Is It Thanksgiving Yet?
Go ahead and laugh, but as a student this question penetrated my mind every year during the first week of school. Yes, in August.
As soon as the Fall Semester began I started to look for the next break from the monotony of the school day. The newness of my recently purchased book bag and fresh school supplies (and Trapper Keeper!) would wear off sometime between second and third period, and the walls started to cave in. The promise of the weekend would barely whet my appetite for freedom compared to the longing hope for a week off in November. Because, as we all know, Thanksgiving break means that you can practically hold your breath until the glorious event that is Christmas break!
Sound familiar? This is the attitude most students carry into the school year. It’s like a painful prison sentence that steals freedom and replaces it with responsibility. But, having completed many years of education, I have discovered several tips that will help students and families prepare for the 2011-12 school year:
- Do Your Homework. Silly, right? Stay on top of this week to week, and you will avoid the feeling that you are sinking in quicksand, and the finish line will seem much, much closer!
- Choose Your Friends Wisely. Your attitude will be influenced by the people that you surround yourself with. Negative people will mess up your outlook on life, but positive personalities will make each day a joy to live!
- Define Your Purpose. Why are you going to school? Because the state requires that you get an education? Or because you recognize the value of learning and growing? This requires a level of maturity that is greatly lacking in our culture. The students that get this will go FAR in life!
Students, the way you look at this school year will make the biggest difference in the outcome of your time in school. Are you spending 7 hours a day just learning information? Or trying to create an identity that is seen as popular? Or showing the world that you could care less about their opinion?
The biggest, most audacious (vocab word!) thing you can do this year is to impact your influences for Jesus. Students, teachers, coaches, principles…they will all be watching you. How are you intentionally representing Jesus for them? Are you doing your homework when it comes to your relationship with Him? Are you surrounding yourself with people who also love Him? Have you defined your purpose as a follower and ambassador of Christ this semester?
