Matric not a drama for Torah Academy achiever

JORDAN MOSHE

In many schools, matric subjects like drama are considered a soft option for B-grade matric students. Zlotnick, who got a distinction for two subjects including drama, says they are a different kind of difficult, and perhaps even more rewarding.

“A student who thrives in doing art is a top achiever as much as one who thrives doing maths,” says Zlotnick. “You don’t have to be a genius with eight distinctions to be considered a brilliant student, and the stigma against subjects beyond the norm needs to change.”

A ballet dancer since the age of four, Zlotnick also took drama classes as an extramural activity until the end of Grade 11. So determined was she to enjoy her school career, she chose to pursue drama as a matric subject – the only one in her class to do so.

“When I chose to study drama, business, history, and consumer studies along with the compulsory subjects, I made a decision to take classes that I knew I’d find interesting and would enjoy. There’s little point to learning something which doesn’t fascinate you, and believe me, these subjects can be just as hard as any other.”

She admits she does enjoy maths, but Zlotnick – who describes herself as dramatic to the core – connects deeply with dramatic arts. “Taking drama as a school subject is very different to drama as a hobby,” she says. “You learn techniques which enable you to nurture your abilities, and you get the chance to put them to the test in really competitive spaces.”

The only person to take drama for matric at her school, Zlotnick frequently felt pushed to new levels. “Because I was the only person my age taking drama as a subject, I’d often be grouped with students in the year above me for classes and practicals. I had to prove to myself that I was up to the challenge, sidestepping anxiety, and just enjoy what I was doing.”

In spite of the stresses of matric, Zlotnick says she found her anxiety levels dropping as the year progressed. “When you’re surrounded by people who are stressed out, it’s not easy to stay calm,” she says. “We’d often joke about the number of drugs we were all on to cope with the pressure.

“While I did freak out at the beginning, I found that by the time exams came, my anxiety levels had dropped. I suppose I just got used to the pressure, and was determined to see the year through as best I could.”

In fact, it was through shared stress that Zlotnick believes her classmates achieved some form of unity as a group. “Although we were a class of only 12, we had never really gotten along. We had to have therapy as a group in Grade 9. It was only while suffering from the same pressures that we found allies in each other, and together we pushed through.

“It’s stupid to get worked up over something like matric. Distinctions are overrated. I’ve seen people overwork themselves, and end up doing worse than they would have done if they’d avoided the stress.

“A distinction doesn’t show what really matters, and if you simply do what you can to meet your own expectations, it’s worth so much more.”

Zlotnick is taking a gap year at the Tzohar Seminary for Chassidus and Art in Pittsburgh in the United States. She is also considering pursuing a career in law, a profession for which she believes her dramatic inclination is well suited.

“Drama has given me the ability to make myself heard, to stand up in front of other people, and invest myself completely in what I’m saying.”

She concludes, “Thinking that ‘artsy’ subjects are for weaker students is completely wrong. Even artistic people can be top achievers, and they can define their own success based on their strengths.”