MIDWAY, FL - School is back in session and how students conduct themselves in the first couple weeks of school can set up how you will finish the year.
Family Therapist JANE marks talked about tips for navigating a new school year in this morning's Teen Talk.
Teen Talk: Tips for navigating a new school year
Question: Today marks our first day back to school and as parents we think we are high school ready. As parents we think we are high school ready; can you give us any new back to school tips for teens getting ready for what promises to be a great 2016 year?
Answer: It's probably a good place to start with do's and don'ts for the first several weeks of high school.
1. MAKE SURE YOU DO TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF, GET PLENTY OF SLEEP, EAT PROTEIN AS LEAST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PROTEIN THREE TIMES A DAY, and try to stay away from caffeine at least that first week.
2. TRY TO BE AS PREPARED AS YOU CAN FOR EACH CLASS. Do not skip and most importantly, make sure you are on time for class.
3. AFTER REVIEWING YOUR FIRST WEEK, IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA TO LOOK AT YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS AS WELL AS SETTING YOUR GOALS for the first nine weeks. If you are a student that had a few handicaps in math, focus your energies on math and most importantly make sure you create an engaged relationship with your instructors. To create engaged relationships with both instructors and counselors makes all the difference when the rubber meets the road and school gets more difficult. You want to be able to call on your teachers and school personnel for any kind of support you can gather.
4. DO TAKE A LOOK AT THE DYNAMIC OF PROCRASTINATION, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO STUDY AND HOMEWORK. Procrastination is a key issue for most teens.
5. SET PERSONAL GOALS FOR EACH OF YOUR CLASSES AND SHARE THEM WITH YOUR TEACHERS AND FAMILY. You are more likely to complete them.
6. BE CANDID WITH YOUR TEACHERS WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF STUCK IN A BAD SITUATION. If you had a rough night and could not sleep, do not lie, just be honest. This always makes for good communication between you and school personnel.
7. YOU WANT TO BE AS KIND TO EVERYONE AND AS GENEROUS IN YOUR INTERACTIONS AS POSSIBLE. Should you tic off a teacher or should you tic off friends, you could create inadvertent drama, so one of the keys of that first week is to stay clear of drama to the extent that you can. Be selective about the friends you choose, don't befriend someone who is not supportive of you. Often times you become judgmental and uncomfortable in too many situations because you have placed yourself in a situation where people are not as positive as you have been.
8. WHEN YOU ARE IN CLASSES THAT YOU KNOW ARE DIFFICULT, AND HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT HISTORICALLY, TRY AND SIT AS CLOSE TO THE FRONT as possible so that you don't miss potential information that may make a difference in grades and success for the academic year.
9. THIS IS THE TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT EXTRACURRICULARS. Remember extracurriculars are part of resume building for college.
10. THIS IS THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT PSAT PREP. Most students will be taking the PSAT at the end of the freshman year or in some cases, certainly the sophomore year. When you have extra time this is the perfect opportunity to start planning for it.
11. IF YOU FIND THAT YOU ARE DATING SOMEONE, YOU MAY BE COMPLETELY OVER FOCUSED ON THE RELATIONSHIP. Do not get distracted from the task at hand. Remember your first priority is accomplishing the things that you need to do in the academic setting. Sometimes we are so caught up in the spirit of the relationship we forget where are priorities are. Maintain your priorities.
12. BE AWARE OF ALL THE SCHOOL RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU. Do your teacher's post assignments on their website? Does your school have homework hotlines? Does your school offer tutoring for specific courses? Are some teachers more accommodating as far as after school tutoring? Does your library have a wide selection or do you need to be vigilant and go to university libraries which sometime teens often do.
13. WHEN BEING SMART WITH DIGITAL MEDIA, IT IS PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA TO USE THE THESAURUS APPS AND ANY APPS THAT WILL HELP WITH NAVIGATING SCHOOL KNOWLEDGE. But also make sure you use proper digital citizenship. Don't get caught up in inappropriate contact online using apps that may head you in the wrong direction.
These are just a few of the do's and don'ts when starting the new school year, but I think this makes a great overview of those things we can look at as we begin the joy of high school. This should be a wonderful new year. Remember it's a fresh clean slate and no matter what happened last year this is your year to create nothing but successes.
