3 Tips on How to Survive an Extremely Busy School Year

This is especially geared toward anyone who's making a school-adjustment, like if you're a high schooler for the first time. I can give you a personal testimony by pointing out my freshman year--goodness, what a nightmare. Okay, in some ways it was fun, but in other ways...let's just say the tips I'm giving y'all are from bitter experience.

#1. Organize yourself as soon as possible. When you're making an education leap, all of a sudden this stack of textbooks is thrown in your face and you find yourself splashing around in the deep end of the pool. With your crowded schedule swimming around in your head, you need to get it in a form that you can remember it painlessly. A list might work best for you--maybe a to-do list of all your commitments for the day (or week). Or perhaps a full-fledged schedule is best.

This is what I like to do for schedules. First, I take a piece of paper and draw a line horizontal-wise. Next, I add notches on that line for however many hours I need schedule-ized in that day. Usually I have a 15 hour schedule from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Then, over the notches that signify the hours, I write the commitment for that time. It's probably not the most common schedule outline, but I like it because it's easy to read and not very confusing. And if I say something is not confusing, you can believe it. =)

Anyway, finding a way to organize your events is crucial--crucial with a capital C--to getting through a crazy school year.

#2. Prioritize all your activities to get the most out of your day. Honestly, there are just some days where you have so much to do you just need to sit back and think about what's most important. A general rule of prioritization is to figure out which one needs to be completed first. Say that you're really stressed about an upcoming math test, but you also have a Spanish test that's due two days before. You may feel the strong urge to plunge into your math test because it's really wearing on your nerves, but the wisest thing to do is focus on the closest thing at hand. If you try to do everything out of order, you're just going to end up going absolutely bonkers before three weeks have gone by. Trust me.

#3. Don't push yourself past your limit. Yes, we've all heard about how young Benjamin Franklin spent hours up at night studying and hardly ate anything...but not all of us are Benjamin Franklin. If you wear yourself down trying to check things off your schedule without taking care of yourself, you are going to crash and burn and dissolve into flames. It's a huge temptation to stay up until midnight studying really hard. But what's better for you--a late night of study or an alert and active mind after a good night's sleep? This was a huge mistake that I made in my freshman year. I am not a science person, and my gigantic biology textbook with the towering stack of flashcards to memorize daunted me severely. I spent many a late night grinding down my brain trying to push through each lesson. In the morning (as my family can testify) I was a real grump. My worst days were the ones following late study nights. Do not make that same mistake.

I hope this helps you all, particularly those who might be overwhelmed at this new school year.

See ya round!

Izori

EDIT: You know when you make a post draft and then you finish it and publish it, it automatically is posted back on the date that you made the draft? [does that sentence make sense?] Well, that's what I did. Sorry for any confusion!

Where Has September Gone...?

Man alive. Is there some giant black hole somewhere that just sucks time into it? I can't believe it. It's September 20. Almost October.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! *gasp* *gasp*!

Actually, I'm quite happy right now. I just got a constructed time with God. I rarely get that because I'm so busy, and it made me realize how much better I feel when I spend some time with my Father. Not the 'in-touch-with-my-inner-self' kind of feeling, but more of a peaceful feeling. It's amazing how much it makes a difference...especially 'cause I'm kind of running on caffeine right now. =)

Life has been absolutely hectic. Biology and History...both pretty cool, and both take a lot of time. And Algebra actually isn't that bad. I'm also reading Elements of Style which I'm finding very helpful. Just in time for NaNoWriMo, too!

I'm sorry I haven't really gotten to answer your guys' lovely comments! Just letting you know, I've read them all and I really, really appreciate them!

So, how has life been for you guys? Really busy? I hope I'm not alone in my overwhelmed-ness. =)

Why I Love School

I do my algebra test on the couch, by the open window, with a blanket and a hot drink.

That was after I alternately wrote a report on trench life in World War I and admired Tintin the Turtle.

Piano practice is interrupted by tickle sessions with Galdor.

Making ice cream comes between church history and literature reading.

I clean my room while I get my school binders in order.

Isn't home schooling awesome?

I read my Bible when I get tired of math.

I don't have to transition from pajamas to clothes until after a leisurely breakfast at 8:30 in the morning.

I can stay up with my dad and my brother until about 10:00 at night because mom will let me sleep in until 7:30 the next morning.

Home schooling, in my opinion, rocks.

Many Things

I see from the poll that a lot of you want me to post more on my writing. That's good, because it's one of my favorite subjects! =) Another good thing is that those kinds of posts are schedule-able.

I'm EXTREMELY busy with school work...and I've only started history/literature/government (which is from Tapestry of Grace). That means that when I throw algebra, music, biology, vocabulary, Latin, Spanish, and speech, I'll be one busy person. You might not hear very often from me.

However, I'll make sure to schedule posts.

Right now, I would like to turn everyone's attention to Kendra's Hunt! Click HERE to visit her blog, Carpe Diem, and learn more about it. It looks so, so cool. It's an actual scavenger hunt, stretching across several blogs.

See you all soon!

What's New

Where did summer go? No, seriously. Did it all drain down a hole? I feel like I haven't accomplished anything over the summer, except deteriorate my health. On Tuesday, I'm leaving for my grandparents' house at the beach with Erestor and Luthien.

Oh boy. Ultra-processed, 3,000 calorie, high fructose corn syrup loaded food with extra bleach (yes...white bread), no naps, out in the sun every day, with grandparents who spoil us rotten. =) =/ =(

And then schoolwork.

I'm starting high school. I can't believe it. The point of no return, and I can't even slam on the breaks.

I'll be a freshman.

DID I JUST SAY FRESHMAN?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!

Yes, for fourteen years I've been waiting for this. Now that it's come I really want to go back to 5th grade. And I thought division was hard? How about algebra?!

So. Dad got the results of his PET-scan, and I'm happy to say that, for now, the cancer has not returned! *sighs in relief*

Before I go (I probably won't get to post tomorrow), I would like to ask an important prayer request. For the last past week, I've been having a ongoing headache-bordering-on-migraine. Part of it is because I had a cold, but now I'm over my cold and it's still there. I hope it's nothing serious...=/ Please pray that it will go away for good (forever!) before vacation on Tuesday through Saturday. I've had problems with headaches for months. Hope it's not Lyme's Disease after all.

See you soon, guys!

Izori

*sigh* College.

Well, the time came for my parents and I to have a serious talk...about college. I'm going to be going into high school next year, so I think it's about time to evaluate all of my goals.

This is so hard, though! All these classes...Mom and Dad were talking to me and telling me all this stuff I need to do, like forms and such, for college, and I'm just sitting there going, "Huh? College?! I'm 13!!"

Linguistics sounds interesting, but so does English. I really want to do music (if I DO have carpal tunnel, then I can still sing) and Mom would also like me to take practical classes like Accounting. And I also want to do sports. Soccer, to be exact.

I suppose I'll have it figured out when I'm 18.

Also, another hard part--deciding WHICH college to go to.

Ah, the relaxation of the teenage years.

Not.

Izori

Archery and History

My, today was quite the day! First off, we started history (we haven't started math and all that yet). We're doing the Tapestry of Grace program for the first time ever and we're doing a lot with it. I'm reading five or six books for history right now, and I have all these checklists and stuff like that. We did a salt map (made of salt, flour, water, and I think something else that I forgot. Then you spread it out on cardboard and make mountains and peninsulas and mesas and archipelagos, and all that stuff). I did a map of Sarea, which is where the book that I'm hoping to publish once I've got it done takes place. Did that count as a run on sentence?

Sorry, my mind is really mixed up right now. It's sort of late, so everything jumbled. Excuse me if I start getting off track.

See? I just did it. Getting off track, I mean. Anyway, and then we did outdoor archery. It was unnaturally chilly for August today, and my sights kept on sliding. Finally I just replaced a bolt, and after that I scored 8's and 9's. No 10's, unfortunately.

Izori