Focus on Facts: Schule

Get ready for a long post!!

It's helpful though, so read it!! please

Finals are over, and lots o' kiddos had complaints. Like, a lot. Finals can be draining and can be hard to prepare for. I realize that a lot of these child students don't even know how to prepare for such events, especially the new group of Freshmen. Yes, finals are over, but this can still help you with day-to-day school life. With a new year comes resolutions, one of which to raise grades. Hopefully, this list will help with  getting school work done and help with yo studying skills.

 1. Get Off the Technology

"Oh no! Did she just go there?!" Yes, I did. At my house, it is a rule that every week we have No Tech Tuesday and No Tech Tursday (Thursday, we call it 'Tursday'). Every. Week. All my brothers and I aren't allowed on any type of technology, including tablets, computers, television, even my stinkin' iPod (which is just an iPod classic, NOT touch screen!); unless we have homework. But, I will say, I do benefit greatly from it. "What, no Internet for two days a week?! And you 'benefit'??" Actually, yeah, it is extremely beneficial. I don't have Instagram and Blogger to distract me from what I'm supposed to be doing: homework. I can honestly say that I am glad, for the most part, that we have that rule in place. Yesterday, I actually did all of my homework, and then some (I worked ahead). Usually, and I know that this is bad, I just do my homework in the mornings in the library, or I do it during lunch in the library. And then I eat lunch in 5th hour. Not a good habit guys and gals, don't follow my old path (wait, I still do that...) Anyhow, Tuesdays and Thursdays allow me to actually do my homework without any distractions. Setting a day of the week you usually have a heavy work load to stay off of any type of electric device can really boost your homework-turn-in status. And you grades could benefit, of course.
     For most people, having a distraction like a cellphone and whatnot reduces their focus on the task at hand. Getting your homework done should be your number one priority, but notifications from your phone can break that focus.

2. Plan Ahead, yo

Most of us receive student planners at the beginning of the year, and I really suggest you to use it!! If you didn't get one when school started, it's not too late! You can pick one up from really any store (Target, Office Max), but make sure that it has hourly scheduling for each of your classes. I'm pretty sure they have ones specifically for school, too. Just check it out! I find planners to be extremely helpful in keeping track of what classes I have homework in. Before I really started using my planner, I would literally forget  which classes I had homework in. I know, sad right? But now I can just look at what I have written down and bang! There's my  homework assignments for the night! And, to keep track of which day I'm on in the planner, I fold the edge of each day, so all the days that have passed have folded corners. I looks pretty cool, too. The whole planner thing kinda leads to my next little sub-subject: check lists.

• Check It Off- I dunno about you people, but checking things off of a list can be satisfying to me. Just knowing that I completed that task makes me feel somewhat accomplished in a little way. It might work for you, making a check list of things you want to complete that day. What I do is I check the homework pieces I complete in my planner so I know I already did them. And, so I can feel goodly about myself. It's prolly just me, but I feel so accomplished when I can check something off of a list.

3. Divided We Fall

Actually, in this case, division should help. Keep your subjects separate from each other in one large binder with divider inserts. Doing this will help with organization and help you to be less overwhelmed when doing homework. When the time comes to do homework, it will be easy to find where the homework is. Put the binder dividers in order of your classes, at least that's what I do. I also have individual notebooks for each class; this keeps each one separate and again helps with organization. Honestly, I'm not really a fan of the five subject notebooks, but that is just a personal preference. Clutter won't be so craycray and homework won't seem so crazy to do. This one is simply keeping each of your subjects separated from the other will be helpful, yo.

4. Don't Have Time? Make Time
This one may seem obvious, but you actually need to think about it. Setting time aside for studying is an important way to make sure you actually do your studying. Having a set time for each day (or however often you may study) will make it a habit and yourself will actually be ready and revving to study.
     I'll be honest, I rarely study. I haven't had a hardcore, more than looking over my notebook before bed study session since those vocab quizzes in elementary school. Yeah, practice what you preach, but I have been trying, by listening to my own advice. Whenever I have a test coming up, I plan on having a time specifically for studying for that test. Trying to get that schedule set up everyday can be sacrificial, but it is definitely worth it when your report card still has its straight A's.
     If you are in marching/pep band (or a school sport), you understand the struggle of arriving home late and scrambling to get homework done to then eat then shower, and by then you are so worn that studying is the last thing to pass your mind. During marching season, I tell you I studied absolutely zero times and barely even tried to do my homework at home. Psh, homework, more like the morning it's due library-work. Yeah, that's better sounding. So, if a little spare time somehow exists, it's obvious it won't be used for studying. During that time of heavy after school activity, I don't really have any advice other than, in the mornings, to do a quick five minute study over your next test.

5. Take Notes

When watching a video or listening to a lecture, take notes! Yes, even if the teacher doesn't tell you to, it is important to write things down. Have visual and audio memories of the facts will help you remember facts better, especially if you had written them down yourself. Just writing them down, not even looking back at them, will help you remember those facts a whole lot better. I find notes very helpful, especially when they are organized. When I take notes, I keep them consistent. For me, I highlight all new vocabulary in yellow highlighter, followed by the definition. Any list title is underlined with blue and chart titles with orange. And, to separate each new note session, each note-section title is underlined with pink and put in this format- Notes: Title date. Keeping each section separate and with a title will help you find what you are looking for to study easier and will help reviewing. Organized notes are a must when it comes to high school. I hate borrowing notes from people and finding that they are jumbled messes of each class and far from review-able. If you have one resolution for school this year, make it to keep organized notes.

     I really hope that this post helped at least a bit in some way or form. Sorry for its length, but I felt it necessary to have quite a bunch on school. If you want more details on my note taking methods, I could post more on that. I know that they work for me, and it could possible work for any of you guys or gals. Or, if there is a completely different topic you would want me to cover, just hit me up in the comments or by email.