Dear Poppy,

Right now, school is going good and all, but I think it’s going to get stressful very soon. Any tips that you can give me?

— Stressed with School

Dear Stressed with School,

The biggest thing I would say for dealing with stress is to stay organized! I used to be the worst with organizing my backpack or binder, but then I realized I was losing things, leaving things at home, and forgetting to do crucial worksheets for homework. All these things were killing my grades, which I couldn’t afford anymore. Organization is important! Separate all your classes, and have a folder for each, or a divider in your binder specific to every class. Carry and have a binder to hold your schoolwork, or get little pouches to hold your supplies. Don’t let yourself fall into that closer-to-the-end-of-the-year thing and start throwing everything into your bag: it won’t help you. 

Also, carve out time to study or at least look over your classes. Since we work on an alternating A-day, B-day schedule, you should only need to look over four classes every day, so don’t be afraid to do more, especially for harder subjects. I use a planner and write everything down. Instead of reading the entire chapter in the textbook the night before the test, you can also cut the chapter into short page amounts, like “189-196,” write it down in your planner so you know what you have to read every day, and just knock it out of the way that way. It will keep the subject refreshed in your mind, and keep you from being overwhelmed. This also gives you more leeway with your assignments; if you’re having an awful day you can choose to not read and just read both days of text tomorrow, instead of having to cram to get it all done at once. Scheduling can be a beautiful thing because then you’re setting a goal for yourself. Setting goals and writing everything down can help you remember and make it more of a priority. You can get a planner everywhere, even at Walmart or the Dollar Store, so invest in one! It’s also a good way to keep track of your school and work schedule. 

The biggest thing is don’t stress and don’t put off work. Do everything as it comes to you, and you shouldn’t have a problem. Yes, some days may have more work than others, but if you just get it done, then you have nothing to worry about. As long as you keep your things straight and plan accordingly, you should be able to do everything just fine. I hope this helps!

Sincerely,

      Poppy <3