As HHS is nearing its first month since the school year started, Jim Fielder, Megan Steinhauer, and Randall Schultz have a few words of encouragement to give to students.
As students start to settle into their school year routines, teachers have some advice when it comes to taking on this school year.
In a national survey of high school students’ feelings towards school published in January of 2020, 75 percent of the emotions students reported feeling towards school were considered “negative”, with the main emotions students reported feeling being tiredness, stress, and boredom, however, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things students can do to make their high school experience more enjoyable. According to Jim Fielder, a Physical Science and Physics teacher, one way to improve your high school experience is by getting involved.
“So I actually tell the kids this when I see them, especially the freshmen: just get involved in something. There’s so many fun things to do. And so if there’s some things that you can look forward to doing during the day or the week then it sort of makes the school more enjoyable,” Fielder said. “So clubs and music and athletics, and even if maybe you don’t participate in one, if you go to those events, just [having] something to look forward to.”
Something else students can do to make the academic side of school more enjoyable is finding their reason why for coming to school.
“Find your reason why. When I say your reason why, your reason to come to school and your reason to be involved, because in the future you’re gonna have to be involved in your society, you’re gonna have to do something, so find that reason why and then go with it,” American History, Nebraska History, and World Cultures teacher Megan Steinhauer, said.
One way students can help themselves be more successful in school is by making sure they’re in school as much as possible.
“Going back to attendance, right, as long as you’re here, you’re going to be receiving the best education that you can. Participating is key. Asking questions and advocating for yourself,” Steinhauer said.
If there’s one thing Steinhauer could say to her students to encourage them, it would be that attendance and their contribution to class matters.
“First off, I just want to tell them I’m super excited for them to be in school with me and share that we’re gonna have a good time in class. And I just like to encourage that attendance matters and that their contribution to class in their life learning matters,” Steinhauer said.
One of the reasons attendance is so important is because being absent can have a snowball effect on students between trying to catch up on what they missed while still completing the assignments they’re currently being assigned.
“Start early, stay ahead, keep up. Don’t fall behind because when that anxiety gets on you it just makes it a lot harder,” World History teacher Randall Shultz said.
If a student does fall behind, reaching out to others for help can be helpful when trying to get caught back up.
“I would say maybe one of the biggest (tips) is to reach out, and that’s okay. There’s so many people that have been willing to offer assistance, whether it be teachers, peers, other people in the building, parents, so don’t try to go it alone,” Fielder said. “And, you know, there’s gonna be some hiccups along the way, and that’s okay. Expect those but then use those as motivation to do better later.”
Another situation where reaching out for help is important is if a student is taking a challenging class or just struggling in general.
“Well, it’s good to challenge yourself, just make sure you give it your all,” Schultz said. “Don’t be lazy, like you’re challenging yourself. Push yourself… do your best and it’ll work out and then as always, ask for help if you’re struggling.”
For students taking a challenging class this year, persistence is key not only in school, but also in things outside of academics that are challenging.
“Well, first off, good for you. Always try to put yourself in and take things that are maybe uncomfortable, things that push you beyond your limits, because it’s there where you really sort of grow, see what you’ve got in you,” Fielder said. “Either be persistent through the material, be persistent in the activities, attendance, listening, but persistence will be something in anything that’s challenging. Just be persistent. You can see that in your sports and music to be successful.”
For those who don’t typically enjoy going to school, Fielder would encourage them to focus more on the positive than the negative.
“If it comes down to it, maybe you don’t like a particular class but maybe you enjoy the people in the class, or you don’t particularly like the subject but you like the teacher. Try to look at the things that are good, and focus more on those than the things that are bad,” Fielder said. “And that will make your year much more happy… So not everybody likes everything, and so try to find the good in those things that you don’t like.”
Schultz encourages students who would say they don’t enjoy school to view it as a hoop everyone has to get through in order to get to the next stage of life.
“Probably the best advice is surviving in advance. It’s a hoop that every single one of us has jumped through. Yeah, every day is not enjoyable, but find something in it that makes it so you can get through so you can get to the next stage of life,” Schultz said. “It’s just kind of that hoop we all have to jump through, get to that next job to get to that real life, so to speak. Look at it as it’s just a hurdle I’ve got to get over to get to the next stage of life.”
