Tips And Tricks For Keeping Momentum Up During The School Year
By Darius Harris, Stride Career Prep Success Coach
In the beginning of the school year, it’s easy to be excited about the start of everything new in learning. Literally, everything is new… including teachers, classes, grade-level, classmates, extracurricular activities, and in some cases, it may even be a new school altogether. Then after a few weeks, things can begin to feel overwhelming, you have a ton of homework, projects you are involved in, and maybe you don’t like the teaching style of one of your teachers. Or, after a while, you learn that some classmates are just irritating. You miss the summer, and you begin to lose momentum and fall behind on things. Below I am going to discuss some ways to have a successful year and maintain that much-needed momentum.
Develop Yearly Goals & Regularly Review Them during the School Year
A good practice to stay on track is to develop some goals you want to achieve, and to keep them some where you will see them every day. This is to ensure that you are on track. You can also tie in your yearly goals to your longer-term goals, so you can see why your hard work will help you to successfully reach your destination. For example, if your long-term goal is to get into one of the top schools in your state, then you can create a goal for the upcoming year that will get you closer to reaching this bigger goal, like maintaining or raising your G.P.A. If you can see how your hard work and staying motivated will help you to reach your bigger life goals, then you will be more likely to fight through times when you are not motivated.
Make School a Good Fit For You
Most students begin to lose momentum when they are struggling in classes, aren’t challenged, or even due to social or peer issues. If you find yourself in these types of situations, speak to a school counselor to see what options you have for adjustments. When you have courses that you enjoy, then you’ll be happier at school. If the social or peer situations are the problem, then you can talk to a teacher or counselor to see if you can limit your time with these particular students, or talk to the students directly to rectify any issues.
Set Time Apart To Have Fun & Enjoy the Holiday Breaks during the School Year
Setting some time aside to enjoy things you love outside of school can help to refresh and renew your mind, so you will be motivated to get through the rigors of the school year. Spending every minute solely focused on classes and responsibilities would drain anyone. Schedule some time each week just to have fun. Also, enjoy the holiday breaks and take some time away from any and all schoolwork.
Extracurricular Activities during the School Year
To go along with the last point, if there are things you are interested in outside of general courses, like extracurricular activities, get involved. These types of activities can help to get you through a long school year… since you will be having fun. Not to mention, most extracurricular activities require a person to maintain a certain level of academics to participate. This can be an extra level of motivation to keep you on track.
Have an Accountability Partner to Help You Get Through the School Year
Having a person you can lean on, to ensure you are staying on track, is a good thing. People use accountability partners for many different things like health and nutrition, exercise, effective communication, relationships, parenting, and many other activities that require commitment. With an accountability partner, you each agree to talk daily or weekly through feedback sessions, where you share wins and talk about your current challenges. Connect with another student who has similar goals, and consider partnering to keep each other motivated throughout the year. Many things are easier with a good partner.
To decide whether online school may be a fit for you, check out the Stride Student Advisor post, FAQ About Online School!
To learn more about Stride Career Prep Success Coaching for teens and what it offers, be sure to visit this site: https://www.stridelearning.com/career-prep/career-exploration/student-success-coaching.html