Get in the Back-to-School Mindset
Move over, summer term -- the last term of the school year is coming!
With the start of school, everyone faces new challenges.
School bells ring--and so do early-morning alarm clocks.
Paper piles swell as hand-outs and homework stream into the house.
Summer days bring a hectic round of sports, activities and events, and calendars fill with cryptic notes. Can the holidays be far behind?
Get organized now for the last term of the school year.
Use these ideas to prepare your home and family for the busy days ahead.
- Review your previous academic achievements. The summer might have made you forget about that awesome term paper you wrote last fall or the straight A’s in math. A quick review can not only energize you for the new school year, it can help you identify areas you might want to work on more this semester.
- Set goals for yourself for this upcoming school year. Setting goals (and sticking with them) is an important skill students of all ages can learn. Instead of vague goals like “get good grades,” come up with SMART goalslike “During the first marking period, I will complete my homework during the hours of 6 to 7 p.m. on school nights at my desk in my bedroom. After completing my homework, I will put my homework in a homework folder and put it in my backpack. At school the next day I will turn in my homework to my teacher. I will revise this goal after receiving my first marking period report card.” Scholastic has a list of everyday study skills and activity sheets to learn about setting goals, managing time, and creating the right environment.
