Study Mode

Study Mode ©

By

Michael Casey

Well my big daughter is having her exams next month so now the Easter Holidays are here so she must study. Next year will be her A Levels and after that University. She’s decided not to do Medicine and may try Biology instead. At my brother’s house over Easter they were talking over food, and my sister in law said that her sister had a place in Edinburgh so my daughter could stay there. Now this could be the confluence of events, or luck or God, or my mother up in Heaven pulling a few Angel’s harp strings. So providing she gets A A A A then should could get in at Edinburgh, yes the grades are that high, but Edinburgh is 25^th in the world for Biology or so I’m told.

So readers worldwide that’s something to pray for, I’ll accept any prayers via any Faith, to help my daughter. Which brings me to today’s talk, which is Study Mode. The Nolan Sisters used to sing I’m in the mood for dancing, romancing, though dads watching just sat there open mouthed. So when I as a student, ok at school I used to have Friday off cos it was Friday.Then Saturday I played rugby, I was very strong as kid and most of my life. Then Sunday after serving Mass as an altar boy I finally did my homework. That was my weekend routine. And yes I still remember the torture that was Latin homework. Mr Proctor used to say do 40 mins, but you had to do double that to make and impression as it was so hard. Otherwise you’d have nothing to show for it. By the way I got a B in Latin O Level. I seem to remember my eldest brother got A at A Level, but he did do Modern Languages at Queens Oxford.

So exams were on the horizon, so books were piled up and the exam time table was placed on the drop leaf study table we had in the middle room. My other brother had gone off coal mining for a year in Newbold Vernon, inventing the Gap Year back in 1974, before leaving the Pit to go to Downing Cambridge to do Economics. Yes I’m still University dropping. And what did the fat silver haired writer in shades from Birmingham do? I did do 2 courses at the Open University while working full time night shifts in a computer room, 30 years ago. Then eventually became a writer, alongside read life, these 1,285,000 words and growing are my Universe if not University. I did History, and Shakespeare, obviously.

So there I am copying out vocabulary and reciting from History notes. I did do 2 English exams, Lang and Lit, plus French, Spanish and Latin as well. Which may explain the love of words, coupled with 20 years of Speech Radio from ages of 8 to 28 especially. Reciting is the best way to learn, don’t mumble to yourself, or follow with a finger. Sing your notes, let the whole street hear you sing about King Edward and that poker. Let them hear you decline your verbs, climb every mountain with your learning. Pluck your eyebrows as you learn that French, which I really did once, but I did get full marks in the test.

Have a reward for every hour of study. My daughter has just done 2 hours so she has an apple tart now and a hot drink. Do not overdose on study. Do those 2 hours and then stroke the cat for thirty minutes, or argue with your baby sister, whichever relaxes you and takes your mind off study. Then grab a cake and head back to the study table. Do 2 more hours, then break again.You can easily do 6 hours of study over a 7 hour period. And if you are studying for A Levels maybe do another 2 hour study. So its 2, break, 2, break, 2, break, 2 FINISH. That’s 8 hours study over 9 and a half hours. So If you get out of bed at 10am then have a lazy breakfast and start study at 11, by 8.30pm you are finished. Then you an relax and watch films on tv or even go out and see friends. But be in bed by Midnight, so you get 10 hours sleep/rest.

This is a very simple idea.If you cannot manage 8 hours study then do 7, the last session can be just one hour, so you finish at 7.30pm. And then you chill with films or go out, but be in bed at Midnight. This is just for month while you do your exams, once exams are finished you can reach for the Diet Coke, the drink I mean, students nowadays. I can actually remember a tv programme about study methods which spoke about 90 mins study sessions then a 15 min break, but that was 40 years ago and the guy had flares and maybe an Afro. Though I do have this photo of my brother at Oxford over 45 years ago he had flares and gold framed octagonal glasses. Now he just looks like Harrison Ford, in carpet slippers.

Now if loud music helps then use it, Country and Western music or Bartok, or even Hymns, if it helps use it, play it loud and proud and lock the door as you STUDY. Remember the Michael Jackson track where there is banging on the door? Well that is you in study mode, or me trying to get into the bathroom with my Ckd, just try and enjoy your studying and get your dad to supply cakes and biscuits. There may be tears and shouting and loud crashing, but if that’s you rehearsing for your Drama exam then so be it. It may also be you and your boyfriend after you’ve done your studying for the day. Or Judo practice to help you unwind, do what you need to do, beat your boyfriend up till he is black and blue. If he loves you, he’ll accept it, besides he’s a Black Belt 5^th Dan, so of course he can take it. He could fall for anybody but he fell for you, and once he’s trained you you’ll reach 7th Dan at Black Belt, but that’ll be after you pass all your exams. For to a Black Belt the sexiest thing about HIS lady is her brains.