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As an educator, my mission is to help students adjust and succeed in all educational environments. There are many important skills you will need in order to be successful in the last stage of school. Below are the nine most important life skills for high school students:
Make sure you are always turning in an assignment.
It does not matter if it is completed or not. Teachers cannot help you if you do not have anything turned in. I cannot tell you how many times I have helped students passed by bumping up their grades simply because they made an effort in my class. It doesn’t even matter how small the effort was! This is evident in all walks of life, someone is always watching and will always notice your efforts.
Showing respect influences your teacher’s appreciation for you.
Regardless of what you think, teachers are people. Being polite and respectful can go a long way to help you make the grade or even get favors from teachers. Students that respect me and are polite to me make my job easier, if they need an extension on an assignment, I am more likely to say yes because of this. If you disrespect your boss, a bill collector, or a stranger, something bad will happen, right?
Speak up.
I don’t care if you are wrong or right. I want to hear from you. We learn best when we have discussions. You are more likely to remember that you are right or wrong based on an interaction you had, not notes you’ve taken. So take a chance, raise your hand and make an attempt. This also will help you succeed outside of school by helping you become more assertive and ensuring that you get what you need out of life.
Your friends may not be as smart as you think.
It can be tempting to cheat. So many people do it right? As a teacher, I can tell you that most copycats would serve themselves better by just guessing on the test, instead of copying each answer down exactly the way your friend did. Plus, this upsets teachers. I give out zeros when I suspect cheating. In the real world, the only one responsible for your work, is you. Bosses don’t give zeros. They give pink slips.
Most teachers will work with you.
Give us a chance. We have lives and people we care about so naturally, we will care about you. Tell us what is going on and you may be surprised at how much we are able to help. If you don’t tell us that you are struggling, we just assume that you are not concerned about your grade and honestly, we will focus our efforts on someone else. Don’t let us lose you! This translates to life after school. Your boss, coworkers, and friends may be very capable of helping you. Give them a chance.
Go to bed earlier!
Don’t underestimate how busy you will be in High School. You are up early and learning more and more difficult concepts. You will soon learn that your mind is a muscle that needs as much rest as your arms and legs after a workout. Take time to rest.
Build friendships everywhere.
It is about a lot more than just being friendly. Get into relationships, build meaningful partnerships. You may need help later in life and having a strong network of people to fall back on is not a weakness, it is smart. We do it all the time as adults.
Know what you are talking about.
Study. This one is taught in school but it is worth repeating. The subjects you are studying now may not be relevant to what you want to do in the real world, but the task of studying literally translates. If you are able to focus your mind onto learning something, and staying fresh on the subject, you will do this as an adult and become an expert in a field. People respect and hire those kinds of people all the time.
Have fun.
Everyone forgets this one. No one teaches it and yet it is what will keep us living longer. Nothing previous to this is worth its salt without living to have fun. Having fun can help reduce stress and increase productivity. It also gives you a reason to work towards something.
You may find that you have some tips and tricks of your own. Add to the list, take from the list, tweak some words. Whatever you need to do, do it.
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