8 Tips for School

Introduction

It’s the end of the second week of High School. I’m sure all of you are starting to get back into the swing of things. After asking a bunch of students for their best school tips, I’ve compiled a list of the top 8. Even if you aren’t new to the high school, these tips can still make your life easier.

Tip #1: Lock Your Lock

This one is simple and important. It can be handy to leave your lock unlocked so you can grab your stuff faster. However, that can be bad because it leaves your locker accessible to anyone for them to steal, stash, or just break something. I understand that this may be an uncommon occurrence, but there is a much more common threat... getting butterflied. That has been going rampant already this year. For those of you that don’t know what butterflying is, it’s where you put someone’s lock on backward so the combo wheel is facing the locker. This makes it very difficult to take your lock off.

Tip #2: Meet Your Physical Needs

Understand the rhythms of your body. You’re at school for a long time and different needs will arise. During school you will have lunch, and, depending on which lunch you have it may be earlier or later in the day. It may be worth bringing a non-perishable snack, (like a granola bar), that you can eat. Little can be more distracting than hunger. Bringing a water bottle can be vital as well, seeing as thirst can be a big distracter as well.

Tip #3: Learn the School

Especially if you haven’t been to the school yet, it is worth learning where everything is. There are several stairways, multiple bathrooms, and different ways to get to different areas. You can look at the map to see where everything is, but don’t be afraid to walk around the school and find these things yourself. When you’re in a rush you’ll be glad to know the school.

Tip #4: Make a To-Do List

School will provide you with lots of things to keep track of. You could have an essay in one class, an online assignment in another, and any number of other things. It can be hard keeping track of all these so make sure to write these things down. Some ways you can do this are: with a notepad, a sticky note on your laptop, or the notes app on your phone. You may have a good memory but one of these days you’ll forget something and it’s better to not let it happen.

Tip #5: Stay Organized

Staying organized is one of the best things you can do for yourself. A to-do list does a lot… but there’s still more you can do. Make sure to keep good notes in your classes for reference. You can do things to organize your laptop like using Google Tab Groups by right-clicking on the tab or using multiple windows.

Tip #6: Don't Stress

It can be too easy to stress yourself out with your schoolwork. Good grades are important but they shouldn’t be placed above your physical or mental health. Work on your assignments and take tests as they come. Don’t lose sleep over a class or test; you need sleep to function properly. School is also not a competition, so don’t try and stress yourself to be at the top of your class. Everyone is at different levels with different things.

Tip #7: Use Your Time Wisely

There are only so many hours in a day and with the amount of work you can receive you need to take the most advantage of that. Take advantage of study hall to do assignments or ETEH with multi-day assignments. Even if you don’t get a lot of work in it can be very nice to just go home and not have any homework to do. One result of not using your time wisely is procrastination. When the phone is sitting right there, buzzing, it can be hard to ignore. One thing you can do is just put it in another room, work for an hour then take a 15-minute break and keep going.

Tip #8: Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid to seek help. You have a lot of resources available to you as a student. You can talk to your teachers, a fellow student, and your counselor. If you are struggling with anything there’s someone that can help with whatever problem it may be.

Conclusion

In conclusion, school can be a rough place, but there are many ways to make life easier for yourself and have a little more fun in the process. I want to thank again my fellow students that provided me with tips.