Ten tips for successfully tackling the second school term
It's an opportunity to learn how to manage pressure to get good grades, improve habits, and enhance results.
BarcelonaThe Baccalaureate is one of the options for accessing university, two years in which students often feel pressured to achieve the necessary grade to study their desired degree. The access grade is determined by the average of the Baccalaureate grade, which represents 60%, and the university entrance exam grade, the remaining 40%.
To best prepare for high school and university entrance exams, Alberto Barroso, a teacher and tutor in the technology track, suggests not focusing solely on the final goal or the cut-off scores, as this generates a lot of anxiety: "You have to take them into account, but you shouldn't become obsessed," he advises. He also advises, "Don't worry by assuming that the second year of high school will be even worse than the first, because despite finishing the year early to prepare for the entrance exams, and it being quite hectic, if you had a good first year and have good study habits, the second year will be just as good or even better."
Barroso acknowledges that the first year of high school is a particularly difficult one: "It's a transition that catches many students off guard, and they think they can just live off their past successes like they did in middle school." She explains that some high school students always experience both years with tension and anxiety, especially those who aspire to a university degree with high entry grades. This is how Carlota (17) feels, as she's resigned to not getting the grade required to study the double degree in journalism and international relations. She tries not to dwell on it too much and focuses on passing her second year. "When the time comes to choose, I'll look at my grades and, among the options I can get into, I'll do what I like best," she explains. She admits that the first term of her first year caught her by surprise, and after the setback she experienced, she realized she needed to study more and be better organized. Besides studying, she was always clear that she didn't want to give up having time for other things like skating: "For me, having time to rest has been essential to be able to cope with high school." She is satisfied with how her second year is going; she is studying much more and is less nervous during exams.
Barroso explains that some young people initially abandon extracurricular activities, but a few months later realize they felt better when they had time to play sports or do activities they enjoyed. "Those who participate in many activities might consider giving up some disciplines, but having a social life enriches them; it shouldn't all be about studying," the teacher clarifies.
1. Self-knowledge. Dedicate time to identifying your talents and strengths, what makes you happy, what you want to study and why.
2. Goals. Be clear about where you want to go, what you need to get there, and do everything possible to achieve it. If you're not sure, don't worry. Move forward; if necessary, you'll change.
3. Time management. Organization and planning are essential. Use a planner or whatever method suits you best.
4. Trust. Trust yourself. Both family and teachers should support you and act as an empowering mirror, helping you to trust in your ability and potential.
5. Ask for help. Figure out what you need and ask for the support you need, whether it's for academic subjects, managing emotions, or stress.
6. Celebrate your achievements. Set yourself small challenges and celebrate them, even if they are micro-successes; they provide important intrinsic motivation to keep moving forward.
7. You are not your results. Knowing that your worth is not determined by your grades is essential. It is important that both family and teachers remember this and help you value yourself regardless of academic performance.
8. Patience. Understand that results are not immediate. Some people find it harder or need more time to achieve their goals; there's no need to get discouraged, just keep working with optimism and perseverance.
9. Goals for the day. At the beginning of the day, reflect on how you want your day to be, how you want to make the most of it, not only academically, but also how you want to be and how you want to feel.
10. Long-term perspective. There is more than one path to achieving goals, and life is not linear. You can make unplanned decisions that turn out well.
Managing the day-to-day
When academic results are not good enough, Claudia Molina, a psychopedagogue, special education teacher, and educational counselor, recommends that families not penalize the activities their children enjoy: "During adolescence, agreements are key to good functioning, and also for them to take responsibility for what they have committed to doing," says a teacher at San Juan de Dios and a member of the Technical Committee of SOM360To guarantee mental health, it is essential to find a balance between the rights and responsibilities of adolescents. "For the brain to function properly and not shut down, it needs rest, at least eight hours, and a healthy diet," insists the educational psychologist.
Families have a responsibility to support their children by reinforcing the idea that perseverance and hard work always pay off, encouraging them to keep working and managing their study time effectively. The focus should be on the work done, not just the numerical result. If the results at the beginning of the school year weren't good enough, now that the second term is starting is a good time to point out that too much time was spent on leisure activities at the expense of studying, which led to a drop in performance. "We remind them that more hours don't equal better performance. It's better to focus and have a productive study session than to spend many hours getting distracted," says Molina.
The expert offers simple ideas for families to support their children if they are worried about something like returning to school, achieving academic goals, or other issues. First, it is essential not to judge or question what the child or teenager is experiencing. They need to feel they are in a safe space where they can express themselves freely and where their suffering is neither minimized nor dismissed. But it is also important not to overreact to the situation, because giving it excessive importance can increase anxiety and be counterproductive. In this balancing act, it is necessary to consider whether seeking professional support is needed. A clear message of "I'm here, and we'll work this out together," without judgment or dramatization, is very helpful. Sometimes there are common phrases that, despite good intentions, may not help in moments of intense distress: "When the distress is very high and physical symptoms appear, it is best to avoid phrases like 'I know what you're going through' or 'I've been there too.' At that moment, they may feel even more misunderstood," she concludes.
Striving for excellence
Carme Bartomeu, a secondary school math teacher and founder of Educalm, a program that offers emotional well-being training for high school and vocational training students, believes January is an opportunity to review the past year, reflect on successes and failures, experience them as learning experiences, and prepare for 2020. She recommends striving for excellence rather than demanding too much, giving your best in every situation, but without crossing the line into suffering, and maintaining a positive level of engagement. She encourages students to trust themselves, adopt a long-term perspective, recognizing the diverse range of possibilities, the ever-changing context, and the fact that they can always design and modify their educational path as the protagonists of their own lives.
Andrea (18), a first-year medical student at the UAB, would have benefited from being more aware that high school isn't the only path to university. In fact, her classmates in medicine come from other degree programs and vocational training backgrounds. "If I could give Andrea, a first-year high school student, one piece of advice, I'd tell her to prioritize herself and have more confidence in herself, without letting stress consume her," she says. However, she believes she was well-organized, studied with enough time to spare, and tried to find a balance between studying, resting, and having fun. "Seeing my grandmother helped me disconnect. I'd always gone to visit her. During high school, getting away from the environment and conversations where everything revolved around studying made me feel good," she recalls. It also helped her to put things into perspective, that the world wouldn't end if an exam didn't go as well as she'd hoped; to appreciate the opportunity she had to study and learn; to focus on what she was doing, only studying when she was actually studying; and to try not to let stress interfere when she was resting or enjoying herself. "Otherwise, you don't enjoy what you do," he says.
The timing is what distinguishes a restless or stressed person from someone experiencing possible anxiety symptoms. Claudia Molina explains that it's crucial to identify certain changes in children's and adolescents' daily lives: sleep or eating disturbances, reluctance to go to school, lack of interest in socializing with friends, or abandoning activities they previously enjoyed: "When these symptoms become more frequent and persistent, they are warning signs. At this point, anxiety or panic attacks may occur." These attacks can manifest as freezing up, uncontrollable crying, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath, among other symptoms.
