General News
18 October, 2024
The final countdown: Year 12s finish classes, prepare for exams
Our teens have done the best they could in these tough years.
Well, this is it, our 2024 Year 12s finish school this week.
These incredible young adults will either go on to sit exams, or hit the job market immediately - or both, because being a poor student costs a fortune!
My baby girl will be there in her primary school uniform on Monday, dressed as 'Ballet' in the theme of 'Rhyme with no Reason' on Tuesday and on Wednesday she'll appear as 'Maverick' from 'Top Gun' wearing her dad's flight used on missions during his years in the RAAF as an aircraft technician.
It's been a bit of a year for us as a family.
Days before the first anniversary of my mum's death, we lost Kym's mum and had another funeral to arrange.
Kym's dad was very sick, and my brother and I were still working towards the execution of mum's Will.
Although Tiani had always struggled with aspects of school and told me for the past couple of years that she suspected Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), I had insisted that she was a kinesthetic learner who just needed to get physical to learn new things.
She was absolutely right of course.
I only discovered this after my supervisor, who is a Clinical Family Therapist and Psychotherapist, recommended I read 'ADHD 2.0' which made it perfectly obvious to me that I was as prejudiced about ADHD as the rest of the world, and did not recognize the symptoms in my intelligent but incredibly frustrated 18-year-old daughter.
The drawn-out procedure of a GP referral and Psychiatrist diagnosis took months, and it was late September before a trial of medication was possible.
Luckily Tiani had already been interviewed and accepted by both 'elly lukas' and Kew Student Residence by then, so my third daughter's career as a Beauty Therapist and Salon Manager had already been mapped out.
When about to process the payment for an ATAR - my youngest decided that she didn't need a ranking from an external body which would have no bearing on the next years of her life.
Just like other parents of Year 12s around the region this week, I couldn't be prouder.
Our teens have done the best that they could in the tough couple of years they've survived.
Well done people!