Make a Mental Checklist

Preparing for your new school year

Hello students! Now is the perfect time to think about your last school year. Take a few minutes to quietly think about last school year’s ups and downs. What were your strengths? What do you know you need to improve? This is called self-reflection because it’s like holding a mirror right up to your face and looking honestly at yourself. A minute of self-reflection can lead to great accomplishments in your future.

Maybe you should spend more time understanding a subject that left you struggling last year. Maybe you need to remind yourself to focus on a topic that you think is boring or unimportant. Perhaps you need a tutor to help guide you through the confusion. You can join a study group, tell your teacher you don’t understand, or ask for help from a relative or friend. Help is always there once you realize where you need support.

Also, most subjects and classes change quite a lot from year to year. Maybe biology stumped you, but this year physics will click and be fascinating for you. Maybe you had to read boring stories last year in English, but this year you’ll have a whole world opened to you by a new group of stories or an amazing novel. Yes, you will find fresh topics and materials and subjects to learn. 

Whatever you can do that will help you improve this year is worth the effort—and it often does not take that much extra work. Just having someone to answer questions, show you tricks, explain rules, or discuss concepts is going to help you immensely.

The point is that with honest self-reflection and the right support in place for this new school year, you will improve. Ask for help if you need it. Obviously, at SpiderSmart we specialize in supporting students with learning options from excellent teachers outside of the classroom, and we are here for all our students, helping them improve year after year. Remember: a little self-reflection goes a long way!