Focus on your schoolwork but do extracurricular activities too.
Introduction
It is the time of the year when students return to school and new ones start school. I encourage everyone not to take school for granted but to find a way to maintain a balance. Some people focus on academics and do not have any interest in extracurricular activities. I remembered many years a group of wanted to start Junior Achievement and when we went to the school, some of the students were not interested because they were busy preparing for external exams.
Based on my personal experience, I think it is important to have a balanced life in school. You should spend all your time studying and not doing anything else. That is not how life should be, otherwise you may end up leaving school only knowing what you study in those areas but not knowing anything else. This is why I loved the liberals’ arts schools in the USA whereby all students must do other subjects (including extracurricular activities) other than their major.
Take a break.
You do not have to spend all your time studying. Studying is very important because you need to understand the subjects and so when an exam takes place, you do not have to be up all night the night before. However, you should take a break and enjoy your break. Do not study during your lunch or snack breaks. Do not study for hours at home and do not take a break. Taking a break is necessary in everything you do, otherwise you will get burned out. Employees in the workplace take a break and you should do the same in school.
I rushed through college in three years. I took as many credit hours as possible in a semester and I took classes during summer. If I had to do it over again, I would have taken a break and completed my first degree in 4 years.
Do extracurricular and technical activities.
School life is not just about academics. A school life that focuses solely on academics is not healthy and it can also cause stress on other students who are not academic driven because not everyone is academically inclined.
I encouraged all schools to have extracurricular activities in the school. I avoided sports in High School, and I regret that so much. In addition to the extracurricular activities, should acquire as much technical knowledge as possible so in the event they do not pursue tertiary education, they will be equipped to work in the workforce.
I know during exam weeks a lot of parents keep their children away from sports so they can study. I think playing sports can help students to perform better because they will have some time to refresh.
Do not focus on position.
When I was growing up, there was a lot of pressure to come first in a subject, so we spent hours burning the midnight oil. I know some schools have discontinued putting position on the report card and I think all schools should do that.
I think our focus should be on passing the subject. Some students may get As, some may get Bs, and some may get Cs. It is ok if you do not come first. The important thing is that you passed. Now if you don’t pass, then you must keep trying. There is so much information on google and you can use that information to help you pass the exam.
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Conclusion
School life is very crucial for the development of anyone. Study as much as you. Work hard. Listen to your teacher. However, find a balance in your school life and if you do, I think you will enjoy going to school.
Parents do not rush their kids through school and do not pressure them to focus on academics only. I observed too many people who did so well in High School or college, but they know very little about other perspectives in life.