If you want to survive High School you actually have to pass. That's a sound tip from Carla van Staden from Gutsy Tutoring. Carla knows all about High School and how to cruise through it. Here's her advice to students.
Take Your Studies Seriously:
Let us get this pesky piece of advice out of the way first. We know the very idea of surviving high school while maintaining good grades appears to be an insurmountable task, yet it can in fact be done. Yes, you may well have to endure unduly trials and tribulations on a daily basis, what with spots and the sudden onset of your raging hormones, but you still need to realize that in order for you to escape the clutches of high school you have to actually pass high school. When it comes to homework, tests and exams… Study. Do your work. Prepare. Find a ‘study buddy’ (one that is not too good looking as you need to remain focused) and put in the hours as it is essentially your ticket out of the crazy universe that is high school. Remember that although you may not know what you want to do with your life just yet, and there is nothing wrong with that, you want as many options as you can get. Some of us only realise in our late twenties, or thirties even, what our passion truly is and would it not be nice to have the freedom of choice when that time comes.
Choose Your Friends Wisely:
We all wish to be part of the “popular” group in high school, but is it really that important? Will it make that much of a difference to hang around with the ‘cool kids”? Ask yourself this: would you rather spend time with a bunch of people who have to constantly keep up with everything that is happening or would you rather spend time with others who get your quirky sense of humour and who you can open up to when you need to talk? Don’t get us wrong, we are not ‘slamming’ the popular kids, we are merely pointing out that by entering into this group you will endure a lot more pressure as you will have to continuously conform to a group’s opinion and manner of doing things. Yes, it may be fun to have parties to go to every single weekend, but do you really wish to survive in a “herd” with drama each day? Why not spend time with those who will not force you to be anything other than yourself? Take the time to approach those who perhaps do not look so ‘cool’, they might bring you the most happiness and stability throughout your teenage years.
Grow your own self-confidence:
It is an extremely difficult task to find out who YOU are in your teenage years and we all go through various phases in order to realise this. Most of us look back on high school and cringe at that “trendy” hairstyle we just had to have or that obscene pair of pants we insisted on wearing everywhere we went. But, that is a crucial part of discovering yourself. You need to be less critical and be more kind to You. Rather than looking to others for approval, take a good look at yourself and actually see your positive attributes. True self-confidence comes from within and you deserve to feel good about yourself, even if you have to fake it a little at first. Those of us who turn to our peers to feel good about ourselves, never do. And those of us who make the effort to like ourselves and acknowledge our strengths, leave high school with a much better sense of self.
Listen to Your Parents (occasionally):
The above heading alone will make some of you want to stop reading, but wait a minute! Bear with us as we share with you a little secret that may provide you with the guidance you need at a critical time. This may sound utterly ridiculous, but that old fossil you call ‘mom’ has in fact been where you have been. She too, has been heartbroken, moody, unhappy, stressed and felt like her world is ending on a daily basis. It is rather sad that the majority of us only become ‘friends’ with our parents in our adult years, while our teenage experience is filled with outbursts of “you don’t understand!” Sound familiar? Take a minute and consider the old battle axe for who she is: a person. Someone who has walked the path you are currently on and survived it. Our parents may not know exactly what we are dealing with, but we guarantee you they will be able to advise. You do not have to follow their direction on every little issue. You need to discover things on your own as well. You have to make mistakes and learn from them in order to grow. However, when you are in the midst of a great struggle perhaps you should sit down with your mom or dad and just let your emotions out. Apart from the benefit of a sounding board to vent to, they may surprise you with a sense of understanding that you cannot always get from your friends.