Phoebe was armed and ready to take on Year 12 during COVID-19

Sep 8, 2020

PHOEBE Poole wasn't the first of her siblings to take on her final year of school, so in her mind she was ready.

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But as COVID-19 took hold of everyone and anyone, the St Joseph's College student and her peers had another thing coming.

“My sister Hannah was sort of the guinea pig in a way, so I'd seen her as she got through year 12,” Phoebe said.

“I sort of knew what to expect. I knew it was going to be difficult and a lot of work, but I also knew it was going to be one of the best years of my life.”

Armed with a mix of subjects, from further maths and English to visual communications and design to physical education, she was ready to knuckle down.

“I quite enjoyed the start of the year. Each year at St Joe's we go on a year 12 retreat, which is a chance for us all to bond before we really start such a big year,” she said.

“We had our swimming sports and dress-up days and then COVID-19 hit.”

But Phoebe wasn't overly worried when the pandemic first started.

“Going to online learning didn't worry me too much, I knew it was for the best because obviously you don't want too many people around to spread the virus,” she said.

“I was nervous about our SACs (school assessed coursework) because there were a few I had to do online and that was a bit difficult.

“I think I had to do my maths, chemistry and English SACs online at the time. The maths one was really hard because all you want to do is write down your working out and equations, but you can't do that as easily on the computer through a Google Form.

“And English was hard because it was all typing, whereas the exam will be handwriting, so you don't really get that practice for the end of the year.”

Phoebe's study area had become a room on her family farm, making the social connection even weaker.

“I really missed the social side of things, seeing my friends and everything,” she said.

“That's a big part of year 12. Everyone is turning 18 and getting your licences and you can't go anywhere or celebrate with everyone.

“But thankfully technology allowed my friends and I to Zoom and catch up, but it's not the same.”

But at the same time, she believes learning from home has been a blessing in disguise.

“To be honest I've found it easier to learn here at home because I'm not being distracted by my friends and other things going on around me,” she said.“It's just the time after school that's hard. It's difficult to continue that study after school because you're in the same environment.

“Before lockdown you learnt at school and then came home to study in the afternoon, but that can't happen with virtual learning.”

Phoebe wasn't sure where she wanted to go after year 12, and COVID-19 has made it more difficult for students to get a feel for their options.

“If it was a normal year I would be going to open days at different universities, and I have attended a few virtual ones, but they're just not the same,” she said.

“I went to a Deakin University one and it was a lot of live chats and my internet kept cutting out, so I missed some of the videos and it can just be hard to navigate sometimes.

“I'm planning on having a gap year, so I'll probably apply for some courses such as marine biology and forensic science or design courses and then I can go back to one of them if I change my mind.”

Phoebe has decided to work towards joining the Defence Force during her time away from study.

“I've applied for the Defence Force gap year and was successful in my army application, so if I pass my pre-enlistment fitness that's what I'll do,” she said.

“I'll be able to get a taste of army life to see if that's what I enjoy and if I do I might be able to continue with that.”