Year 12 student, Graison Jelbart believes transition to uni will be much easier because he studied VCE at BSSC.
Graison says he has noticed students are often held by the hand through their schooling, but he sees BSSC as a stepping-stone into the real world because there’s, “great support but no spoon feeding”.
“Every lesson is valuable and efficient, and my teachers are so knowledgeable,” he says. “I think it’s really important to make the most of your classes here, so I use study periods to complete as much homework as possible.”
The genuine and down-to-earth relationship between staff and students has been one of the highlights of BSSC for Graison who is also a fan of the first-name basis.
He does not believe using teachers’ first names reduces respect at all.
“In fact, I’ve been surprised to see much more respect from students towards teachers than at my previous college and—although I guess it must happen—I’ve never seen a single episode of disrespect between students and staff, or even between students!”
Prue is Graison’s “amazing” 3/4 Economics teacher and he says, “her class is a great environment and Prue always welcomes questions.”
He particularly appreciates her extra support, given he didn’t take the subject in Year 11.
“Prue helped a few of us go over basics we’d missed—and I was impressed with how patient the other students were.”
This year Graison’s subjects have been English, General Maths, Economics and PE. As a very sport-focused person, his favourite is PE and he is planning a career in this area.
There’s also been a real journey as he observes how his attitude has changed from loving the ‘action’ in Year 11 PE, to greater appreciation for PE theory in Year 12.
“I’m a very visual person, and Renee—who knows I really want to push myself in this subject—uses this when she’s teaching me.”
During ‘practice to perform’ exams, he would sometimes draw a model in the air or, in PE, visualise movement.
Graison often recommends senior to others, not just because of the extensive educational opportunities, but also because he’s been able to keep up his sporting interests and part time job.
Soccer is Graison’s game, and he plays mid-field for Spring Gully Red (Youth). As he has matured, he’s accepted his childhood dream of playing for the Socceroos probably won’t be realised.
Yet, this got him thinking more about coaching or some other role in the sport. Mid-year he applied to Victoria University to study Sports Science and has already had an early-entry offer.
Graison’s biggest challenge has been his tendency to procrastinate. While he’s found it easy to apply himself to PE, other subjects have been impacted.
“For VCE I realised I had to set things up to deal with this. So, for example, staying at school to study has been the best way for me to prepare for exams.”
Graison is among those students who find blurting an effective way to identify knowledge gaps. His natural aptitude for visual communication makes drawing diagrams a great way to embed information too.
While at BSSC he’s realised the importance of the balance between taking too little or too much time for a break; between letting yourself down and pushing too hard and burning out.
“The college offers a lot of support for students who struggle with this stuff—but I have noticed what a bonus it is for those students who are completely self-motivated, independent learners.”
Graison’s ‘superpower’ is that he’s not a stress-head.
When he takes a break, he’s a keen chess player and loves the strategic nature of the game. One of his biggest regrets is not joining the BSSC Chess Club.
On a more personal level, he says he’s grateful for the kind of upbringing he’s had.
“I have a highly moral family who have guided me well and given me so many opportunities—I don’t take them for granted.”
Role models are inspirational people who set examples worth following. For Graison, his mum is one of these people.
“She’s a teacher and I have a lot of empathy for teachers because I actually know how hard they work—and there’s a lot of pressure on them.”
He really admires her committed work ethic—it’s a constant reminder about the importance of keeping on top of his procrastinating tendencies.
“My dad had a serious pushbike accident when I was younger and was initially not expected to survive. He has worked so hard to recover and I really admire his tenacity.”
Perhaps it is a family trait to take enormous challenges and turn them into advantage?
Looking back over the years of his schooling, Graison says he’s proud of, “not caving in” when he was bullied at other schools—something that persisted for quite a few years.
“Once I truly got it that the bullies were the ones with a problem, I was able to not react—although it did take until Year 10 to stop letting their opinions affect me.”
It was a very painful lesson, yet Graison says he has become stronger emotionally.
He would love to be able to go back and tell his 12-year-old self that a few tough years were coming, but also that he would come out of it well-equipped for anything the world might throw at him.
His advice to himself is: “Don’t listen to people you wouldn’t take advice from.”
