Humanities Student of the Week

Every fortnight we acknowledge a Humanities student who has shown dedication to their studies and growth in their learning. This week we celebrate Cora’s achievements in Year 10 Government and Justice. 

Well done, Cora!

This is what her teacher, Mrs Hogan, had to say about Cora:

Last semester, Cora was a class member of Mrs Hogan’s Year 10 Democracy and Justice Humanities subject. Cora proved to be very aware of how the subject connected with everyday life in our community, state, nation and internationally. Cora strove weekly to challenge herself by opting to complete class work modified to a higher level of knowledge and understanding. Cora attempted and succeeded (along with several her classmates) to extend her learning to include analysis of the many principles involved in our democracy and justice systems, and how they are reflected in what is going on in the world around us daily.

We caught up with Cora today to hear what she likes about the Humanities and how she manages her studies.

 Tell us why you like Democracy and Justice?

Cora: It’s a great subject to discuss topics with the others in the class and to work together. It’s good for us young people to talk about what’s going on. This helps us process and understand things much better. Democracy and Justice has great topics to talk about. They are really interesting and relevant for us young people.

How do you manage to do so well, Cora? How do you study? What do you do?

Cora: Well, first, you have to want to do the subject. You have to have an interest in the subject. That really helps. If you do not like something you won’t perform to your best ability. I also think it is important to know what you are learning and why you are learning it. And … always ask for clarification. There is no harm in asking. It helps you understand and then you will do better.

Is there anything else you do?

Cora: I try to use class time well - I much rather do work in class than feeling stressed at home and having to catch up on work. The less you do at school the more stress and the more difficult it will be to keep up. This way, by getting the work done, I am also looking after my wellbeing, which in turn helps me achieve better grades because I can focus. So, being focused in class and getting the work done is a win-win: for grades and for wellbeing.

Thank you so much Cora. Hopefully you are enjoying your Semester 2 subjects as much as you did your Semester 1 subjects and all the best with your future studies.

… and while we have your attention and with subject selections coming up for our 2024 senior students next week: 

SHAPE subjects - Social Science, such as Geography, Humanities, such as Business Management, Economics, Legal Studies, Accounting, Philosophy and History, as well as the Arts for People and the Economy help us make sense of the natural and the human world, they help us to value and express the complexity of life and culture, and with SHAPE subjects we can solve global issues. All these are vital to the health, wellbeing and prosperity of the nation and to tackling grand challenges. Where would we be if there were only engineers in the world and no social workers?  SHAPE subjects teach us to be critical thinkers, to analyse, interpret, create, communicate and collaborate – these are crucial skills for today’s world. 

Please feel free to ask any of the Humanities teachers about the subjects they teach. We are looking forward to working with students in 2024!

Ruth Phillips

Humanities Learning Leader