Starting the New School Year with a Fresh Perspective
As summer break dwindles to a close, it is time to gear up for the new school. This can bring about mixed feelings. You may be excited to move to the next grade, you may be wishing break lasted a little longer, or it may be a bit of both. Approaching the new school year with a fresh perspective can reinvigorate your enthusiasm and motivation.
Reflect on the Previous Year
Think about what went well last year and where there was room for improvement. Did you finally create a study space that worked perfectly for you? Did you improve your grades by asking for help when you needed it? Did you struggle to stay organized and turn assignments in on time? Did you wait until the last minute to study?
You can’t change the past, but you can use it to make better decisions for the future. Continue doing things that worked well for you and see if the same is true this year or if you need to make adjustments. If something didn’t go well, stop and reset. Find a new strategy or approach and go from there.
Set Goals for Yourself
You always want to be learning, growing, and challenging yourself. Put some beginning of the year goals in place to work on for the first semester. They can include a mix of academic goals as well as personal ones. Maybe you want to maintain a certain grade in each class or spend at least 30 minutes a night studying and reviewing for the next day. It could even be something like packing your lunch or laying out what you are going to wear to school the night before. Decide what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it.
Having something to work toward can help you stay motivated and boost your confidence as you check off steps along the way. It can be very rewarding to achieve something you put your mind to and see your hard work pay off.
Keep an Open Mind
Are there some courses on your fall schedule that you’re dreading even though you haven’t taken them yet? Try to keep a positive attitude. Don’t rely on what you have heard from others or what you think the class might be like. Give it a chance. You may find that it is a subject you really enjoy or excel at.
The same goes for teachers. Everyone has different experiences, and you may find that how they teach or run their class works really well for you, whereas someone else may not. Make it a point to do your best and give things a chance.
Recognize Not Every Class Will Come Easily
Coursework gets progressively harder as you get older, and concepts continue to build on one another. You may have sailed through Algebra I but find that Geometry is more difficult. You might have to try different strategies for notetaking, studying, or test prep. You might have to spend more time on assignments. Don’t get discouraged. Mistakes are a learning opportunity, and not everyone excels in every subject. Continue to do your best, work hard, and ask for help if you need it.
Crafting Scholars is here to support students as the new school year begins and throughout the year. Our customized learning plans are tailored to your needs and goals, whatever those may be. We offer tutoring for individual subjects as well as essential skills like executive functioning, organization, and writing mechanics. Contact Crafting Scholars to reserve your spot and get the year off to a strong start.
