How To Finish the School Year Strong

The end of the school year is something we all look forward to because summer is around the corner, and schoolwork won’t be constantly on our minds. To get to summer, we have to finish off the school year strong. Most students give up at the end of the school year because they think it doesn’t matter as much as the beginning of the year, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I interviewed three of STVM’s favorite teachers and asked them for some advice on how to finish off the school year strong.

The first teacher I talked to was Mr.Plumley, and he suggested that students should “Be mentally tough.” The end of the school year is always stressful due to final exams or final projects, but being mentally tough will help you push through any final assignments. The second piece of advice he gave me was, “Be nice to your teachers.” This one shocked me, because it’s not normally a piece of advice a teacher would give, but being nice to your teachers around this time of the school year will actually help you if you’re ever in the position where you have missing work or you’re trying to raise your grade. The last thing he told me was,” Pick a summer goal to work towards.” Having something to look forward to will help these final weeks go by much faster, and you’ll perform better on schoolwork. 

The second teacher I talked to was Mr.Jennings, and he stated, “Don’t leave anything incomplete.” Try to get all your work done before the school year is over, and turn in late work if you can, because any amount of points can help your grade. He also said, “Have a goal for next year.” The next school year is the last thing anyone wants to be thinking about, but this will actually help with developing a growth mindset and help plan for things you may want to change or do differently for the next school year. Lastly, Mr.Jennings suggested that students have at least three goals to complete over the summer. This goal can be anything, like trying new foods, skydiving, or reading as many books as you can before the next school year. The goal should be something that will make you feel proud that you did something over the summer, rather than just sitting around waiting for the next school year to begin. 

The last teacher I talked to was Mr.Glidden, and he said students should “Tough it out.” To finish the year strong, you have to be strong and put in effort because finishing the year with good grades is also important. Lastly, Mr. Glidden said students should “Ask for help.” Never be afraid to ask for help because the more helpful information you have, the easier an assignment will be. Even if you don’t have questions right away, always email your teachers or find them during their office hours.

Summer is almost here, Irish!

Finish this school year off strong, so your Summer can be more enjoyable.