A Lousy Week That’s Not So Lousy!
- Aug 14
- 3 min read
Since the beginning of Term II, there has been one week that Ocerians have come to regard with a mixture of anticipation, confusion and, perhaps, a little dread. It is the week that comes after examinations but just before the August break—a strange stretch of days when the usual school routine seems to have packed its bags and gone on holiday ahead of everyone else.
Welcome to “the lousy week.”
But is it really as lousy as its reputation suggests?
With the exception of Senior Six and Primary Seven, most classes completed their examinations by August 8. And once the last examination papers were collected, something unusual happened: school continued!
For some students, this was almost an injustice. After weeks of sitting examinations, revising notes and staring at questions that sometimes appeared to have been written in a different language, many had expected the finish line to mean exactly that—the finish line. Instead, they discovered that there was still plenty to do.
This time, however, the challenge was different.
Rather than spending their days buried in books, students were invited to work individually or in teams on projects of their choice. Their creations would eventually be demonstrated and judged on August 14. The exercise is part of the school's effort to nurture critical and innovative thinkers—students capable not only of passing examinations but also of identifying problems, imagining solutions and, importantly, doing something about them.
The school is particularly encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset and the creative use of technology to address some of today's pressing challenges.
And some Ocerians have clearly taken the assignment personally.
Like bees that have discovered a particularly productive flower garden, these students have been buzzing around almost constantly, designing, building, testing and refining their precious “prototypes.” Their classrooms and workspaces have occasionally looked less like ordinary school rooms and more like miniature laboratories. Ideas have been discussed, abandoned, revived and modified. Something that looked impossible on Monday suddenly appeared promising on Tuesday—and possibly completely broken again by Wednesday!
But that, after all, is part of innovation.
Not everyone, however, has been caught by the innovation bug.
For some students, the lousy week has lived up to its name. Without the familiar rhythm of lessons, examinations and other academic activities, time appears to have slowed down dramatically. Minutes behave like hours, and hours behave like entire days. The clock, which normally seems to move suspiciously quickly during examinations, suddenly appears to have developed a personal grudge.
These students have tried everything.
Sports? Perhaps.
Sleep? Definitely.
Food? Always worth trying.
Company? Maybe.
But somehow, nothing seems quite capable of filling the strange emptiness left behind by the end of examinations. The problem is not necessarily that there is nothing to do. It is that there is nothing that quite feels like the thing they want to do.
And so the lousy week continues to chew them silently and mercilessly.
Still, it would be unfair to describe the entire week as gloomy. Far from it. A number of activities have helped to rescue Ocerians from the clutches of boredom. Sports have provided an opportunity to run, compete and, in some cases, discover muscles that had apparently been on academic leave. Movie sessions have offered a welcome chance to sit back and enjoy some entertainment. Talent shows have brought out the singers, dancers and performers who may have been hiding behind their textbooks all term.
There have also been plenty of opportunities for students to interact, laugh and simply enjoy being together without the constant pressure of an approaching examination.
Perhaps, then, the lousy week deserves a second chance.
It may not have the intensity of examination week or the excitement of the August holiday, but it has its own peculiar charm. It is a week of transition—a strange bridge between the seriousness of examinations and the freedom of the break. For some, it is a period of creativity and experimentation. For others, it is a prolonged exercise in patience.
And for still others, it is simply a matter of surviving until the holiday arrives.
So, is the week really lousy?
Maybe a little.
But with projects taking shape, talents being displayed, games being played, movies being watched and students finding new ways to keep themselves occupied, perhaps “the lousy week” is not so lousy after all.
Besides, if a week can produce prototypes, laughter, talent, competition and a few good stories to tell during the holiday, perhaps it has earned a better name.
