Study tips!!

[smarch]

School is hard theres no way of getting around that, but life and work is too. The best way to survive and thrive is to learn HOW to do that. From my experience, schools don't really teach you how to do these things right, midway through highschool I learned good tips from a college friend and that's when my grades turned around. It'll still take time, theres no getting around not being lazy, but with effort and learning right things can work out!

So if I can be that college friend giving good advice and help one person, my job is done.

@russian/sulcata/tortoise I hope some of this will help you too

 

[smarch]

Here's my exact thread from chat, copy paste no changes so if you've read it there you can skip this one for now and consult it if needed.

ok, it sounds like maybe you just genuinely have issues with school rather than you hating school "just because".
1. Talk to the teachers in the classes you struggle in, I'm actually personal friends with a few of my high school teachers now, and they really do love when people who aren't doing great ask for help, it shows you care and if you show you're trying and willing to put in effort they're also more than willing to give extra credit opportunities
-any extra credit ever no matter how small, or big, or annoying, do it, it can only help a grade and shows you care
-NEVER skip homework (I was the most guilty of this ever in high school I literally never did homework)-in math especially the homework helps you learn as you go rather than cramming it in or making it up come the test

2. tutors- "not cool" I know, but if you don't want to go to the teacher a peer will be a good help too, because being your age or close to it, they know best how you may learn and just went through having to learn it recently too

3. flashcards, flashcards, flashcards!! Index cards are cheeap, you could even cut up paper if you had to, no excuse not to! when you have vocab in English theres absolutely no reason not to do this (I started doing it mid-way through sophomore year and it was magic!) literally just go through them once a night, sort out ones you knew and ones you didn't, keep them separate and keep checking on ones you didn't know and just every once and a while (few days) check on the ones you did know just to refresh, re-separate any if you didn't know them.

4. always take notes! but they teach you all wrong how to do that- copying only helps so much, you're not going to want to read pages and pages of notes, shorten and abbreviate as much as you can- if your teacher tells you something that is funny or will help you remember write it either with the definition or in a margin (that's what they're their for) go through after and highlight certain things that seem especially important or that you think you'll need to work extra to remember. (a couple of colors are helpful), and make sure your handwriting is legible to you, finding out you cant read your own notes is a pretty terrible feeling.

5. Planner/agenda-do you use it? Use it! put in all the tests and quizzes and homework, and schedule in study times something as little as "flip through___ flash cards" cross them off when you're done, it'll keep you completely organized, no surprises, when I started using my planner I became attached to it! I had to get a special one now with insert-able pages so I don't have to get a new one every year, that thing is my best friend, befriend yours. Name it if you have to, no one needs to know. decorate it- tortoise pictures anyone!? (and seeing their faces would probably make you smile-these are the reaons my desk at work has franklin pictures)

6. My math advice you'll hate the most, but lets face it math is hard and it takes a lot of time. Don't just blow through your math homework just to make it look done, math homework is pretty much the single most important part of math, because you're doing problems, just like you would for a test, check the answers, consult Bob (back of book) if you have problems that are back there- if not I suggest doing one of those so you'll know the answer. Take your time, if something isn't coming out right double check, go back try again, its all a learning from experience thing- this is true in life too so might as well get that now too

ummm that's all I can think of right now, but I mean I hope at least something here helped some.

You could always take my path. Pick a college you like and may want to go to, get a few things from there as motivation and inspiration and remember why you're doing high school right now.

I'm also more than willing to try to help you! I'm 21 I didn't do high school that long ago- and my brother is a sophomore (what grade are you?) but my brother is practically a math genius so if theres a math concept you need help I can try to help.

Also, when studying tell your tortoises about what you're learning, Nank is probably informed enough to have his own college degree at this point! He pulls right up to the side of his tank and "listens"

 

[smarch]

studying: take little breaks, cramming for hours straight is only going to hurt your brain make you want to scream and/or cry and you'll forget it all anyways. Go bug a tortoise (only for a little while: if they're going to distract you for hours set an alarm on a phone: in fact if you get easily distracted set an alarm for 5-10 minutes to remind you to go back) shower breaks are good, when I get stressed at work I go to the bathroom and run my hands inter cold water for a while. Eat a snack, just a small one though don't go and have a 4 course meal!

Reading boring stuff you don't want to but have to: I've had to read my fair share of dry boring books in college, bribe yourself. Get a dish of M&Ms or Skittles or a little candy of choice, tell yourself every section you read you get 1 candy, if its a long sectioned book every paragraph for all it matters, just make sure you only have one in that set distance and that you actually read what you say you are: you're only lying to yourself if you don't and that doesn't do you any good.

 

[smarch]

make study time study time: leave the phone away from you, if you listen to music (I know I do) put it in airplane mode so you don't get notifications to distract, check things on the breaks you take, it gives motivation to actually work.

"schedule" breaks, if you take breaks whenever you want it'll end up being a whole lot of breaks, try every half hour, every hour, or a physical distance in homework "I'll take a break when I get to ___ in my homework"

When college kids pull all nighters they don't literally go all night studying or doing homework, its with a whole lot of breaks too, staying up that long you need a 4th meal around 2 and as the brain gets more and more tired it needs more and more breaks. (but i'm not saying pull an all nighter- I never have even in college and am a deans list student who just took 7 classes when the norm is 4-5, i'm just saying how they're done right in case anyone ever decides that's their answer.

If you're tired in school time to start going to bed earlier, a tired brain doesn't learn well. For people used to staying up very late push sleep forward an hour at a time. and cut sugar or foods (and goodness forbid caffeine) after a certain time.

 

[smarch]

Test anxiety:
Heck i'm diagnosed with general Anxiety disorder, even on medication it doesn't make it much better.

Mint helps focus: if you can chew gum pop a stick for each test, if not get some tic-tacs or other mints just for tests.

Breathe deep

give yourself a pep-talk. even if you're just telling yourself over and over "it'll be ok" you studied that's the most you can do for yourself. If not studying well before, a few tests of knowing answers will probably help that.

A guidance counselor probably knows more ways to help than I do.

 

[Yvonne G]

If Little Nicky Poo really is dyslexic, then his problem is more that he has trouble reading than studying.

 

[smarch]

If Little Nicky Poo really is dyslexic, then his problem is more that he has trouble reading than studying.

Yeah I know i'm only doing what I can. Tonight I'll ask my friend with dyslexia how she studied, because I have no experience there... except messing up my Bs and Ds ... it now happens even on the keyboard!

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

If Little Nicky Poo really is dyslexic, then his problem is more that he has trouble reading than studying.

why are you questioning if i have dyslexia? Dyslexia is a leaning disability it doesnt just affect reading.

 

[smarch]

why are you questioning if i have dyslexia? Dyslexia is a leaning disability it doesnt just affect reading.

This is an ignorant question so excuse that, do math problem numbers like to move while you're doing the math out? Actually that may have nothing to do with dyslexia, that always happened to me, or i'd do something stupid and halfway through a problem I just randomly changed a number to a completely different number

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

This is an ignorant question so excuse that, do math problem numbers like to move while you're doing the math out? Actually that may have nothing to do with dyslexia, that always happened to me, or i'd do something stupid and halfway through a problem I just randomly changed a number to a completely different number

Why is my question igornant?

 

[smarch]

Why is my question igornant?

No no no, not your question, the one I asked right after that statement. Sorry about that, my wording was poor.