Organization: Tips for Teens from a Teen
Between sports, friends, and homework a teen’s life can be pretty chaotic. In most cases, it’s because of disorganization!
Let’s face it, even though we may be afraid to admit it, when it comes organization, WE NEED HELP!
Here are a few ways that I’ve used to deal with my organization issues:
1. Create a planner. I created a planner that told me to do my homework and study as soon as I got home so that I would be able to free up the rest of my evening for friends or so that I could have time to relax.
2. Get help. If you have a test or examination coming up on something that you just don’t understand invite a friend over to help you.
3. Reward system. When your life becomes less hectic and more organized, your grades get better, so this is a good time to talk to your parents about more freedoms.
4. Improve your learning skills. If you master learning skills (how to study, how to do homework, taking notes, etc.) it becomes easier to study. Plus, you become more organized in how you go about schoolwork.
I hope these tips help you as much as they have helped me over the years!
About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. Whenever my friends call or text me to go for a walk or to meet up at the school my only response is “Nope. Movie or bust!” Needless to say I usually get my way! But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I know, right? How often do you come across a teenage guy who uses the word beautiful when not talking about that hottie across the hall? But there’s more weirdness than that! I also like to bake and listen to old music. OMG! You’ve just entered the Twilight Zone! Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my new posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.
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Exams & Testing: Why Do We Need it?
We’re an advanced species. We have so many useful gadgets to make our lives easier. But it seems to me that schools have not yet accepted this fact.
We still write tests and exams even though we have all the information that we’ll ever need right at our fingertips. With a single push of a button on our phones or iPods, we can figure out the first 20 digits of Pi, what to do if you’re trapped under a building in Haiti, and what happened in 1812. So why do we take tests and exams? Is it to make us take school seriously or is it just to show our commitment to our promising future careers?
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What Comes Next?
What comes next? That’s the million-dollar question
Many teens ask themselves this question everyday.
We study hard in hopes that we’ll get a promising and well-paying job that we’ll enjoy.
But will we? What will really happen when we get out of school?
Even if we get straight As does that promise us a well-paying and enjoyable career? I think that it should.
But the reality is even if you get a PhD, you aren’t guaranteed success, or even happiness. You get a piece a piece of paper saying that you have successfully glided through high school and university.
However, my opinion is that even if you have a PhD or a Masters degree and still don’t know where to go, that piece of paper might become something you will look back on later in your life as one of the biggest things that you’ve ever accomplished.
So, even if you are a well-educated person stuck in a rough place, that doesn’t mean that you have accomplished nothing in your life.
You have accomplished something that most people only dream of.
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Independence
Hey, Mom and Dad! Let me figure it out for myself.
Parents can sometimes be controlling of their children’s life. Kids need to learn independence to succeed.
I know that it may be hard to let go and allow your children to see the world for what it truly is on their own, without your guidance and support.
But it is so much better for us to if we learn, on our own, how to apply what you have taught us to the real world. If you don’t let us become independent, we won’t learn to apply these skills and we’ll be unable to think for ourselves.
Where would we be then?
Every time that we have a problem, or are stuck in a tricky situation, we will be coming to you for help and let’s face it—kids deal with a lot of problems.
The more that I can find a solution for my own problems, the more successful that I will be.
About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. Whenever my friends call or text me to go for a walk or to meet up at the school my only response is “Nope. Movie or bust!” Needless to say I usually get my way! But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I know, right? How often do you come across a teenage guy who uses the word beautiful when not talking about that hottie across the hall? But there’s more weirdness than that! I also like to bake and listen to old music. OMG! You’ve just entered the Twilight Zone! Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my new posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.
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Bad Report Card? Don’t Yell At Me.
Report cards aren’t always easy. You probably wouldn’t be reading this if they were. I probably wouldn’t be writing this if they were!
The one thing that can make the whole report card experience worse is getting yelled at by a parent about your grades.
Speaking from experience, getting yelled at or grounded never helped me get better grades. It only makes me angry and not want to talk at all.
The only thing that has ever helped me to get better grades is getting organized.
So parents, instead of getting angry at your child for getting a bad mark on their report card, try to talk to them about their grades. Don’t get mad. Don’t yell. Be calm.
Talk to teens calmly, and hopefully they’ll open up and discuss grades with you. That’s the easiest way to make a plan.
Ask them if they learned anything new or difficult today. If they did, offer to help them out a bit. Work together.
So, next time your child gets an okay mark on their report card, remember to come back to this page for help. And, be sure to tell me about your family’s report card experiences!
About me: Hi! My name is Dylan and I am 15 years old. I have recently been asked to write a few guest posts on the topic Teens: Why Do We Do What We Do?
About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I also like to bake and listen to old music. I hope that you enjoy my posts! Remember to leave feedback! ~Dylan.
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I Want to Study, But I Can’t Concentrate!
I find school, for the most part, easy. However, the one thing that I, and many others, struggle with is staying focused when studying.
For me, it’s all the distractions. There are iPods, TV, games consoles, magazines, and even siblings can be a distraction! But, the main distraction is myself. I find it very hard to block out everything else and focus on studying.
I don’t know why, but having to focus leaves me no choice but to find myself a distraction!
I have tried many different approaches, techniques, and tips to help me sit and concentrate. The few that work for me are:
- Find a quiet workspace away form other distractions and make it into your study space.
- Pace. I create a plan to study for 20 minutes, and then take a 5-minute break.
- Simplify notes to few words. Then, on the test, it’s easy to expand on concepts.
- Don’t keep re-reading the same notes. If they don’t make sense, I find other sources on the same topic to study from.
I have followed these since I was in grade 8 and it has always been easy for me to study ever since! Do you find it hard not to become distracted?
Why is it so hard to concentrate?
About me: Hi! My name is Dylan and I am 15 years old. I have recently been asked to write a few guest posts on the topic Teens: Why Do We Do What We Do?
About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I also like to bake and listen to old music. I hope that you enjoy my posts! Remember to leave feedback! ~Dylan.
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School is Boring.
Teens. Why Do We Do What We Do?
School is Boring. (What? Were you expecting it to be interesting all the time?)
We go to school to learn. But, in my opinion, the way that we are taught isn’t all that great.
My two favourite classes are science and English. Why? They’re both hands-on classes.
In my English class, we didn’t just read Shakespeare: we sat in a circle and read the lines to each other. This was not only a fun experience, but also one that I still remember, and one that helped me come exam time.
In Science, we did lab assignments that kept us busy throughout the whole class. I find that I learn better this way. Think about it: if you had to figure out the boiling point of water, would you rather figure it out with a Bunsen Burner and a beaker, or with a piece of paper and a pen?
I’m not saying that schools use bad teaching techniques—I’m still learning, aren’t I? What I’m saying is that I (and other students who are hands-on learners like me) would most likely learn better if I had more hands-on work.
Teachers will recite lesson after lesson, hoping that we just absorb all the information. The fact is, students won’t. If I sit in class, politely taking notes and doing my assigned work, I’ll discover that later that I should have asked questions, and because I didn’t, I don’t fully understand what is expected of me.
Why are we afraid to ask questions? Why can’t we just be taught in the way that we will all understand, or in a way that makes all school subjects interesting?
About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. Whenever my friends call or text me to go for a walk or to meet up at the school my only response is “Nope. Movie or bust!” Needless to say I usually get my way! But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I know, right? How often do you come across a teenage guy who uses the word beautiful when not talking about that hottie across the hall? But there’s more weirdness than that! I also like to bake and listen to old music. OMG! You’ve just entered the Twilight Zone! Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my new posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.
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Teens. Why Do We Do What We Do?
Hi. My name is Dylan and I am 15 years old. I have recently been asked to write a few guest posts about what it’s like to be a teenager in today’s world. They have also asked me to write about different topics regarding school, habits, and just life. I thought about it for a while, and the idea kind of freaked me out. I mean, putting all my thoughts online for everyone to see. It kind of gave me butterflies. But, come decision time I agreed and got the job. So, here’s to, hopefully, a long time of blogging!
Teens. Why Do We Do What We Do?
Procrastination: Avoid Homework and Studying At All Costs!
Ever notice how, at times, you might come home and crack open your homework without even being asked? Weird. But, at other times you have to be asked over and over again?
I do this. Lots of students do it.
We all do it. That’s because when we understand something, we think that it’s fun to do and we just can’t wait to get started on it!
However, when we come across something we don’t really grasp, we avoid it.
This is because we don’t like the challenge. It’s not our fault. We’re just wired that way.
But, there are some ways you can overcome this and rewire yourself!
Here’s how:
- Set a goal to change a habit (like leaving homework to the last minute)
- Write it down
- Talk to your friends about why you don’t like a subject
- Ask for tips—friends might offer some ideas on what they do that may work for you too
- Talk to parents or teachers
- Use your agenda to track how you’re doing
Once you have rewired your system, work that was once hard will become work that you pull out at the end of the day without being asked and just do! No questions asked.
But, that’s not the best part. Once your parents acknowledge this dramatic change, you will have more freedoms: stay up later, more social time, who knows? All you have to do is learn. Simple, right?
Parents want you to do your homework. Teachers want you to do your homework. So why not just DO your homework? You’re the one who will reap all of the rewards (both in school and at home!)
How do you feel about homework? What subjects do you find the hardest to just sit down and do? I’d love to hear about it!
About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. Whenever my friends call or text me to go for a walk or to meet up at the school my only response is “Nope. Movie or bust!” Needless to say I usually get my way! But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I know, right? How often do you come across a teenage guy who uses the word beautiful when not talking about that hottie across the hall? But there’s more weirdness than that! I also like to bake and listen to old music. OMG! You’ve just entered the Twilight Zone! Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my new posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.
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