The beginning of the school year is always a good opportunity to establish goals and expectations of what is to come. When starting a new stage there is an additional motivation that must be maintained until reaching the goal. To achieve the established goals, it is necessary to develop study and organizational habits that contribute to achieving the expected goals. As time passes it gets easy to forget or give up. However, the word of God tells us in Colossians 3:23 “And whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as for the Lord and not for men.” This verse gives us a new perspective of the effort we must put into practice during the new school year.
Study habits are those behaviors that students practice regularly to incorporate knowledge into their cognitive structure. Here are some organizational techniques that can help this school year be successful:
1. Psalms 37:5: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” As children of God, we can’t expect to prosper in something without first leaving it in the hands of God.
2. A place to study: It must be a place that is free of distractions. It’s necessary to have in that place all the materials that will be needed, such as pencils, glue, books, a ruler, etc. It should also be a place with good lighting.
3. Agenda: A simple way of having present everything that needs to get done is to use an agenda or a list of everything that needs to get done for the next day. As tasks get completed, they can be marked to show the current progress.
4. Time Management: It’s important to follow a realistic schedule. A schedule can be made in such a way that it includes times of rest after each task. Also, it’s very useful to have a calendar that includes important dates such as due dates, test dates, project due dates, etc.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…” and Genesis 39:2 says: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man…” As we start the new year we can trust that if we put it in God’s hands and do our best, it will be a successful year.
– Pamela de Lara
High School SPEED Program Coordinator, ALP