Hot Tip Tuesday: How to Start the School Year Off Strong

In honor of TCA’s recent arrival to Rodellar, Spain, we’d like to post 5 tips for starting the year off with a bang:

1. Set Goals – A great way to have the best year possible is to set goals for yourself. If you know what you want out of the experience – where you want to grow and things you want to continue to prioritize – you’ll be better set up for success and achieving what you want out of the school year.
2. Stay Organized – Staying on top of assignments is imperative to making the most of the year. Once you get behind, it’s easy to continue down that path and feel overwhelmed, like you can never get back on track. We recommend having a planner where students can write down assignments and due dates so that no assignment is missed and it’s easier to stay on top of all the tasks. Planners can also be a great place to write down notes like – things to bring to class every day, daily schedules, goals, priorities for the week, and other “to do” lists.
3. Find a Place to Study – Having a place where students know they can get work done – somewhere quiet with a table, somewhere uncluttered, somewhere to be productive – is important for giving each person the space to get their work done, which sets every student up for success. In each place the school stays, find your spot to study and be productive.
4. Advocate – Part of making the most out of your education is advocating for yourself. This may be reaching out to teachers for help on assignments or speaking up when you feel overwhelmed with work. This looks different for each person, but regardless of what it looks like, it’s always important in order to get the most out of your education and have a strong and successful year.
5. Recharge – Especially when you have a lot of work on your plate, it’s easy to forget about recharging, pushing through the burnout toward the finish line. However, finding time to relax and let the brain reset can really help complete assignments well, even if it seems counterintuitive to not work when you have a lot of work. Brains are muscles too and just as we let our muscles recover from climbing, our brains need to recharge from school.

These five suggestions are easy ways to start the year off with your best foot forward. Can you think of anything else that helps you feel successful?