Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the
globe observe
St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the
patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish
culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.
We did our own St. Patrick's Day at Educanet :-) The Spririt was everywhere! Good Job!
Finals and midterm
stress is virtually universal among high school students. In fact, if you're in
the throes of finals, a little stress may be inevitable. Hectic study
schedules, exam anxiety, and feelings of overwhelm are common around this time.
And, because stress can make it more difficult to think clearly and remember
facts easily, heavy levels of stress can be counter-productive for students.
Given that our graduating class is now counting down days to the “school
leaving exams” and all of our other students are franticly scheduling all
mid-term exams, I can easily say that the school is walking on “egg shells.”
Fortunately, there are things students can do to effectively
manage this stress--or make things worse! Cigarettes and beer make it worse –
trust me… J Be sure you're doing the right things to
keep stress at bay.
Often students ask me what is the best way to study and study
well… my answer is: Learn What Works For You. Combating test anxiety, getting enough sleep...
But the most important things is to avoid all
kinds of possible self-sabotage. Students often unwittingly make things more
difficult for themselves by making common mistakes when studying for exams.
Knowing what works, and what might make things more difficult, can help you
avoid common pitfalls that make finals stress a larger obstacle than it needs
to be. Stop pulling all-nighters,
pounding the caffeine, and...budget
time wisely
Am I guilty of all of those?
Oh, yes. I was a student once (actually all teachers were – it is a
prerequisite to being a teacher. ) My freshmen year at the University of Kansas
I actually managed to stay up all night for two nights in a row studying for my
‘Logics’ and ‘Western Civilization’ class. I passed, do I remember anything
from it? Nope. Once, I even managed to write a 10-page paper on the Albanian
Civil War…I got a C out of it – not something that I am very proud of.
So, having ‘said that’ and ‘been
there,’ I can only give my students once piece of advice before the upcoming
midterms and final exams – open your book during the semester and not just the
week / night / hour before the test.
