It’s the beginning of June, which means your school year has already ended or is coming to an end. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to finish off the school year strong. It feels like teachers are purposefully piling on the work, even though there’s only a few days of school left. The weather also doesn’t help, since, if you live somewhere that isn’t always sunny and warm, it’s warm outside for the first time in months. Because of this, most students are eager to be outside with their friends instead of inside doing work. Final exams, standardized tests and overwhelming amounts of assignments can make many students feel like finishing the school year as strongly as they started is impossible. To help you avoid the somewhat inevitable burnout and finish strong, here are some tips:
1. Do your assignments as soon as you get them. This can be difficult, especially if the assignments have a due date that isn’t the next day. But, if you get your work done as the teacher assigns it, you will have time to put in the quality work necessary to finish the school year successfully. You may even have some time to start enjoying summer activities before summer officially starts.
2. Wake up at least an hour before you leave for school. This will allow you to actually wake up, eat breakfast and get ready for the day without rushing out the door. Waking up with enough time to do all this is important for the whole school year, but it is especially important at the end. By giving yourself time to ease into waking up, you will feel more awake and ready to face the day by the time you get to school.
3. Don’t let your friends distract you. Just because your friends are acting like it’s summer doesn’t mean you have to, too. If they ask you to join, tell them that you have work to do and that you’ll join them when summer actually starts. They may seem like they’re having fun, but that fun comes with consequences they’ll be facing sooner than later.
4. Don’t let the negative attitudes of others phase you. Because it’s the end of the school year, many people, including friends and teachers, will begin to have a negative attitude toward different aspects of school. Teachers might start yelling at their classes and piling on work to try to keep their students from slacking off. Friends might think there’s nothing they can do to avoid failing a class or doing less than what is their best. When this happens, ignore it and tell yourself that you don’t want to be successful for anyone but yourself.
5. Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself. Yes, grades are important, but not more important than your mental health. Don’t overwork yourself, and don’t worry about not getting high scores on assignments if it means pulling an all-nighter or risking a mental breakdown. Practice self care and remember that summer is right around the corner.
