summary, essentially the problem is with how students tackle VCE, it's become a marks-obsessive game, rather than true education.

[Mr Keshy]

For me, I find that I truly love all my subjects except for physics and accounting. I've been looking less at the marks and more at how I can utilise the knowledge I gain later in life.

It's rarer these days because of exactly what you've outlined above. Brilliantly said by the way Paul.