Life right now is different than it has ever been in our lifetime.  

Many of us are attempting to balance our school responsibilities with family obligations.  Some students have younger siblings to support academically, parents who are working out of the home, new technology to learn to access your education, and sometimes we must care for sick loved ones.  

On top of all of that, our social worlds have changed dramatically and many of us are not seeing our friends nearly as much.  How do we manage all of this change?  

The answer……we do it together!  This article is going to provide some tips on how to make school during COVID-19 more manageable.  

Communication:

Communication is a critical life skill.  It is a skill that often grows over students’ high school careers.  Right now, communication is more important than ever and we need everyone practicing it.  

This starts at home.  Talk to the important adult(s) in your life every weekend about what the plan is for the week.  It is necessary for you to know what responsibilities you have that might interfere with your class schedule.  

By having this conversation, you are able to then communicate with your teachers.  If you know that you cannot make it to a class, don’t stress, just communicate ahead of time.  

Your teachers understand and expect that there will be times when students are not available.  

When they receive an email a few days in advance that helps them plan to get you the information you need to keep up with class.  If they don’t hear from you or hear from you after class, it is much harder for them to support you.

Organization/Planning:

Once you know what your responsibilities are you can plan out your week.  Create a schedule for yourself and do your best to follow it.  

There may be times that you need to adjust it, which is completely OK.  However, if you don’t have a schedule you are more likely to find yourself in a position where you know you have things to do, but are not sure where to start.   

Developing an organization system that works for you takes time and reflection.  Click on the link attached to “organization system” and get started today.

Take Care of Yourself/Be Kind to Yourself:

Know what activities help you reduce stress (exercise, take a bath, listen to music, talk to a friend, etc.).  Make sure that you are participating in these activities that you enjoy regularly.  

We are not able to operate at our best when we are chronically overwhelmed.  Don’t be too hard on yourself.  If you make a mistake or miss something on your schedule, it will be OK.  

It’s happening to everyone right now.  Just talk to the important adults in your life about it so they understand what is going on for you.  Parents and teachers are having similar experiences. 

Use your Advisory Class:

Advisory class was created as a space to form supportive relationships and connections.  

Together with your teacher and classmates, you can problem solve issues that are getting in the way of your learning.  

It is a place to be together for each other because we need each other right n

ow more than ever.  If communication is tough for you, start by forming a connection with your advisor teacher so they can be your point person in school.  

Lastly, in the coming weeks the advisory committee is going to want to help form a student advisory council.  

This will be a student committee that meets with members of the advisory committee so we can get feedback and ideas from students about what they want to do and learn in advisory.  

Let your advisor teacher know if you want to be part of the student advisory council.  We need you!!