T*S*E Rant ~ Back-to-School

For this week on “Off the ‘Spice’ Rack”, Cheetah’s gonna help out all the students {new and experienced} who have started or will start the school year.

I just thumbed through my pile of old junk and pulled out something we can ALL relate to….one’s bad habits that can’t seem to take a hike! But before you blame it on DNA, teachers out to get you or something else intangible, let me assure you that YOU’RE the one limiting yourself.

You’re probably thinking “what do I know”, right?
I know more than you think.
We all have problems with school one way or another —- most is due to being too ‘social’ —- but the outside life doesn’t have complete control of you. Not showing up for class, not taking notes and waiting to the last minute are the main contributors whether or not one’s ready to admit that or not.

I call these the “Po’s and Pro” of getting through your classes a lot smoother than it would be during the years you were stuck in the proverbial quicksand with no rope to pull you out.

Well, here’s your rope :D

First up~
Poor attendance

Skipping your classes can be a downfall.
I know for a fact that the “Twilight Zone” effect happens when one’s not there!
Like if you’re at home and missed out on a good rumor or a brutal fight that involved the student body of all grades…how would u feel? The same thing goes for your workload.

For example, your teacher maybe a jerk by giving extra assignments along with your homework….or ‘suddenly’ remember that your next test is now 75% of your grade.
Not to mention changing the due date on that said test or a project. You end up stressing yourself out without needing to —— and all cuz you skipped that day. If you don’t feel like going, SHOW UP ANYWAY!! You might be surprised.

Second ~
Poor note-taking

Bottom line, if you can’t take good notes to save your life….STOP WHINNING!! That’s just an excuse! ANYONE can take notes just find the method that’s right for you!
That doesn’t mean that you need to copy every single word that the teacher says either….too many people make that mistake and fail their tests each time.

But don’t despair.
ALL teachers give you keys, just look for the signs.

Here are a few that are easy to spot~

- volume increase
- what words did he/she repeat?
- what’s written on the board
- the long pause after their sentence

Since each teacher is different, I can’t name all the tricks of the trade. You’re on your own for that.

In my experience, about 50 - 60% of a test comes from the class notes, which is why I’m stressing about attendance.
OH, and less I forget —— memorizing the text or borrowing notes from a friend DOES NOT guarantee an A. Make an effort to take the notes yourself, even if you’re the only one who can read them.

Just make sure you CAN!

And Third~
Procrastination

Now THIS is very hard to tackle.
Trust me, I still do it!
I think I have plenty of time for something when it’s right around the corner, even when I’m working on the segments for TSE. But there’s a method to everyone’s madness —— including my own.

I hate asking for help.

I know what you’re thinking; and you can call it an excuse but that’s my reasoning for the way I act when it comes to my studies and —- genuinely —- everything else. Getting help from anybody is not my thing, but that doesn’t mean I’m too stubborn to know what my weak points are and I’m not afraid to admit defeat {don’t have to like it, though}.
My point is there are people there to help you with your test anxiety, note - taking problems…all kinds of mental blocks. If you got a question, spit it out! When they say that “there’s no such thing as a dumb question” —- I’m not gonna lie about that, you DO feel like it’s dumb cuz you don’t know, right?

Well, TRYING to find an answer by yourself will lead you to the wrong one. I rather ask as ‘dumb’ question than feel even more stupid when I have to do something over and over again because of pride. I went through 15 tries with a math problem way back when before asking for help, only to find that the answer wasn’t as complicated as the question (it was a word problem, FYI… I love to read, but damn! So many words can throw off a person)!

So anyway, get help before it’s too late!!!

One last thing before I hop off, this topic isn’t just for the high school and college students, middle school pupils can benefit from this too!

Never too late to start early!