Back to school: 6 ways to get it right

 

You know what time it is. You’ve been thinking about this in the past few days of your holiday. Every time you played with your friends, gamed on your PlayStation or enjoyed the family fun time on vacation. IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME GUYS. In this day and age, a lot of people wonder why we still even go to school when everything has become readily available to us at the click of a button. Need to know when Kenya attained multipartism? Google it. Want to know where Jakarta is on the globe? Go on Google Maps. Need to know what’s 67 percent of 110? We have calculators on our phones for that.

Yet, although we have all this information at our fingertips, school is about so much more than mastering equations or memorizing dates: Not only is the learning you do in a classroom still fundamentally different than a few rushed minutes in front of a small screen, a huge – and I’d argue the best – part of school life are the personal connections you make with educators and peers.

But going back to school after a holiday break can be tough. To make it easier on everyone, we’ve identified a few ways to make this landing a little smoother and the start of school that much easier. Here are are our tips on Back to School: 6 ways to get it right.

1. Set Your Academic Goals

Setting your academic goals for the year might seem tedious and a bit of an introspection of yourself as a student but…. Do it dude. How do I do it you ask? Well take a look at your academic performances in 2018 and 2019. Assess which subjects seem to have experienced a dip in performance and the ones where you are WINNING. The assessment will result in a trend and will allow you to gauge what needs more attention in 2020. The best thing about doing this NOW is that you won’t be floating during the teacher-parent meeting looking like you don’t recognize your own grades. Time to gear up and take control of your own academic future.

2. Catch Up With Your Friends & Make New Buddies

“Boss, I saw you went to Mombasa with the family. How was it?” Catch up with what your friends were doing this December. Form an interest in the lives of your peers and teachers. Know them better by engaging on their holiday activities. Don’t feel shy that you spent your holiday Ocha-sides with Cucu and Guca. Tell them about it. Cherish your time with your grandparents as much as possible. Give them the lowdown on what you did. How about you make new friends this 2020. Add to your roster a few guys who expand your thinking on things as well as share a mutual passion for something.

3. Start your routine early

You can’t expect to go to bed around 1am and survive hearing your alarm blaring at 6:45am. So, about a week before school starts, start going to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up early. As in don’t game till midnight, get off Facebook and the Gram. These are the basics guys.

4. Check If You Have Your School Supplies

Goes without saying. Check if you have everything in order early. School uniform? CHECK Writing material and books? CHECK calculator? CHECK Grooming toolkit? CHECK. Don’t do this last minute guys. Honestly, the best way to approach this is to purchase these items immediately school closes or a little before. This a parent tip more than my student comrades. A little thing happens when you buy stuff in January, demand goes up hence pricing goes up. Brookhurst students taking Commerce can back me up here.

5. Stay on your teacher’s good side

I’m not saying sit in the front and always bring them an apple. Just make a good impression, don’t be lazy in class, try your very hardest to hand in your assignments and in order. This way, they will respect you, and will be more likely to strive to help you understand the material better and give you a much-needed extension on that essay you just couldn’t finish on time.

6. Reinvent yourself

This is the time for personal growth and learning about yourself – really becoming the awesome person you were always meant to be. Challenge yourself in as many ways you can and don’t give into peer pressure. People will respect you more if you stay true to yourself. You’re an indoors kinda person? try playing an outdoors sport once in a while. The benefits are immense.

Just remember that your time at school really is the best time of your life; everyone can attest that no matter how much you say you hate it during your time there, you’ll always miss it when it’s over.

Phewks… Now we hope our Back To School: 6 Ways To Get It Right helps.