More Than Grades: How Focus Can Lead to Personal Growth

A new school year always brings plenty of new challenges and opportunities. There may be things you are excited about and things you are dreading.

Regardless of your circumstances, these 7 goals for the school year are sure to help get you started on the right foot. I encourage you to take your education seriously, manage your workload, explore your interests, and have fun along the way.

In a poll we ran on TheHopeLine.com, we asked what you most want to avoid doing at school this year. More than half of you answered: Slacking off.

You recognize it as a potential problem. So what are some ways you can avoid slacking off and help make this the best school year ever?

First, it is important to shift any negative perceptions you have about school and try to appreciate it. I know that may seem hard, but an education is a privilege, and learning new things can be fun. Taking your studies seriously WILL prepare you for a bright future.

7 Goals for a Successful School Year

How can I make my school year easier?

1. Go to class every day and take it seriously.

People who skip a lot of classes, end up skipping life. When you miss a day or even a class, it's easy to fall behind. Nobody likes to feel like they're behind, or in the dark. It can be hard to catch up, and then pretty soon you might just give up. The best way to stay with the flow of the class is to be there! If you have to miss a class, make sure you meet with your teachers to find out exactly what you missed.

April said, "I used to think I was cool for skipping class. Then I realized I was just hurting myself. The temporary fun I had only made me feel worse when I was in class."

Then, when you are in class, take it seriously and focus. Don't text, Snapchat, watch TikTok, or whatever other distraction tempts you. Take notes during class even if your teacher doesn't require it. This exercise will increase your concentration and greatly improve the amount of information you retain. You don't have to write down everything, but keep track of the main points. Write down the questions you have, and then the answers to the questions when you get them.

2. Keep a planner.

Keeping a planner for school is a great way to stay organized and manage your time effectively. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

• Choose a planner that fits your style and schedule. You can opt for a traditional paper planner, a digital planner, or a calendar app. 
• Collect all the information you need to include in your planner: your class schedule, assignment due dates, exam dates, extracurricular activities, and other commitments.
• Take some time to set up your planner by filling in important dates, such as the start and end dates of the school year, holidays, and any pre-planned events or activities. Input your class schedule, including the days, times, and locations of each class. For each class, write down the details of all your assignment deadlines, too.
• Personalize your planner! This is the fun part. Make your planner your own with stickers, color coding, motivational quotes, or anything else that makes your planner fun to use.
• Set aside time in your planner for studying and completing assignments. Break larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks, and schedule dedicated study sessions for each subject or assignment. Be realistic about how much time you need for each task, and try to spread your workload evenly throughout the week.
• Make it a habit to check your planner at the beginning of each day to remind yourself of upcoming deadlines or commitments. Throughout the day, use your planner to keep track of tasks, appointments, and important information. Update it whenever something changes.

If you use it consistently, a good planner can make school life way, way easier.

3. Take great notes.

Taking better notes in class makes everything easier, from studying to staying awake in class. Here are some strategies to improve your note-taking skills:

• Come to class with notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, etc. Make sure your devices are charged if you're taking electronic notes.
• Actively participate in class discussions, pay attention to what the teacher says, stay focused on the material, and minimize distractions.
• Listen for main ideas, key concepts, and important details. Avoid trying to write down everything the teacher says. Instead, keep an ear out for information that is relevant to the main topics for the day. Otherwise, you might find yourself getting overwhelmed by trying to jot down unnecessary details.
• Doodle away! Adding visual aids like diagrams, charts, and graphs into your notes can help you understand and remember complex concepts and make your notes more fun.
• Stay organized… make your notes easy to find and review later by keeping them all in the same notebook or folder and labeling them by date, subject, or topic. Great notes won’t do you any good if they’re lost!

4. Do your homework.

Homework isn't meant to be a punishment, it's meant to help you learn the concepts presented in class. Set aside time every day to work on your homework. This is a great discipline you'll be grateful for. It's easy to get distracted and pulled away from what has to be done, but don't wait until the last minute to finish your work or study for your exam. You'll be stressed out and won't get as much out of what you're working on

Mike said, "I thought only super-smart people could be organized. But it's really simple to just keep track of everything I need to do, in one place. It helps a ton."

5. Ask questions.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. In fact, teachers like students who are willing to raise their hand and ask for further explanation of something. Believe it or not, most teachers do really want you to LEARN and if something doesn't make sense, they want to help you understand. If you aren't comfortable asking in front of the entire class, stop by after class to talk to the teacher.

Shana wrote, "At first I didn't want to ask for help. But when I realized the teachers appreciate it when we make an extra effort, it makes class so much better."

Don't be another one of those students that just tries to get by. The whole point of learning is to develop knowledge about things you don't know. On top of that, everybody processes information differently. So if you feel like you're not catching something, or missing some details, it really is quite normal. It does NOT mean you are stupid. Your teachers, or even tutors, are there to help you. Don't wait until too late to get help.

6. Explore and try new things.

Use your time in school to explore various interests you might have. Maybe you've been trapped in the path of just doing sports, but you'd like to try something in the music department. Or maybe you've always loved science but decided to try a literature class and love it. View this as a great time to test out different activities and subjects you've always wondered about.

7. Make a commitment to reach out to others.

It can be extremely stressful worrying if you'll have any friends, or if you'll be alone and not able to blend in. This is especially true of students who are enrolling in a new school. Believe it or not, 1 out of every 4 people is new at your school this year. That means there are plenty of people who are facing the same kind of fear and stress that you are.

Stephen said, "One of the hardest things for me is to be alone at school. It can feel like everyone is talking about me, or worse, ignoring me."

Look for the people who are usually sitting by themselves in the lunchroom, in the library, etc. They are probably just hoping and waiting for someone to talk to them. Reach out to them, find out who they are, what they like to do, etc. Don't be afraid of being too aggressive. You will discover your new friends sooner than you think. Taking time to reach out to them will go a long way in making the school year great for that person, as well as yourself. Check out this TRUE story about what happened when someone was brave enough to say hello.

You Can Do This!

Commit to these goals because how this school year goes academically is really up to how much time and effort you put in. Believe in yourself. You can do this! And as you meet some of your realistic goals for each class, you will get a lot of personal satisfaction.

Remember, it's up to you to decide what kind of school year you're going to have. This much we do know, having a great education greatly increases your chances of being successful in life. Make the most of it while you can.

If one of the challenges you face at school is making friends, please read my post on How to Make Friends.