So if you have any spare time on your hands, I would suggest doing some kind of extra curricular, that way you are actually doing something with your afternoons and it looks great on a college application.  While some of you have a good four to six years before you have to start really thinking about college, it is always good to be proactive.  But make sure that whatever you do is something you enjoy — don’t just join because it looks good on your college application, do it because you want to.  I joined drama because I had always wanted to and I finally had that day open.

Whether you join drama, art club, chorus, some kind of sport, or whatever else, you have to commit one hundred percent to it.  It isn’t fair to the instructor and the other kids if you quit right before the big play or performance.  Say you got the female lead in drama, and right before the play your friend scores tickets to a concert and asks you to go with her; you have to say no.  No matter how much you want to go.  It isn’t right because then the instructor has to find another person to play your part, and I know how long it takes to learn lines (it takes months).  So your bailing would set the whole play back and it would just be a disaster.  And this can apply to anything, it doesn’t matter how minor your part or job is, it just isn’t fair and it isn’t right.  But enough of this lecturing,  I know you guys wouldn’t quit anyways because you want to be there!

If you liked the Tween Advice column, you would probably enjoy the Teen’s Perspective column.  Make sure to check it out!

You can’t let projects get the better of you; it’s not worth the energy.  It doesn’t matter how much you just want to smash the project and start jumping on it, you can’t.  All that will do is cause more frustration.  And then you will just have to start again from square one, and do everything all over again.

When you’re at the maximum point of frustration, the best thing to do it step back, take a deep breath, and ask for help.  It doesn’t matter how much you don’t want to, you need to.  When you are frustrated you can’t always see straight.  And when you can’t see straight, you will most likely ruin your project in hopes of, what you think is, salvaging it from its depths of ruination.  Little do you know, it was already fine before and right now you are just making it worse.  And, if you ask for help, the person helping you could give you a better idea or perspective on your project, and help you succeed.  And isn’t that what everyone wants to do with their life?  Don’t you want to succeed?  I sure know I do.  So whether it’s science, math, or Spanish, remember that when that huge cloud of frustration blocks your view, you probably need someone to help you find your way.

• Studying really depends on the individual.  I would never tell anyone they have to study before a test, because I almost never study for anything.  The only tests I have studied for since I entered high school are English and Spanish tests.  So, instead, I will suggest that you consider your own capabilities and then decide if you need to study or not.  No matter who you are, don’t embark on last minute cram sessions.  Although I’m not going to be the biggest advocate for studying for weeks prior to the test, last minute cramming is equally as dumb.  Your brain will need time to soak in the knowledge.
• Try to get a good night’s sleep the night before.  I am stressing the word try, because I know it can be hard to get one as a busy high school student.  The night before my first day of finals, I got home at 10:30 from a wrestling meet.  I didn’t fall asleep until midnight on that night.  At the same time, if you don’t have important things to do, don’t stay up late for no reason.
• Eat breakfast.  First of all, note that I said eat breakfast, not eat a good breakfast.  I personally don’t eat anything special on final days, I just eat whatever I usually eat.  I always eat breakfast, but for those who don’t always, you should.  It will help keep you focused and energized.  If you don’t eat breakfast, you will be distracted by hunger.  Also, be careful with energy drinks.  Make sure whatever you drink won’t result in you crashing in the middle of the test.
• Chew gum before or during the test.  I personally chew a lot of gum, especially during test.  Well, it seems to have paid off.  According to WebMD, researchers have found that gum can help test scores:  “In the study, researchers compared the effects of chewing gum before or during various testing situations in a group of about 80 undergraduate students.  The results showed students who chewed gum for five minutes before a test performed better than those who didn’t. But the benefits of chewing gum were short-lived, lasting only about 15 to 20 minutes into the test.”

Whenever you (or your child) are preparing for finals, feel free to keep these tips in mind.  Just don’t do a last minute cram session on these tips…

In order to succeed in school, a student needs to be able to communicate effectively. I have had a number of students who could express themselves verbally – they were dynamic and confident; however, when it came to reading assignments for class or to writing an actual essay, these same students floundered. They simply had low levels of reading comprehension and poor writing skills.

To stop this from happening to your child, you need to continue to support him or her with developing reading and writing skills. Even if you do not consider yourself a writer, you can still encourage your son or daughter to take English composition seriously.

First, as they grow, continue to give books to your child as gifts. Even if your daughter only loves baseball, supply her with a biography about the baseball players she loves. Or if your son prefers guitars to “the classics,” make an effort to locate a book on music that may appeal to him. The key is to prompt your child to read as much as he or she can. Yes, reading the classics would be wonderful, but even a subscription to Sports Illustrated (if read regularly), will assist with developing reading skills.

Next, make sure your child knows that effective writing has value in our society. For instance, knowing how to write an excellent cover letter can lead to a job interview – which can lead to a job. Discuss with your child how you use different types of writing yourself – from personal uses such a letters to the newspaper editor, to job-related duties, such as year-end reports.

Another way to keep writing fun for teens is to give them opportunities to enter writing contests. There are essay contests, poetry contests, and even fiction writing contests offered all the time. Many local community groups sponsor essay contests that offer cash prizes. If you see one of these opportunities advertised, challenge your child to enter.

You can also take your child to poetry and fiction readings. Libraries and coffee shops offer these events across the country, usually free of charge. The last reading I took my children to was given by the Poet Laureate of the United States at the time, Billy Collins. Needless to say, my kids enjoyed his poems immensely, and we even talked to him a bit.

A final step you can take to make sure your child can read and write effectively is – stay in touch with what is going on in his or her English classes at school. Read the essays that he or she writes. Ask about what books they are reading. Be involved in order to keep your child’s skills growing!

• Do thy homework.  I know homework sucks.  I hate doing homework myself.  The fact of the matter is that even though it sucks, you still have to do it.  There are loads of people who do not like doing regular tasks like cleaning.  That is no reason to live in a filthy house.  Depending on the class you are taking, homework may be an important part of your grade.
• Find out what the rules are.  I have several classes where my homework counts for zero percent of my grade.  In other words, you do not have to do it.  That doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter though .  Often, teachers will have open note tests with the exact questions from the homework  — to see who did the homework.  Also, at my school, in order to get a retake for a test, you must have done all homework for the section or chapter.
• Get it done when and how you want to.  I know that teachers are constantly advocating that homework should be done at home.  Well, that’s a load of bull.  If we are handed a paper before or during a lecture, I do it right there in class.  I do almost half my homework in my study hall and I even do some before school after the bus drops me off.  Also, procrastination is okay to some degree.  I don’t think many people want to come home from school and immediately begin to do homework.  Between sports and procrastination, I don’t always start until 8 p.m.  But it gets done.

It doesn’t matter when or where you do your homework, as long as it is done well and on time.  That’s the moral of the story.  Because the teachers only care about the end product, not the means used to make it.

• Take retakes whenever you can — if it will be beneficial.  My school allows as many retakes as you want at the teacher’s discretion.  So, if a get a low grade on a test that I know I could have done better on, I schedule a retake.  Sometimes a retake is not practical, though.  For example, my English teacher always makes his retakes harder than the original test so kids don’t use the main test as a glimpse at what is on it and then study for the retake.  So, if your school has an easy retake policy, use it!
• Keep up on our grades.  Some schools, such as mine, use online grade reporting software, such as Edline.  Every two weeks, the teachers are required to post your grade reports on the Edline account so parents can monitor it and students can know what to fix.  This makes it easy to do your retakes quickly and fix grades before they close.  If your school has these, take advantage of them and check whenever possible so you can be on top of the ball.
• Do stuff quickly.  Waiting three weeks after a test to do a retake will probably end badly.  Odds are, the teacher will say no because you waited too long.  Even if they say the retake is okay, you have forgotten a lot of what you learned and are not currently studying it in class, so it is not going to go well.  This is also true with homework.  If you don’t know when it is due, assume it is due next class.  That way, you won’t have a zero weighing down your grade.

Keeping your grades up can be hard, but there are many steps a teenager can take to make sure they have good, satisfying grades.

Everybody hates homework and I’m sure you’d all rather be hanging out with friends than doing homework, but sometimes homework has to come first.  If you are on your high school or middle school team I’m sure you have your sports practice right after school, so you can’t do your homework right after school — but you can do it right after you eat dinner and shower, and if you work hard on it, I’m sure you’ll still have some time to do what you want.

If you don’t do sports through your school, then you most likely don’t have them until later at night.  If so, then try to get your homework done right when you get home –  it will be so much easier.  The same if you don’t do sports, tell your friend,  “I’ll be over in an hour, I have to do my homework first.” If you do it then, you won’t be killing yourself to finish it before bed.

Also, if you do it right before bed you will be tired and you may not be thinking straight and could get quite a few answers wrong.  But, if you do your homework as soon as you can, you will be more awake, and if you can do it right after school, you will still be fresh with knowledge from just having school 15-20 minutes ago.  So next time you don’t have your homework done and Sally Sue wants you to go to the mall with her tell her, “Give me an hour so I can finish my homework”, then you can go shop your heart out.

When you do start middle school it is very different, there is more homework, you switch classes every period, and everything has to be organized.  Personally I think the hardest thing is keeping everything organized, because every teacher organizes her stuff differently.  Normally all of your papers are kept in a folder in time order and every quarter you go over it and have it graded.  The trick to folders is not waiting till the last minute to organize them — whenever you get papers back, put them in order.  Also, most teachers keep a table of contents (T.O.C)  hanging up on their wall somewhere.  Whenever you have free time compare your T.O.C to the teacher’s to make sure yours is up to date.  If you do that you should be fine.

As for switching classes after the first week or so, you should be fine.  The first week is always the hardest because you don’t know your schedule yet.  If you keep a copy of your schedule in your agenda or planner you will be less likely to get lost or confused and embarrass yourself.  And if you know that the teachers are switching up the schedule on a certain day write that down on the day because it could end up  being very confusing.  A few years my teachers switched up the schedule for some reason and my friends and I forgot, we were waiting outside of art class for 15 minutes before we remembered that the schedule had been changed.  I ran into social studies class 20 minutes late on the day of a big class, luckily we had a substitute that day and she didn’t care.  But either way it was still embarrassing.

If you remember to always be leaving yourself notes on what will be happening or when projects are due, you will be just fine at middle school.  Just remember to always be on top of things, but don’t be too spread out,  because you never know when you could break.

Back to school Checklist:
• Morning Routine – If your children aren’t ‘morning people’, you should start getting them up a little earlier now. A minor hassle every day for the next week is a lot better than a major hassle the first morning of school.
• School Supplies – When I was a student back in the late Pre-Cambrian Era school supplies consisted of a backpack, a pencil, and one 5-subject notebook. Now each child is assigned a laundry list of items, some specified by brand names. Gallon-sized Ziploc bags for boys. Quart-sized for girls. 10 pack Crayola crayons (They only come in 8, 12, or 24 packs). The time is now, if you haven’t done so already, to brave the chaos of the school supply aisle at your local Wal-Mart.
• New shoes – I don’t know why, but every kid has to start the school year with a new pair of sneakers. Don’t question it; that’s just the way it is.
• School Uniforms – If your school requires uniforms, it’s well past time to get them for the new school year. Check last year’s outfits to see if anything still fits. Make sure the belts haven’t disappeared into the ether.
• Bus Schedules – Don’t assume that nothing has changed with regard to the bus schedule. Check and double check.
• Physicals – Depending on the grade level, your child may need a physical and/or immunizations.
• Extracurricular Activities – In a world increasingly filled with all sorts of extracurricular activities that kids absolutely “must” join, sign-ups have been coming earlier and earlier every year. Give a good look-over to that mass of papers the kids bring home the first few days of school. I swear, the schools take some sick joy in hiding important paperwork in the midst of a ream of nonsense.
• This is the Internet Age – Check the school’s website the week before school starts for any updates you may have missed.

The trick to going back to school is — about two weeks before school starts  — going to bed earlier and earlier until you are at the time you would normally go to bed during the school year.  This also means you have to start slowly waking up a little bit earlier each day until you are at the time you would normally wake up at during the school year.  Try to be at those times a couple of days before school starts so on the first day of school you are completely ready.

Another tip is organizing a schedule with your siblings; who showers first, who eats first, and so on.  Once you have it all figured out,  start trying to acclimate to it.  The sooner you start doing this the sooner you will be ready for school.  I know that most children and teenagers won’t want to start their school schedule so soon but believe me, it will make their first few weeks so much easier.  Also, always add in about 10-15 minutes of lag time for your kids. During the first week or so they will have extra time, but as the school year moves on they will start moving slower and will be needing those couple of extra minutes.

As for back to school shopping, always buy an extra notebook or binder because you never know when you will be needing it.  Most school give the kids a list of thing that they will need during the school year so for that you will be fine, but clothes are a little trickier.  I always wait about a month or so before I buy my clothes for the fall/winter season, because during August and part of September most kids can still wear their summer clothes or last year’s  spring clothing.  Also, if you wait till around mid September all the fall stuff will be on sale at most stores because they will already have their winter clothes out.

Believe me, if you go by these rules you won’t have to worry about all the back-to-school hecticness.

(Note to readers: Check back later this week for a parent’s view on back-to-school.)