Welcome 2016-2017 School Year!

September is nearly upon us, and we all know what that month is associated with: school. Oh yes! The word dreaded by some scholars and loved by others. For some people, school has already started, and for others, it’s not in progress yet but still “dangerously” close. Every year around this time, scholars everywhere make plans on how to have a successful semester. Some plans fail; others succeed. However, plan or no plan, a student can have a great school semester and year by making a list of tips for himself/herself to follow. Much easier than a long, drawn out plan, right?

            So without further ado: my top tips to a successful school year.

1.      Have fun with preparations. Usually in August, teachers, parents, and students are all at the stores (or online) purchasing the items they need for the next year. Pencils, pens, notebooks, binders, planners – you know how it is. Of all times, these are the moments when you can change the course of the school year! Wait, wait, wait… WHAT?! I know, it sounds weird, but it’s true. When purchasing school supplies, select items that are cute, fun, and “totally you”. If they appeal to you, you might want to use them more. I know in my family, the younger boys get super excited for the school year when they receive more grown-up supplies. It drives them to be more diligent and, well, grown-up! That might drive you as well, or maybe something else does. Whatever motivates you, just be sure to have a fun time choosing your supplies. It’ll make you have a fun time during the school year!

Now here’s a slight side-note: a lot of boys aren’t as intrigued and happy with shopping as girls. So to all readers of the male species – this may or may not be what works best for you. I know… bummer, right? ;)

2.      Form good relationships with your teacher(s). For a lot of students today, the teacher is a boring enemy of sorts. I’m here to tell you, though, that for a successful school year, you can’t view your teachers like that! If anything, your teacher should be your best friend. They’re there to help you learn. Forming an attachment of sorts with them will allow you to know what they’re like and better understand their teaching. It will also allow for the teacher to know you better and be able to teach in ways you understand or help in outside-the-classroom questions that may pop up in homework. It also makes you comfortable to open up to that person and be completely honest about confusion and such. Plus, joking around with a person you spend a lot of time with – whether over a computer or face-to-face – is great, so that relationship should be pretty established. Believe me: forming a strong relationship with your teacher will make the school year so much easier.

3.      Get to know your classmates. This past school year, I struggled with writing papers for my English/Grammar class. I wasn’t the only one, though! My classmates, too, had their struggling points, and it was really great to be able to freely talk about those things and to encourage the others and be encouraged by them. It also relieved a lot of stress from the course since we joked around so much. Not only that, but most classmate relationships – if properly tended to – will last a long time, if not forever. Get to know the other people you’ll be spending the next year with. It could very well change your life forever.

4.      Know your strong and weak subjects. When you understand your strong and weak subjects, you have a better understanding on how to work. For instance: say you’re a really good mathematician but not a good writer. Realizing those facts should drive you to work harder at writing but not give up on math. Those realizations could very well save your school year! It’s definitely challenging to work hard in a weak subject, but always remember the reward at the end!

5.      Know your favorite subject. For me, I greatly enjoy learning Spanish, and a close second to that favorite is English. They’re not my strong subjects, per se, but I know I like them and that makes me want to learn them more! Plus, the favorite subjects are the ones you have the most fun with generally. Knowing that helps plan your day (do you want the fun subject first, in the middle, or last?), makes you work hard, and adds joy to your school year!

6.      Trust in God and work your hardest for Him -- as a dear friend advised me. If we’re honest, we realize we don’t know how this next year will go. We can plan, but there’s no surety. So what do we do then? We trust. We trust in the One who knows the future. The One who isn’t out to get us but to try us and perfect us. The one who works all things for good for His own (Romans 8:28). He will take care of you and help you in this next school year. With that support, we should desire to work hard. For ourselves? Yes. For our family and friends? Yes. But we should be driven to work extremely hard for Him (Colossians 3:23)

I hope these few tips can be helpful in the 2016-2017 school year and for many school semesters to come. If you have any other tips you’d like to share, please leave them in the comments section! God bless!

Some people were asking for study tips and may have noticed I didn’t provide any here. However, if you hop over to Howdy Homeschooler (http://howdyhomeschooler.blogspot.com/2016/04/top-seven-study-tips-as-someone-who_17.html) you will find some great tips there!