What's the best advice you ever received that helped you with school?

Question

To coincide with back-to-school time, we're asking readers to share their most helpful and useful advice for kids heading back to class and dealing with school-life.

Being the high school newbie

http://ca.schoolscene.yahoo.com/friends/article/13

After school: Just say 'No' to TV

http://ca.schoolscene.yahoo.com/friends/article/11

Balancing wants and needs: shopping with your mom

http://ca.schoolscene.yahoo.com/fashion/article/58

Answer 1

A teacher once said to me, "The thought of doing something is almost always worse than actually doing it."

He said this in reference to writing essays, but he also said it applies to almost everything challenging in life, which is true.

Also, there was a brilliant American chess player (no, not Bobby Fischer)  who once said something like, "Learning comes at the point of resistance. Even the most intelligent need to fight for their knowledge." This isn't so practical, but it is somewhat comforting.

Answer 2

Junior High and High School may seem like everything there is to life, but it's only the beginning. Don't worry about not being in the popular crowd, not getting asked to dances, not being the prom king/queen- because when you leave school you'll realize that high school was barely a blip on the radar screen that is your life.  

Answer 3

Whatever investment of your time and energy;  whether forming relationships, or investigating new subjects; try to seek the most healthy, and helpful resources and people to connect with.  Both will be a great support for you throughout your school life and beyond.  Libraries are a wonderful source of knowledge;  and tools for higher learning. Study the biographies of those who have gone before, see where they succeeded and failed; how and why. They may be silent mentors in your quest to fulfil your dreams.

Answer 4

The best advice I've gotten was that the most important technique of succeeding in school is to balance our necessities or wants (like watching TV) with proper work ethic and time management skills. Once that is accomplished, it's kind of like having a daily schedule because then you'll know what to do at what time. There can be some changes here and there due to other plans like "shopping with your mom." Also, if you are the new student in school, don't shy away from making new friends. Once others see you as a shy person, most likely others won't think about starting a conversation with you.

For saying "NO" to TV, I just record my favourite show or ask a friend what happened in so and so. Mostly, when I know I have something important to do, rather than watching TV, I tell myself what will benefit me more? The TV or finishing up a task that I was given.I always tell myself that shows re-run all the time...So I could watch it some other day.

Answer 5

School, whether it's a University Degree or College Diploma, is an achievable goal that anyone can earn with hard work and determination. If you fail once, don't let that discourage you and try again. Learn from your mistakes. Once you have that piece of paper (meaning your diploma) in your hand, no one can take it away from you.

Plus, it's expected now that you have a post-secondary education for most career jobs. Just as we omit including our secondary school education on resumes, soon we'll omit our post-secondary education as it too will be expected. Unfortunately, the pressure now is to compete for the title of who has the most graduate education. When will this end?

And people, learn when to use "you're" and "your."  

Answer 6

When I was in high school - and getting marks in the 60s - my older brother (who had never attended high school) gave me this advice:  go to school and do your best, OR, leave school and get a job.  He said if you spend 4 years in high school and don't get high marks (so you can attend college), you have wasted those years and lost the money you could have earned if you were working.  I stayed in school, added my name to the Honour Rolls, and was able to attend university.

Answer 7

Despite doing well later in life, and going back to school for my MA, I always had a bad attitude when I was younger, mostly because my parents both thought school was stupid. Being young I mimicked their attitudes and didn't allow my own to develop - I realized later school wasn't stupid, it has its pitfalls but it's the chance you have - maybe the only real chance you have - to achieve your dreams or aspirations and go in the direction you want. Though at an early age you are interested in other things, if you realize how this can make the rest of your life and future happier it helps you get through school even when you find it hard for whatever reason. I wish I'd known then, it would have saved me a lot of time and it wouldn't have ruined the fun I had either, you can balance both, never be a total workaholic, but decide early what you're good at and go for it, because later on it gets a lot harder and in this day-and-age that's super-true because there are too many people competing you don't get the same second-chances.  

Answer 8

Well i dont go to school no more because i graduated from high school but my mother used to always tell me to stay sharp stay focus and dont let anyone distract you from your goals of graduating from any school.

She also used to tell me that dont let others know your weak because they can bully you that way. She also used to tell me good luck each day and she kissed me on my cheek then i am on the way to school.

The teachers gives us lessons on what to expect even lessons including bullying stalking and others ones including personal life.

But the teachers gives you hints on what he or she will give you and to what to expect during school session.

Answer 9

My parents always used to tell me that I could become whatever I wanted to be just by putting my mind to it.  I never really believed them, until I discovered fashion design.  It was the thing that really made me excited.  So I went on to get a diploma in it in college.  My parents never asked me what I thought I was going to do with it, or why I didn't do something more useful.  They always stood behind me no matter what.  I think that behind every successful student, there is a parent (or a set of parents).

Answer 10

Best advice I ever received was not to worry about high school. Don't listen to the garbage fed to you by teachers about how if you don't know the square root of the room you're sitting in than you'll never amount to anything. You can be whatever you want to be, and the real truth is that once you get out of high school, nobody gives a d**n about you being on the honor roll, or that you can throw a football.

Sure, there are some things in life that require good grades in high school, like certain universities, but you should only work towards the goal of doing as well as you needed to get where you want to end up, and not stress about perfection. But for those that don't want to do physics or engineering or premed, don't believe the people who tell you that high school is the most important thing in your life, because it's not. You can write your own ticket and work in a field that they never taught in high school... and you'll likely have more fun doing it.  

Lastly, don't sweat all those jocks and "popular" kids who think they're the bees knees cause mommy and daddy have money. Because when you're off finding your own path and doing something that you love to do, the prom king and queen will be managing a grocery store.  

Answer 11

Don't go to post-secondary directly after high-school.  Take some time out to get some real life experience and remember there's a real world beyond the classroom.

Mature some, develop some appreciation and get involved.  There's far more to learning than going to class and getting a good grade on a test.

And for godsake forget everything you learned about how to be cool in high-school!

Answer 12

From my grade 12 physics teacher: It was the end of the school year, and everyone was getting incredibly stressed out from diploma exams. We were made to believe (by ourselves and others) that if you didn't go to university and become an engineer, doctor, or teacher, you were a failure. With such tension in the air, my physics teacher walked in one day, showed us a picture of a beautiful stone house near a beach. He stated that he was taking a leave from teaching the following year to travel the world and have a home base in Australia, and reminded us that there is a lot of ways to define success and be happy. Basically, school isn't everything.

This helped me through university, because it reminded me and reinforced what my parents taught me, to pride myself on many other things (mostly emotional and intelligence development) School became a basis for gaining konwledge, not for competing for the best job, and made it more enjoyable.

Answer 13

For those high schoolers out there (especially to those beginning high school) one of the most important things that I would suggest is to get involved around school.  Try out for sports teams, join clubs, audition for drama productions or school bands, run for student body.  There will be something for everyone to do outside of the classroom.  Not into sports, but are still looking to compete and challenge yourself?  Sign up for math-lympics, chess clubs, improv clubs.  Your school doesn't have a club/organization that you want?  Start your own!  Most schools will sanction new clubs provided you have enough people interested and a staff member to supervise.

Of course you have to keep on top of school work - that should always be your first priority, but your time spent at school will be pretty awful without doing some extra-curricular stuff.  Not only that, the more involved you are the more teachers and administrators will get to know you.  If you show your basketball coach that you are a determined, hardworking, and trustworthy player on the court, you will be able to count on him/her to help you out and speak highly of you in the staff room (yes teachers talk about students behind their backs!)

My advice in a nutshell?  Have some fun while you're at school!  It's more than just studying and classwork!

Answer 14

It's old as the hills, but true.  Life will be better if you get your homework done as soon as you can.  You will have a much enjoyable evening/weekend if you have dealt with the homework or test prep up front.

  Choose a spot for homework where you can be most productive.  In front of the TV definitely will interfere. Listening to music will also distract you.  Maybe your room isn't the best either if you tend to want to nap. (I slept away a lot of high school.)  Decide on your routine and ask the people you live with to help you adhere to it.  

Ask for help if you need it.  Your family may be a resource.  It's OK to ask teachers for help, that's what they are supposed to do.

Also don't seek every opportunity to miss school. They do some interesting and useful stuff from time to time.

Answer 15

When I was in high school, I didn't take any advice.  I scraped by, enough to get into college.  In college, I didn't take any advice.  I scraped by, enough to get a job.  In my adulthood, I'm taking advice, cause I'm sick of scraping by.

So my advice now would be to take it seriously.  I don't believe a high paycheque is everything, but scraping by is not a way to live life.  

1. Set goals, otherwise, life will hit you in the A** when you're not looking.

2. Save money, it makes everything easier to have a safety net.

3. Don't get involved in the gossip, it only brings you down and detracts from your focus.

What seems like work now, will pay off in the end, and that end is not as far as you think it is.

Answer 16

I agree with what someone said about being nice to everyone that you come in contact with. You never know the effect that you have on someone by just simply saying hello or being kind. These are the things that people will remember you most by and one day down the road it could help you when you need it. My other advice would be to thank those who have helped you. They may not realize how they helped and would appreciate it knowing it.

Answer 17

From my own experiences.  It does more good than harm to stay in school.  I did not realized the value of an education until now.  It gave me confident, ideas, and a cushion to fall on.  You can make it in life without an education, but you can make your life much easier with an education.  I have seen too many people going after money at a young age and now are regretting that they have less option later in life.  

To me, it is not what I have learned in the class room that carried me through life.  But, rather, what an education had trained me to be able to do.  Being in the class room and doing homework is training your mind to give you the abilities to learn other things later in life.  Having forcing myself to read and think creatively toward earning my education.  Now these things that were difficult for me to do has become second nature.  Now, I love reading and challenges myself and invited challenges to better myself.  Work is actually easy because of what I have been through.  

Anyways, "it is easier said than done"  and

"it doesn't hurt doing that you like to do.  Even if it is only for a little while."  or

"it's my life.  Now or never" -Bon Jovi

Saying goes on and on and on.  

Answer 18

Take a year off to work, travel if you can afford it. It gives you what you need most - TIME - to decide what it is you want out of life and how to do it. I wish I had taken a year off to work so that I could have started out with some money instead of a loan, as well as a different perspective on my future career.

Try and avoid student loans AT ALL COST! Live beneath your means, get roommates, work part-time. It may suck for awhile but think long-term - you'll be able to enjoy your life so much more later on!

Answer 19

- Don't miss class. Show up. Do your homework. It’s always easier now than later.

- Never give up - no matter what happens. Change your goals, if necessary, but don't give up.

- Be true to yourself and your goals. Don’t be lazy even if your friends are.

- Do your personal best. Practise makes perfect. No practise = no perfection.

- Sleep enough! Eat properly. Your brain needs good ingredients.

- Avoid alcohol:  It’s a lipid dissolvent, and the brain is composed mainly of lipids. Avoid also hashis, it messes up with brain lipids.

- If studying is your duty, then fill the duty!

- Find ways to enjoy the knowledge and skills that you are studying.

- Make notes during classes and when you are reading at home (or where ever you are studying after school). Writing notes keeps you better awake, and writing makes the information to pass through more sense channels in your brain.

- If difficult to get motivated, try to imagine yourself doing the task. Imagine all the steps needed for completing the task. Soon you’ll find yourself doing it in real :)

Answer 20

"High school is the hardest 4 years of your life". Like Science..... after completing a hypothesis for any given situation, most of it is experimental.  

The best advice for school is make connections to people and things on the first and second day of school.

Try to make as many connections as you can with people you come in contact with. It could be anyone... friends from your previous school in your homeroom, a favourite teacher, a club and/or coaches.  

Until you find where you want to be these are essential connections that will boost your confidence and will increase your successful journey. Eventually, it will lead you where you think you fit in.  

Answer 21

Finish it! The real world helps those who help themselves. Do you want to beg for change at a traffic light? When I was a teenager I thought I had it all figured out. I didn't. I went back to school, finished highschool at 25 and got my college diploma by 28. I now have a career, house, two cats and money to live. On the other hand some old highschool, "friends" are driving a 5 ton or landscaping for a living at low wages. Nothing worng with that but if you want to do things in this life you will need money. The best way to increase your odds of having money is to get an education. Money isn't everything but it is necessary to live. Unless of course begging for change and living on the street is how you want to live.

Answer 22

Don't miss class. This applied to me more at the university level where profs don't care if you attend or not, but can apply to high school too, especially with regard to being sick. In my opinion unless you are spewing from either end you can go to class ... so don't give in to illness because staying at home watching tv or playing video games while fun in the short term will definitely catch up to you in the long term..

Answer 23

Here are tips you can have to succed in your school year!

1- Be the best among the best...

2- Son, I know you can do it...

3- Never give up and be patient...

4- Believe in yourself, just be yourself and be rational...

5- Listen before you argue and talk...

6- Always do your homework and listen to the teacher...

7- Work and study hard...

8 - Be organized, exercise, and eat healthy...

9 - Follow your dreams...



10- Avoid distractions (beers, parties, and cute girls

I know this is hard but you will knotice in yourself

Answer 24

"If you think this class sucks now, you don't want to know how much it is going to suck if you have to take it again!"

Words of wisdom from my late father, suggesting I do everything possible to pass to spare myself the pain of having to repeat a course I was struggling to stay awake in!!

Answer 25

If you're in school, stick with it unless you want to flip burgers for the rest of your life.  If you dropped out and are working at a dead-end job, go back to school at night.

I applied to law school at age 34 and people said to me "you're gonna be 38 when you graduate", to which I replied "I'm going to be 38 ANYWAY - might as well be 38 with a law degree!"

In those four years I went from making $25K/year to making $75K per year; now I'm making $140K per year.  You do the math - sure looks like it was worth it, eh?

Answer 26

I graduated University with a bachelor's in business and am now making 25K a year as an admin assistant. My brother is a doctor raking in 150K/yr. I told him I wanted to go back to school to get a degree in Photography because I liked it... a lot. This is what he said to me:

"At the end of the day, a job is a job. You go to work and earn your pay cheque in order to support the lifestyle that you want. You can get that degree and come out to compete with thousands of people for a job that pays 35K a year, or you can sacrifice a bit more time, be a bit more miserable for four years and get a professional degree that will have companies begging to hire you when you graduate and that will pay you 100K+ a year. Do the math. You'll work for roughly another 40 years of your life. 40 years x 35K = 1.4 million earned in your lifetime. Or 40 years x 100K = 4 million earned in your lifetime. Why not triple your  worth for a measly 4 years of your life? Besides, once you're making that much money, you can open up your own photography studio if you wanted. You can afford to do what you love to do."

Answer 27

My father always told me "never let any one get you down, and tell you that you can't do something. Because if you listen to them, you'll start to believe that what they're saying is true and you'll never accomplish half of whatever you want to accomplish. Be yourself because life's to short to be anyone else, and you'll get farther in life by being yourself than you ever would by acting like another." and it's true. I wouldn't have made half the friends I have if I wasn't myself.

Answer 28

grade 9 Math.

My teacher sat me down.

And said: You can get an A in this class!

You won't unless you make it a GOAL!!!

How else do you think you can achieve an A? Its just not going to happen unless you set it as a GOAL. This way, you can take the necessary steps to achieve this GOAL. Or... if you don't know how to achieve it, you can ask people/students: How can i achieve my A, my Goal?

Next test, i studied. Not much... but i studied, aiming to achieve my first A!

Sure enough, i got a 83%!

My teacher sat me down and said see!?!

Now just do the same for ALL your other classes... and you will see similar results.

That year, my grades slowly increased.

I got my first A in Math! By grade 10, i was an honor student!

But to add one more thing:

After grade 9 math, my Teacher sat me down again.

And said. "Aim for a 90%" you might get it! He suggested that i take the summer school grade 10 math. I did!

Surely, with my Math Teacher as a MENTOR, i earned my first A++

90%!!!

Answer 29

I'm in highschool now and the things that really helped me do better:

*Doing my homework. Doing homework is so important and I know it's easy to shrug it off but just commit to doing it.

*Taking in notes in class. When your supposed to be taking a note in class, actually do it! instead of passing notes wtih your friend. Chances are your going to need that note later for tests.

*S-T-U-D-Y for tests! when you know you have a test the next day, get off your computer or away from the tv and study for it! if its hard for you to study on your own ask a parent to study with you. Sometimes I do that before exams and it helps alot.

Also be motivated. If you care about your marks and actually want to do well, you will.

Answer 30

The best advice I was given when I was in high school was from a teacher she said "never be afraid to try new things, that way even if you fail you can say you try, you cannot be the best at everything but you can be the best you, as long as you are yourself and you TRY you can say you lived to your full potential, do not coast through your high school by someone else, ask for help and you shall receive, and try your best and you will succeed." I did that all through high school and I do not regret any of my high school years.  

Answer 31

I can sit here and shovel the same c**p down your throat that you are most likely hearing: "stay in school" "say no to drugs" "do your homework" "education is important" etc. etc. etc.  Now, unless you are a complete idiot, you know all the above is true.

My advice is simple, take your education as seriously as you do your partying.  You are going to go out at nights and get ****-canned with your friends, that is just a fact of life.  But being able to balance your work with your play is what is going to prepare you for adulthood.  You can't let your youth pass you by doing nothing but studying and homework.  But you can't spend your youth doing nothing buy partying and drinking either, otherwise you end up nowhere.

Seriously, have fun, but don't s***w your life over.  Work hard, and play harder and you will find your life is a lot happier and more enjoyable.