It is widely accepted that the past few school years have been thoroughly disrupted by the constant shifts in the schooling system, particularly regarding the arrangement of exams for GCSE and A Level students. This has undoubtedly led to struggles with motivation and discipline while completing tasks, as working at home meant that there was a lot less rigidity in the school timetable, causing the burden of upholding a routine and keeping a firm understanding of the curriculum to fall on students, which proved to be taxing and strenuous. It is the introduction of study groups, such as Blairs Brainiacs, that helped many through the difficult lockdowns and assisted in keeping up with everyday life.
Blair Fiander, the founder of the group, first presented the idea on the 9th of November of 2020 on TikTok, the ever-growing social media app, popular among teens and young adults. She later went on to create a Discord server, where like-minded people could communicate and ask for help, with students ranging from Key stage 3 to University level. In the six months that she has been active, she has gained over 300,000 followers on her TikTok account and now has over 28,000 people on her Discord server.
After talking to a member of the server, one of the many whose school life has significantly improved thanks to the program, it was clear to see the widespread contentment and confidence that the study group brought. Jim Belcher, a student working towards his A Levels, said that even after the few months in which he had been involved, “it has stuck to [his] routine”, taking part in her study lives “on weekday evenings between 8 and 9”. The server provides an extensive list of people to turn to for support when struggling, whether that may be moderators or fellow pupils, with many stating that they “always know [they] have someone to turn to when stuck”. Jim, among others, states: “I feel like without Blair, everyone would be struggling to cope with revision and exams, but now I feel like she has given us a light at the end of the tunnel. She has helped us to realise that we are all in this together.”
The extent to which Blair Fiander and her organisation has helped people is crystal clear, and with the help of the constantly expanding platform which she has created, many students are likely to greatly progress in their own confidence to do with exams and their personal productivity levels, which is something that is severely needed in these instances of considerable uncertainty and instability. What started as a minor method in helping herself with personal organisation has evolved into an invaluable scheme, helping thousands of students through this tough period.
