Navigating high school comes with the same pressure as going to a brand-new college. New faces, teachers and opportunities present themselves in a stressful environment. To make the most of your time, here are a few tips to help out.
Early Bird
Instead of arriving on time to sandy Utah high schools, arrive ahead of time. This allows you to be social with your future classmates. You’ll get to see up close how the beginning of each day will start, right down to who the other early birds are. When you arrive on time, there are missed opportunities for bonds. And for the students that arrive late, they become the negative center of attention. Give yourself time to breathe before each day by arriving ahead of the scheduled time.
Bullies
Even if you are not being bullied, it is important to take a look at your social circle. Do you associate with other students that bully? And more importantly, are you the bully? The approach to bullying has changed over the years, as kids have become just as capable as adults of handling the situation. You don’t want to be the student that has to get checked by other students for crossing social boundaries. Once you have a reputation associated with bullying, shaking it off can be hard. When things get too tough, there are always school counselors that provide great advice.
Electives
Back in the day, woodshop, home economics and band were the three main electives. And to be clear, they didn’t even start off as electives. Once school started integrating college courses and preparedness into their programs, high school electives became a big thing. There are a ton to choose from, so it is important to pick one that has the greatest impact. Stay away from electives that you’re not interested in – no one wins by trying to stat pad their high school resume. Get a listing of the electives offered, and narrow it down to a select few.
Stay Organized
Movies and television shows always has that one highschooler that is overloaded with books. They end up falling over, with their pencils, pens and notes flying everywhere. This is a bit stereotypical, but not too far from the truth. An unorganized person will always be at a disadvantage compared to the other students. As a freshman, you should want to set the golden standard of organization rather than be ridiculed for looking out of sorts.
Connect With Others
The social part of school won’t go away even if you have antisocial tendencies. It’s vital that you don’t let anxiety get the best of your ability to communicate. Once you shut down, it becomes harder to create a bond with other students. It will even become difficult when talking to teachers or staff. If you make the first move, the biggest pressure of socializing is now nonexistent.
The Smart Way
Never let anything get in the way of your success. Learning can be inspiring, and is the best way to get rid of high school stress. It’s easy to turn your environment into a goal with just a little bit of concentrated effort.
These are great tips, but my grandchildren are still too young to take advantage of them.. However, some of the tips are true for any school situation or level.
This is timely advice, as my granddaughter will be entering her first year of high school this fall. So true that connecting with others and being part of a group is helpful and being organized is such a big part of academic success.