Ah, summer break. A time for sleeping in, enjoying warm weather, sipping cool drinks and forgetting the concept of homework entirely. A time that, unfortunately, ended several hours ago. For many, the return to campus is an agonizing, grueling experience filled with disappointment and sorrow. But for the few who are aware of the following techniques, the beginning of the school year is (slightly) more bearable.
One way that students can get a head start on the semester is to firmly ground themselves in their new reality. Many tend to fall into a state of denial that their beloved summer break has ended. Common symptoms of this mentality include oversleeping, since students’ bodies have been conditioned over the last several months to sleep in until noon; an inability to track the days of the week; and severely decreased attention spans. This state of being, however, is counterproductive to academic success. Thus, accepting that summer is over is critical. A student could host a funeral to mourn the passing of summer break and invite all of their friends and family to come pay their respects. Or perhaps they might seclude themself in a room with a speaker that repeatedly shouts “SUMMER BREAK IS OVER.” Whatever the method, both a conscious and subconscious understanding of the current existence of school in daily life must be reached.
Another way one may be able to quickly readjust to life with school is to practice several lost skills. While it’s true that there wasn’t a good reason to log into Schoology or Infinite Campus for the majority of summer besides checking new schedules, that’s no excuse to become rusty with them. Spending time practicing tasks in Schoology such as submitting assignments or checking grades can save time later down the road. One fun way to reacquaint oneself with these tools is to find a friend and race to see who can navigate certain tasks — opening a new Google Doc or logging in to the Palo Alto Unified School District ID portal — faster.
As intimidating as it may seem, connecting with teachers can also help with readjustment to the school climate. Chances are that they’re just as disappointed as you, if not more, about the disappearance of summer. This mutual loss serves as excellent common ground upon which one can comfortably engage teachers in conversation. After all, teachers are people too — not just seasonal phenomena.
