Now that it’s second semester, the workload is high but the motivation is low, and it becomes more and more difficult for students to put forth their best effort in school. Balancing school work, extracurricular activities, jobs and social lives can be a challenge so here are some tips to help keep students on top of it all.
Get a good night sleep: Knowing that any good day starts with a good night’s rest, you’d think high schoolers would be eager to catch as many z’s as they can, right? Not exactly. It can seem impossible to juggle homework, sports, jobs, friends while still getting a full night’s rest, but making time for sleep is vital and pays off. Starting homework during Wootton Wellness is a great use of time, so students are able to focus on sleeping peacefully later. “I try to go to bed as early as I can because whenever I don’t get enough sleep I can’t focus at all the next day,” senior Andy Ram said.
Eat breakfast: In addition to a good night’s rest, heading to school on an empty stomach will ruin all of that good sleep. While sleep can be rejuvenating, eating a well rounded breakfast is the key to having steady energy throughout the day. For those with no time in the morning to prepare breakfast, planning the night before can make mornings stress free. A banana and peanut butter, a fruit smoothie, or some hard boiled eggs are great options to start the day without consuming too much time in the morning. “When I don’t have time in the morning I at least always have an apple and almond butter because I don’t like to skip breakfast,” senior Peter Pietri said.
Meet with teachers: Communicating with teachers is another key role in keeping up second semester. If students do not let teachers know if they have fallen behind or need some support then that leaves stressed out students and clueless teachers, which does not solve anything.
Turn off electronics while doing work: Trying to complete homework with your phone buzzing every few seconds does not sound like a student who is completely focused. Simply powering off cell phones and placing them in the next room will drastically help with concentration. Staying on task means finishing work earlier and having more time to be on your phone afterward. Even for those who have all the time to do work, it still makes for more complete tasks if there are no distractions.
