How to eat an elephant | continuing the series profiling Year 12 2025
Metaphors are a powerful way to make something that seems impossible, possible. The question “how do you eat an elephant?” is a metaphor for tackling large, overwhelming tasks by breaking them down into small, manageable steps … the answer to the question is, of course, ‘one bite at a time’. (And, I have often heard the next question posed as ‘Where do you start?’ … ‘With the bite right in front of you’!)
As learners now well entrenched in the current academic year, we all have the metaphorical elephant to manage … Year 7 may be wondering how to tame the plethora of new experiences and expectations … perhaps Year 9 are thinking about the momentous experience of the Field Studies Program … Year 10 have just entered the Senior School and there is a great deal of talk about ‘stepping in and stepping up’ … and while some may look enviously at Year 12 because for them, school is nearly done, they of course face the reality that they must now apply themselves to study in ways they have not achieved before.
This week’s profiled graduate is Andrew Worsfold. A HSC student, Andrew achieved an ATAR greater than 99. He most definitely ‘played the long game.’ He built consistently to a level of application that allowed him to master his ambitious academic program, electing to pursue both Extension 2 Mathematics and Extension 1 English. When you read Andrew’s profile, however, you will see that he also worked hard at balance. He planned thoroughly and in detail to make sure time worked effectively for him: time to study, time to relax, time with family, time with friends, time for an extensive co-curricular program. Eating the elephant became possible through planning and balance. You can read Andrew’s impressive insights here.
At Trinity, we seek to support students to master not just syllabus content, but the academic engagement behaviours we know lead to academic confidence and success. Task management (using time effectively to complete set tasks in a timely manner) and learning focus (taking responsibility for one’s own mastery, setting goals and implementing feedback) are two of the four engagement behaviours about which we speak and write and report on for every student.
Students must plan their time using weekly study planners. They must plan how they will complete homework and work systematically through their assessment tasks. As they look, in Senior School, increasingly towards examinations, they must also work out how they will systematically write their own study notes to consolidate learning in every topic. This can only be achieved by planning.
Students must have agency in the goals they set: what is it they know they need to master, or, more often in the early days of academic goal setting, what will they actually do? Rarely I suggest setting a performance goal in terms of a mark or rank; often I encourage setting goals about concrete learning behaviours: when and where I will do my homework; I will complete a draft of my essay or complete two practice papers before my in-class assessment; I will make a time to meet with my teacher to get feedback on my draft.
If you attended one of the Senior School parent and student information evenings this term or last term, you are likely thinking that she has already said this … if you regularly read these articles, you are likely thinking that she has already written about this. But every student and every family encounters the elephant at different times. When you and your son are ready to eat the elephant, the School is ready to support the way you tackle it! Teachers, Housemasters, pastoral and academic staff are ready to engage in personal conversations about task management and learning focus; within classrooms and the whole school wellbeing program run through Tutor sessions, teachers are engaging students in conversations and practical activities that support the navigation of challenge.
For now, I heartily encourage you to spend some time with Andrew Worsfold … as next steps, I heartily encourage you to chat with your son about the ways in which he is planning, using time, working for balance and setting his own goals.
For a detailed overview of the Class of 2025’s IB and HSC results, please visit the Results Overview page.
