pkasoh 。

Get enough sleep. Your brain needs it. Set yourself a ‘bed time’ and fall into the routine of going to bed and waking up at the same times each day.

Drink water and lots of it. Aim for 2 litres a day. This one’s easy, you can do it. Ditch the juices and carbonated beverages, just add a slice of lemon to your water if you feel like something fancy.

Allow yourself to switch off. Don’t be afraid to read books that have nothing to do with your studies. Go to the cinema. Work out. Take your mind away from your workload.

Take care of your skin. Wash your face every morning and night. Moisturise after every shower and bath. Don’t go to bed with your make-up on, no matter how tired you are.

Talk to your friends and family about something other than school. Don’t let your studies detach you from the things going on around you.

Work out. Even just once a week, or whenever you can. Go for a walk or a run, maybe just for 15 minutes. Follow along with a YouTube exercise video from the comfort of your own home or try out some yoga moves.

Make time for your hobbies. Studying is your full time job, but there’s plenty of hours left in the day. Don’t neglect the things you love.

Cook. Sometimes all we have time for is microwave noodles, but don’t fall into the habit of relying on the basics. You’ll feel the difference.

Don’t forget to laugh. Watch a hilarious film. See a comedian at a local venue. Watch funny videos on YouTube. Reminisce with friends. It’ll do you good.

Ditch the caffeine. Don’t rely on Starbucks. It’s delicious but you don’t need it. Save up all the money you’d usually spend on coffee and treat yourself to something instead.

1. there is no shame in asking for help (academic, emotional, or mental) 

2. there is no shame in going to tutoring 

3. there is no shame in getting Bs, Cs, Ds, or Fs 

4. there is no shame in not knowing what you want to study 

5. there is no shame in having a job 

6. there is no shame in struggling in a so-called “easy course” 

7. there is no shame in withdrawing from a course you don’t feel comfortable in 

8. there is no shame in changing your major 

9. there is no shame in not taking a full load of classes in a semester 

me: *gets a bad grade*

me: I worked so hard, and hard work betrayed me. Everything I did, everything I sacrificed, did not amount to anything. I’m nothing. Why should I even try. I’ll always be a failure. Studying is worthless. I’m dropping out-

me: *gets an A+*

congrats ! past papers are your new best friend. don’t forget the mark schemes.

repetition repetition repetition

start big and condense down. notes to mind maps to flashcards.

don’t spend a full day studying. please. you will hurt your brain.

teach someone! if there’s nobody to listen to you teach, teach your teddy bears god dammit

plan what you’re gonna do with your time. even just roughly. 

organise your shit, bruh. you don’t need fancy planners and wall posters, just know what you need to study and know what homework is due

flash cards are great but only if you keep reviewing them

mind maps are great for linking concepts !!!

make sure you’re looking after yourself bc you’ll never work well otherwise

on that note, here’s a bunch of foods that boost your brain power

extra reading !! books and articles and videos on your subject can massively help you in exams okay

practise recall, not recognition

just put your phone away. or turn it off. whatever works.

colour coding is great, so long as you don’t go overboard

don’t ! listen ! to! music ! with ! lyrics !!!!!!!!

I’m your kid’s teacher, and I would take a bullet for your child. But I wish you wouldn’t ask me to.

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We had an intruder drill today.

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I have shepherded children through a lot of intruder drills. I have also, on one memorable occasion, shepherded children through a non-drill. When I was a children’s librarian in a rough suburb, armed men got into a fight in the alley behind our building. We ushered all of the kids - most of whom were unattended - into the basement while we waited for the police.

During intruder drills, some children - from five-year-olds all the way to high school kids - get visibly upset. At one school, the intruder drill included administrators running down the hallways, screaming and banging on lockers to simulate the “real thing.” Kids cry. Kindergartners wet themselves. Teenagers laugh, nudging each other, even as the blood drains from their faces.

Other children handle intruder drills matter-of-factly. “Would the guy be able to shoot us through the door?” they ask, the same way they’d ask a question about their math homework. In some ways, this is worse than the kids who cry. To be so young and so accustomed to fear that these drills seem routine.

And then there are the teachers. There is no way, huddling in a corner with your students, ducking out of view of the windows and doors, to avoid thinking about what happens when it’s not a drill.

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People really hate teachers. I don’t take it personally. It actually makes a lot of sense: what other group of professionals do we know so well? How many doctors have you had? How many plumbers? How many secretaries?

Over the course of my public school education, I had at least fifty teachers for at least a year each. So of course some of them were bad. You take fifty people from any profession, and a couple of them are going to be terrible at their job.

So I had a couple of teachers who were terrible, and a few teachers who were amazing, inspirational figures - the kinds of teachers they make movies about.

And then I had a lot of teachers who did a good job. They came to school every day and worked hard. They’d planned our lessons and they graded our papers. I learned what I was supposed to, more or less, even if it wasn’t the most incredible learning experience of my life.

Most teachers fall into that category. I’m sure I do.

Looking at it from the other side, though, I see something that I didn’t know when I was a kid.

Those workhorse teachers who tried, who failed sometimes and sometimes succeeded, who showed up every day and did their jobs: those teachers loved us.

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Of course you can never know what you’ll do in the event. That’s what they always say. In the event of an intruder, a fire, a tornado.

You can never know until you know.

But part of what’s so terrifying, so upsetting about an intruder drill as a teacher, is that on some level you do know. You don’t aspire to martyrdom; you’ve never wanted to be a hero. You go home every night to a family that loves you, and you intend to spend the next fifty years with them. You will do everything in your power to hide yourself in that office along with your kids.

But if you can’t.

If you can’t.

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When people tell me about why they oppose gun control, I can’t hear it anymore.

I’m from a part of the country where everybody has guns. I used to be really moderate about this stuff, and I am not anymore.

I can’t be.

Every day, I go to work in a building that contains hundreds of children. Every single one of those kids, including every kid that makes me crazy, is a joy and a blessing. They make their parents’ lives meaningful. They make my life meaningful. They are the reason I go to work in the morning, and the reason I worry and plan when I come home.

Parents usually know a handful of kids who are the most wonderful creatures on the planet. I know a couple thousand. It is an incredible privilege, and it is also terrifying. The world is big and scary, and I love so many small people who must go out into it.

So when adults tell me, “I have the right to own a gun”, all I can hear is: “My right to own a gun outweighs your students’ right to be alive.” All I can hear is: “My right to own a gun is more important than kindergarteners feeling safe at school.” All I can hear is: “Mine. Mine. Mine.”

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When you are sitting there hiding in the corner of your classroom, you know.

The alternative would be unthinkable.

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We live in a country where children are acceptable casualties. Every time someone tells me about the second amendment I want to give them a history lesson. I also want to ask them: in what universe is your right to walk into a Wal-Mart to buy a gun more important than the lives of hundreds of children shot dead in their schools?

Parents send their kids to school every day with this shadow. Teachers live with the shadow. We work alongside it. We plan for it. In the event.

In the event, parents know that their children’s teachers will do everything in their power to keep them safe. We plan for it.

And when those plans don’t work, teachers die protecting their students.

We love your children. That’s why we’re here. Some of us love the subject we teach, too, and that’s important, but all of us love your kids.

The alternative would be unthinkable.

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When you are waiting, waiting, waiting for the voice to come on over the PA, telling you that the drill is over, you look at the apprehensive faces around you. You didn’t grow up like this. You never once hid with your teacher in a corner, wondering if a gunman was just around the corner. It is astonishing to you that anyone tolerates this.

And the kids are nervous, but they are all looking to you. You’re their teacher.

They know what you didn’t know, back when you were a kid, back before Columbine. They know that you love them. They know you will keep them safe.

You’re their teacher.

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If you are a parent who thinks it’s totally reasonable for civilians to have a house full of deadly weapons, and who accepts the blood of innocent people in exchange for that right, it doesn’t change anything for me. I will love your kid. I will treat you, and your child, the same way I treat everyone else: with all of the respect and the care that is in me.

In the event, I will do everything in my power to keep your child safe.

Step 1: be present, be mindful.

Understand what you want, what is worth the fight.

And what I mean by that is finding your true motive (whether it is passion for what you’re learning or passing a class), because often we strive towards this perception of success that doesn’t feel like success. It feels like you are constantly under a spotlight and constantly having to prove yourself to others.

High grades make you feel good but that’s nothing compared to being happy with yourself and with what you’re doing. So make that distinguishment.

Step 2: be very practical and realistic.

What do you have to do and in how much time? Divide tasks by the period of time, without letting stress blur out that mindfulness, through method and simplicity.

Step 3: Be disciplined the following days until the exam without getting too strict with yourself.

“What is soft is strong.” (Lao Tzu)

Strive to create softness and ease throughout the days, get your tasks done but find time for play, rest, presence of mind.

Avoid overworking by starting early or as soon as you can and by working smartly and doing the most important things first, even if you’ve been dreading them.

Bonus Step:

Five to ten minutes per day on a difficult task is always better than zero minutes per day. You don’t have to finish, you just have to start. 

Pretend that school is a real job. For instance, pretend that lectures/discussions are your meetings with colleagues and that your homework is work you are being paid to do. 

Always prioritize your health, your family, and your grades over extracurriculars. You only have one body, one family, and one chance to earn your GPA. You will have the rest of your life to add experiences to your resume. 

Spend at least 1-2 hours per day doing absolutely nothing “productive”. This will increase your productivity overall. Trust me. Your brain needs time to feel like mush. 

Watch Netflix/Youtube while you work out. It will make your work out more pleasant and it will free up more of your chill time for other things like self care, extra sleep, reading, etc. 

Go through all of your social media accounts and unfollow anyone who you do not genuinely enjoy receiving updates from. It will reduce the time you spend scrolling and it will make your social media experience better. 

Be honest with yourself when you feel like you are overextending yourself. You may feel bad about letting go of some commitments, but if you know you need to reduce your workload, others will understand. 

Take 5-10 minute walks during your study breaks. It refreshes your mind, reenergizes your body, and prevents the negative effects of sitting for too long. You can even walk with your study partner to make it more fun. 

During periods of time when your schedule is especially busy or when you are experiencing depression, use habit trackers for simple tasks like eating breakfast, flossing, making your bed, etc. It’s easy to let go of basic daily habits during periods of heightened stress so tracking them can help you take care of yourself.