Tests, exams, and teachers

Iris Dennery, a high school student from Paris, France, tells the Herald about challenges at school.

Iris Dennery: We have lots of challenges in school, especially tests and exams. The most difficult, for me, are French composition and history, because I need to memorize what I've learned.

Herald: What do you do when you feel afraid of exams?

ID: I pray. One idea that helps me a lot is that good can't result in evil. All the good that comes from studying can't go bad just because of fear. If I really study, then I can't forget what I know. God gives me all I need to understand what I study. Praying like this makes me confident.

Herald: Do you encounter other challenges at school?

ID: Yes. One of them is the tendency to misjudge and condemn other people. In the classroom we tend to judge others harshly. I always try to see the good in people—classmates, and teachers, too. Then I enjoy studying much more. It's so much better to discover and appreciate the good qualities in other people instead of finding problems with them. I think this is much more than positive thinking. It's prayer. We're all God's children. We may be different from each other, but each of us has God's qualities in our own way.

Herald: Did you ever dislike somebody at school?

ID: It happened once. At the beginning of the school year, when you don't know the teachers, you check out how they behave—how they communicate with the students. It was an important year for French because at the end of the year we had to pass an exam called the “baccalauréaut”, a kind of high school French proficiency test. At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of problems with the French teacher. She arrived later in the year because she'd had an accident. And she already had a bad reputation. The whole class was stressed because we were behind in getting ready for the exam. Her teaching was disorganized, and the class didn't understand her explanations.

Like everybody else, I criticized her. But then I realized I didn't like this way of thinking. So, little by little, I stopped analyzing this teacher's weaknesses and looked for her good qualities. I noticed that she really cared about her students. She was supportive of their requests, and deeply loved her job. And I admitted to myself that it was possible to learn from her classes! She told us that, even if we were behind in preparing for the exam, she would help us—and support us to the very end.

Herald: Did this new way of looking at your teacher help you?

ID: Yes, my grades went up right away. When I stopped thinking about her shortcomings, I was able to concentrate better on my work. I became interested in the subject, reading additional things on my own. I realized that it's sometimes fashionable in school to complain about teachers. It makes you feel like you belong if you participate in the criticism. But I discovered that I can't live with that attitude. I'm so much happier and more successful when I see in each person a child of God with all the good qualities that God gives us. I see now that it's possible to stop being influenced by other opinions and to appreciate everybody—even the teachers!

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