Initiative

5 of 10

Initiative is creativity, inventiveness, originality, ingenuity, imagination. Every time you respond in class, every time you choose your own research topic, every time you put together your own interpretation of a piece of literature, you take initiative. And future employers value can-do professionals who come up with new ideas and chart their own courses through projects, employees who are self-reliant. Self-reliant people are self-starters who don’t procrastinate on getting the job done. They know what is required to do and do it. They don’t wait to be told many times. Succeeding in high school, college, and in the career world is taking the initiative.

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5 Tips for Staying Motivated

Tips 3-5

3. Set Attainable Goals

If you’re having trouble writing a 35-page paper for class because it seems like such a big job, don’t focus on that final number. Break the paper down and consider each section of your paper individually. You can handle any project in small chunks.

4. Find a Social Support Network
Create a group of people around you who want to help you succeed. Mentors can be teachers or family friends who can give you guidance and help you develop new skills. Counselors can help you with planning your courses and starting to explore colleges. You can also each out to friends and peers who can motivate you by listening and sharing ideas.

5. Acknowledge Your Accomplishments

Give yourself a quick reward when you complete an assignment or task. Take a walk, send an email, get a snack. Then move on to the next project.

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Balancing High School and Part-Time Work

Part 5

Additional Tips

Although working and going to school is challenging, it can be a rewarding experience if you use some foresight. These tips can help you handle the situation and make the most of your time:

·         Discuss your plans with your family. Balancing the demands of school and work is easier with their support.

·         Start slowly; don’t commit to working a lot of hours immediately.

·         Avoid time conflicts by planning your class and work schedules as far ahead of time as possible.

·         Use your time efficiently. You can use 10 minutes waiting in a line to go over a few pages of assigned reading. If your job has a lot of downtime and your boss has no objection, you can use slow periods to do schoolwork.

·         If you commute to your job on public transportation, bring your schoolwork with you so you can work along the way.

·         Be flexible and willing to make sacrifices. You may have to cut down on some other things you’d like to do because of your school and work commitments.

·         If you have too much on your plate, admit it. Then cut back as needed.

·         Schedule relaxation time. Everyone needs some downtime to stay happy and healthy.

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Selecting Your Courses

Part 5

The Arts

Research indicates that students who participate in the arts often do better in school and on standardized tests. The arts help you recognize patterns, discern differences and similarities, and exercise your mind in unique ways, often outside a traditional classroom setting.

Many colleges require or recommend one or two semesters in the arts. Good choices include the studio art, dance, music and drama. Many students have talents and extraordinary abilities in the arts. Students should look within their own repertoire of talents and identify their artistic abilities and take college classes to develop their talents.

 

Advanced Placement Program (AP)

To be sure you are ready to take on college-level work, enroll in the most challenging courses you can in high school, such as honors or AP courses. Research consistently shows that students who score a 3.0 or higher on an AP exam typically experience greater academic success and college graduation rates than students who don’t take AP.

Work hard in your righteous pursuits, and you will reap the benefits of self-fulfillment and job satisfaction. Don’t take shortcuts just to “get by,” instead, take challenging and difficult roads (courses) and reach higher mountain peaks of achievement.

 

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10 Time Management Tips for Students

Tips 5-10

Tip 5. Review Your Notes Every Day.

Reviewing helps you reinforce what you’ve learned, so you need less time to study before a test. You’ll also be ready if you get called on in class or have to take a pop quiz.

Tip 6. Get a Good Night’s Sleep.

Your brain needs rest to perform at its peak. Lack of sleep makes the day seem longer and your tasks seem more difficult.

Tip 7. Communicate Your Schedule to Others.

If phone calls or text messages are proving to be a distraction, tell your friends that you are only available at certain times of day and not to expect a response at other times.

Tip 8. Become a Taskmaster.

Give yourself a time budget and plan your activities accordingly. Figure out how much free time you have each week before you add any commitments.

Tip 9. Don’t Waste Time Agonizing.

Instead of agonizing and procrastinating, just do it. Wasting an entire evening worrying about something that you’re supposed to be doing is not productive, and can increase your stress.

Tip 10. Determine Your Priorities.

You can’t do everything at once. Establish the importance of each item.

Then set realistic goals that are attainable.

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7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens

Habit 5

5. Seek First to Understand, and then to be Understood

Because most people don’t listen very well, one of the great frustrations in life is that many don’t feel understood. This habit will ensure your teen learns the most important communication skill there is: active listening.

Why is this habit key to communication? It’s because the deepest need of the human heart is to be understood. Everyone wants to be respected and valued for who they are- a unique, one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-cloned individual. People won’t expose their soft middles unless they feel genuine love and understanding. Once they feel it, however, they will tell you more than you may want to hear. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Listen with your eyes, heart, and ears. 7 percent of communication is contained in the words we use. The rest comes from body language (53 percent) and how we say words, or the tone and feeling reflected in our voice (40 percent). Most people are eager to talk and had rather talk than listen. We have on mouth and two ears. This means we should listen twice as much as we talk. We actually learn more while listening rather than when we talk. Learn to listen and listen to learn. Listen, really listen, for understanding. Seek first to understand then to be understood- LISTEN.

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You Can Succeed in School If You Will

Part 5

After some serious soul-searching, Kennedy decided she was made for a purpose: to be successful and to fulfill who she was destined to be. She returned to DCCC “with determination and a mindset that I would not fail with God leading me.”

She says her first semester back was difficult. “I knew I could refuge in the Student Success Program,” Kennedy said. “To my benefit, Ms. Gravely accepted me back. Because of my struggles and hard times, I seek a new beginning every day and don’t allow the past to cripple my future. I have learned to have self-value.”

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