Over the past year, there have been a group of Year 9, 10 and 11 students who have worked tirelessly alongside several senior students requiring assistance during their trials and HSC exams. These students are part of our Student Support Team (SST) and, for the first time in their lives, have written exams that they will never actually be graded for.
Each member of the SST have undergone training, mentorship and developed a close working relationship with Year 12 students as they undergo their last year or so of high school. Most of our SST members act as a scribe or reader for Year 12 students who might need a helping hand. They do this by either reading the numerous papers to those who have reading impairments or vision concerns or acting as a writer for students who cannot write for themselves.
Each year Diverse Learning asks junior students if they would like to be a part of the SST. After an initial application process, we provide training regarding the specific requirements of a reader or a writer during the assessment tasks. From here, the SST members are allocated students to work with during the year. They can often can spend up to 3-4 hours per exam with a senior student, becoming their support. They become the student’s reader and/or writer for the duration of their Year 11 and Year 12 journey.
It’s not an easy job, particularly in a world where we hardly write any more.
One of our students, Ysabel in Year 9 stated that she applied to be part of the Student Support Team "to allow students to reach their full potential by providing the assistance they need.” And, Sophie – also in Year 9 – said that she realised that her role is very important to Year 12 students so, “they can finish their exams without having to worry about their disability affecting their writing and reading ability. By having readers and writers for the Year 12 students they can focus on the task at hand and know that they are getting the assistance they need.”
OLMC and Diverse Learning have been so grateful for the genuine care and kindness that the SST members have shown to our Year 12 students during a particularly stressful time. We would like to acknowledge their amazing work and dedication and we know that our Year 12 students are so appreciative of this support.
We look forward to working with our next group of SST members as we train them to help Year 12, 2025.