© Victor Ochieng’
As a peripatetic speaker, cruising counties across the country, staging candid conversations for Form Four candidates, I have always shed bright light on the 3 G’s: Energy, Synergy and Strategy.
Energy
Form Four candidates yearning to access success in KCSE must increase their energy levels. Peak performance comes with starting strong, continuing strong and finishing strong. They should do it like champions. Energy means they purpose to go the extra mile. For the pot carrying good grades lies where the rainbow ends. Then, the difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary lies in the prefix “extra”.
Meaning, candidates who win and shine, understand this “extra factor”. They dream more. They do more. They become more. Extra-ordinary candidates take a leap of faith, and explore how to score more in academics. Energy is needed in waking up early, studying at night and doing shedloads of assignments. Form Four candidates must brace up for expansion of learning time, crash programmes, compressed curriculum, pressed schedules and high-pressure learning environment.
Through it all, Form Four candidates with energy work on their strengths and weaknesses. They grit their teeth. They steady their nerves. They tighten their belts. They put their best foot forward. They sacrifice and pay the price. For no price, no prize. They borrow life lessons from elite athletes and world-class soccer players. Elite athletes dedicate 90% to preparation, and 10% to winning big races. Athletes practise for years to win races that take seconds. Likewise, world-class footballers know that they play based on how they prepared. When they prepare poorly, they play poorly. In this context, exam requires enough academic, spiritual and psychological preparation.
Life has battles and wars. Sometimes, conquerors accept to lose battles, but they eventually win the war. Form Four candidates with energy stretch beyond elastic limits. They obey the wise words of John C. Maxwell in his heroic book titled The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. In The Law of the Rubber Band, he contends: rubber bands are useful because they can stretch. Likewise, human beings become useful only when they can stretch. Meaning, Form Four candidates should stretch. Why? It is homestretch, the last lap. They must accept pressure piled on them. After all, good things like gold and diamond go through intense pressure before they become admirable. Precious things are products of pressure, not pleasure.
Synergy
Synergy focuses on working and walking together. Steve Covey in his heroic book titled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People postulates, highly effective people synergise. Where there is synergy, there is energy. Ideally, synergy focuses on co-operation and collaboration. Form Four candidates who pass exams with flying colours, collaborate in their class through joint effort. They also co-operate with all figures of authority in the school. They cooperate through discipline and diligence. For Jim Rohn observed, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves discipline, loves knowledge…”
Again, synergy focuses on what Napoleon Hill calls the Mastermind Alliance – two or more minds merging to achieve a particular purpose. Synergy focuses on teamwork. TEAM (Together Each Achieves More). For the dream to work, there must be teamwork. The dream is the school target and individual targets. Or the prestigious courses available after high school. Then, synergy is unity of purpose. Psalm 133:3 says, where there is unity, God commands a blessing. For results to come there must be unity among students and staff. For without unity, the school will fail and fall flat.
Strategy
There should be top achievers’ and struggling students’ strategies. Top achievers in the candidate class should work for straight A’s in the subject cohorts. Join academic villages. Engage in peer teaching. Practice individual exams. Focus on one-on-one conferencing with teachers. Believe in the Kaizen Principle of Continuous Improvement. Grasp art of exams. Fill in learning gaps. Avoid over-confidence. Get rid of stupid pride. Overcome hubris and chutzpah. Overcome complacency.
Finally, struggling students leg up their academic performance when they embrace ability grouping. Pair up with top achievers. Go back to Form One and Two work. Identify simple areas they can score free marks. Grasp art of exams. Focus on all forms of consultation. Take remedial lessons seriously. Target a D+ (plus) and above in core subjects, and C (plain) and above in optional ones without giving up. For Thomas Edison in his attempts to invent the light bulb, failed 10,000 times, but did not give up. In fact, he said, “I have not failed, I have only found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
The writer visits schools to roll out Form 4 Academic Talks on Finishing Strong Strategies.
vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232