As the school year comes to an end, you might worry about what is to come. Well, for those of you who are about to enter your junior year, allow me to give you some advice.
Listen to the (trusted) adults around you.
This may seem obvious, but there is always a part of youth where you think you do not need to listen to adults, or you may even think you know better than them. Well, you don’t. This is your first time going through the process, but teachers, guidance counselors, and even Mr. Kelly have gone through this over and over. So believe me when I say, the adults in your life only want to see you succeed. Let them help you. Talk to your guidance counselors, your teachers, and your parents. They may know more than you think they do.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Your junior year is going to be tough. The workload itself is going to be overwhelming, but that doesn’t account for life. Because whether or not you like it, life will go on. You will have to learn to balance your homework with sports, clubs, jobs, and social life. This is not easy to do, and if it all becomes too much, then don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Whether that’s with your friends or with your parents or teachers—ask for help. Don’t try to go through it alone. In the words of Dumbledore, “Help will always be given to those who ask for it.”
Get a planner and use it.
You’re doing yourself no favors if you only buy a planner and don’t actually use it. Now, you may think you can simply keep track of your assignments on your phone or a Google Doc, but I’m advising you not to because it is not as effective as you think it is. If your phone is dead, you’re out of luck. Also, many teachers are collecting phones, and you might forget to add your assignments after class. Get a physical planner, and write your assignments in it. Personally, I use a dash ( – ) next to my homework so I can check off each completed assignment. A planner is also effective for writing reminders and ideas for yourself.
Think ahead and plan for the future
There is life beyond high school. You will overcome, because you must. So do yourself a favor, and think of that future you want to have. Make plans so you have a reason to get that far. Give yourself something to work toward. Do that, and you’ll give yourself the drive to keep moving forward. Do that, and you’ll thank yourself in the future. Start saving money now. Put half of every paycheck into savings. Be cognizant of what you post online. Before posting anything, ask yourself whether or not that will come back to bite you.
Consider all your options.
There are so many fields of work that you can go into; you don’t need to follow the college path. Consider what you want to do. What will make you happy? If you think money will make you happy, then find something that makes a lot of money. There are so many options that are overlooked. Everybody pushes a college narrative, but there’s also trade schools and the military. Don’t write yourself off. If you want to get somewhere in life, work for it. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something. Plan ahead, organize your plans, and consider all alternatives. Most importantly, once you have an idea of what you want to do, talk to your guidance counselor. They can help you by putting you in classes that will benefit your goals. They can help you arrange college meetings, and they can get you in touch with the right people. Use your resources.
Protect your peace.
In high school, it is common and very easy to be swept up in drama. Avoid it. Don’t avoid your problems, but don’t let your problems consume you. If you have a problem with someone, tell them. Work it out amongst yourselves, because eventually there will be no adults around to help you settle disputes, so you need to start learning how to settle issues yourself. The problem with most of us is that we can’t talk to each other, so we text. Don’t do that. So much is lost in text. Tone, body language, intent. Another part of understanding how to protect your peace is knowing who to surround yourself with. There are things known as friends of convenience. You’re always around each other, so you become friends. And that’s ok, for now. It’s important to make sure that at the end of the day you find people who make you feel safe and comfortable. If someone who you thought was your best friend doesn’t make you feel that anymore, then maybe they’re not your best friend. And that’s ok. It’s ok to separate yourself from people who don’t make you feel good; but of course when you do so make sure you account for the fact that they are people too.
Eat food, and drink water.
This may also seem obvious, yet so many students around school skip lunch and breakfast and drink multiple energy drinks a day. If you want to be able to reach your full potential, you need to properly fuel your body. Drink water. You should be drinking 64 ounces of water a day. Some barely consume half that. Drink water. Get yourself a reusable water bottle, fill it, and drink it. If you don’t like the taste of water there are things like flavored packets, lemon/lime/orange slices, and other fruits you could add to your water to get a better taste. You need to fill your body with things that will build it up in order for you to build yourself up. If you want to become smarter, if you want to have the energy to do sports or stay awake during a shift at work, then you need to hydrate.
Study. No, like actually study.
Most teachers already assume that we know how to study, but for those who struggle, here’s some tips that may help. First, you can probably find a video on what you’re struggling with. So, find a video, and as you’re watching it take notes. How do you take notes? Well, you could use this formatting:
Main Topic
Subtopic:
- Important information
- Explanation of information
- Picture/example
- Explanation of information
From there, you just repeat the formatting until you have all the information you need. Then, to make sure you have a complete understanding of the material, you should rewrite the notes again. After, find another video, and repeat the process. This plan will benefit you if you’re an auditory learner (listening to video),visual learner (reading the notes), and a hands-on learner (writing the notes). Quizlet is also a helpful way to find information. However, you should not use it to make flashcards as it is more beneficial to physically write on flashcards.
Nothing in life is ever that serious.
Sure, there are serious things that happen, but going back to protecting your peace, if you let things consume you, you will never find peace. I’m not talking about the actual serious things. I’m talking about grades, going out with your friends, what to wear, what to say, running late, being too loud, and so much more. It might feel like the end of the world, but it’s not. The world will not end if you stay in on a Friday. The world will not end if you wear stripes with polka dots. The world will not end if you tell them how you feel. The world will not end if you arrive a little late to the event. The world will not end if you laugh a little too hard or say that thing too loud. What’s the worst that happens? Someone overhears and tells someone else what you say? Then maybe you shouldn’t be saying it. And if it’s something you need to share with someone, then who cares? You will not see any of these people ever again in a few years. You will not have to talk to any of them ever again. So be yourself. Whoever that is. We’re all trying to figure out who we are. We’re all overthinking what we’re doing. You’re not the only person in the world to have thought that thought. You’re not the only person who worries about whatever you’re worrying about. It is also important that you don’t rush when driving because you could get hurt. Don’t rush through that yellow light. Don’t let the guy honking behind you pressure you. Take life slow. Enjoy your time while you have it. Don’t rush through it. You wouldn’t skip over the best part of a movie, would you? Don’t skip over your movie.
