A PARENTS GUIDE TO THE HSC

The HSC and tests in general are a stressful time for kids, they've spent 13 years of their lives studying for these tests that will rank them, and they all want a 99.95

But the HSC doesn't have to be stressful for the child or the parent, so I thought I'd give a few points that will help parents with getting their child successfully and calmly through the HSC.

1. Give them all the resources they want. Whether that's giving them the family car to get to and from exams, or buying a new calculator as a spare, or buying them pens that aren't the cheapest ones around so you know they will keep working through all those essays! It's really a simple thing to do, but it really benefits the child in the long run

2. Don't take time off from work for their HSC. My mum took the time I spent doing the HSC off work, and let me tell you, it wasn't worth it! She spent the entire time doing things that she wanted to do, as oppose to helping me. I prefer the house empty when I'm studying, and he being there was just adding extra stress and causing me to lose concentration

3. Trust your kid! If they say they've been studying all day, trust that they have. Maybe every once and a while get them to do some productive study while you know they are so they actually are studying, but don't constantly hassle them about studying. Don't question how much study they're doing

4. Don't discuss the HSC with your child unless they bring it up. There is nothing worse than studying all day, and coming down stairs for dinner to find the topic of conversation the HSC and their stress filled minds. They'll talk to you about it (Probably complaining haha), let them vent

5. Don't discuss their personal HSC experiences with anyone else. That includes your friends. Don't go bragging about how stressed they are, or how much they're studying. They don't need to know! You're just adding more pressure to your child because it's making them (in my personal experience) more vulnerable. I didn't want any of my HSC experience discussed by anyone except myself (and not I'm sharing it all over the internet ha!)

6. Don't compare your child to anyone else. Your child is individual, you as a parent are meant to teach them that from a young age, they are like no one else. So why would you go and ask why they aren't studying as much as so-and-so, or why they're getting lower marks than so-an-so. Quite frequently throughout my experience, I'd get "Sophie is goes to university, and she's doing er second exchange, and she's doing a dean scholar, and she got a 98 ATAR) and that didn't make me feel good at all, I knew that she was very gifted, and that she worker hard for all of that, but being compared to a family friend like that is negative to your child.

7. Tutors. They're expensive. But if you get the right one, it makes it worth every cent. I went through my entire schooling without a tutor until the last semester and was I glad that I got her. My tutor was for chemistry, and she wasn't really a tutor to me, we became friends, and would message each other and watch movies before tutoring, and just chat about life. That's what you want in a tutor, someone that you can easily relate to, and you feel comfortable telling them when you don't understand something.

8. If your child is not stressed, don't worry! It's a good thing. If your child is acting cool as a cucumber through out their whole HSC and the stress isn't getting to them. Don't be concerned that they don't care as much, or they're not taking it seriously, because they more than likely are, but they're able to do it in a composed matter.

9. Support your child. Love them and help them as much as you can!

So there is it, some little tips to help you parents properly support your child through the HSC! 

Please take into account any of these points, and comment some down below if you have some more to add to the list!