AMY LOWNDES

The beaches become near-empty, devoid of fun-loving, Trinity Prep students. Summer reading books replace fashion magazines and Facebook pages. Some students lie sprawled out on their beds or couches, watching TV, knowing that the latest marathon they are watching could quite possibly exhaust the rest of the precious vacation time they have.
As mid-August comes around, so does the inevitable downpour of syllabi, expectations, homework, and – in some cases – first week quizzes. In a matter of days, students already have many hurdles to jump over.
“I think the hardest part is adjusting to your new schedule,” sophomore Bradley Van Allen said on the challenge of coming back from break.
Indeed, trying to adapt oneself to a new class schedule can be confusing; it’s always a lot to memorize. Tougher still is the trouble of getting used to the classes themselves. But getting accustomed to the new school year doesn’t have to feel like a struggle. The key thing to remember is that close attention, methods for success, motivation, organization and goal-setting can easily help a student get into the swing of things.
Teachers, advisers and college counselors always discuss these topics, among other things, at the beginning of the year. Some may find it repetitive: a rehash of things that basically every student has heard since the days of 6th grade. However, it is important to recognize that the repeated discussion of the topics helps to put things in focus. It helps students recognize the challenges ahead and prepare themselves mentally and physically. For example, a student should consider what each teacher’s expectations are.
“[I] try to get to know my teachers, and understanding what they might look for in assignments and tests,” sophomore Robin Sharpe said.
The previous sentiment is of utmost importance when starting a new school year. Just as a teacher gets to know a student, the student should also get to know the teacher. Yes, reading the syllabus is important, but a student should also consider what attitude the teacher has: easygoing, tough, in-depth or a combination of many attitudes. The point is to recognize how a teacher works and speaks to see exactly how the teacher wants you to structure an essay or write a test answer.
It’s common for students to have a “special method” for getting by throughout the school year. Whether it’s a ritual, schedule or some other procedure, students find a particular niche that enables them to be successful in their classes.
“To get used to a new school year, I try to find a routine that I can follow most days, for instance, doing my homework right after sports practice or going to bed at the same time every night,” senior class president Ben French said.
Motivation is another key factor to starting the year off right. As both upper and middle school students know, motivation is the first and foremost step to getting things done. Studying, projects, homework assignments, quizzes and a plethora of other items require much energy from students, regardless of grade level. Thus, perseverance and drive are absolutely necessary not just to making it through the fall semester, but the year as a whole. Motivation comes in many forms—the one many seem to like is the classic “motivation by incentive.”
“I’m motivated by setting certain rewards for when I finish my work,” junior Nicholas Reifler said.
Organization is the aspect of student life that many consider the hardest. Should I do this worksheet first or that worksheet? Oh shoot, I should probably do some studying tonight. Wait, when’s the test again? Such questions, musings and plans are the prime culprits for impeding a student’s ability to be organized. Couple that with the beginning of the first semester, when one is still trying to fully understand the class, and you find that many of the students at the year’s start are like small children thrown into the deep end of a pool. The trick, as many have learned or will learn, is to start kicking early.
“You have to realize that you now have responsibilities and they actually matter,” said sophomore Tyler Covington.
After learning to stay afloat in the proverbial pool, there is one more step to truly preparing for the new school year: setting goals. Rewards, improvements and even a task on a bucket list are things to look forward to–things to enhance enjoyment and productiveness during the year. But many students already know these things, so why else should goals be made? Simply put, goal-setting encompasses all of the essential abilities that a student should have in his or her repertoire. Goals challenge students and motivate them, enable them to devise techniques for success, help them learn more about teachers and peers and are essential to staying organized.
“This year my goals are to do well in school, do my best to fight senioritis, win a state championship in basketball and go down in history as the greatest rapper to ever attend Trinity Prep,” French said.
The aforementioned tips and tricks aren’t just for the sake of getting a good grade. In recognizing the importance of something like organization or motivation, a student matures, becomes knowledgeable and becomes more capable. There is no limit to what each and every student on campus can do; if a student wanted to be an artist, a scientist or maybe even a rapper, gathering a range of abilities and putting certain items of importance into focus can help that student achieve their dream.
Instead of a “grin and bear it” approach to the new school year, let’s do something new: “grin and embrace it.”