This week I wanted to give a massive shout out to all the young adults doing their final year of school. Yesterday my daughter Jess attended her last day of school and we had some fun recreating the picture from her very first day at school.

The Past Two Years

Over the past two years Jess, like all students going through Year 11 and 12, has missed out on so much. Especially those students in Melbourne who have endured the unenviable label of most locked down city in the world. They have missed out on formals, graduation ceremonies, 18^th birthday parties and a lot of the other rites of passage we normally experience entering adult hood. What’s more, they have had to work hard to maintain their mental health, energy and focus.

Long Term Impacts

There is a lot of talk about the long term impacts that lockdown will have on this generation. And while this talk is mostly negative, I think there could be some positives. We could be witnessing the birth of an extremely resilient generation.

Another positive is the stories they will be able to share in the future and the killer comebacks they can have to any complaining children they might have. Imagine this….

POTENTIAL KID – “Year 12 is so hard, you wouldn’t understand!”

RESPONSE- “Try doing Year 12 and not being allowed to go to school? Don’t give me ‘I wouldn’t understand’.”

POTENTIAL KID “What do you mean I’m grounded for 2 weeks, that’s so unfair!”

RESPONSE – “I’ll give you unfair. When I was your age, we were literally grounded for two years, only allowed outside for an hour to exercise and we had to wear a mask.”

My Letter to Year 12 Students

So, to all the Year 12 students about to embark on their final exams….

You’ve got this! Do your best and know that is enough …your best is always enough.

Your final score matters only for a fleeting moment in life. It doesn’t determine your future, it doesn’t determine your happiness and it doesn’t determine your success. Believe me, I know this to be true. I failed English in Year 12 but have published six books.

We are all proud of the way you have handled this pretty shitty situation. How you have dealt with the constant uncertainty of the situation.

I may not know you personally, but I know that if you are reading this post it is because someone has forwarded it to you and that someone is extremely proud of YOU!