Deja Vu

interval, homework

It's Like Deja Vu All Over Again

The great Yogi Berra must have known about returning to school after a summer vacation.  It may have been like deja vu all over again for the often quoted catcher, but it can be like deja vu with part of the video portion missing.  Starting school after vacation is, for som, like stepping back into the experience of three months ago without the content.  We may feel as though we are back in school, but memory of what we studied has not caught up with us...and it may never catch up to us unless we help it along.

We forget a great deal of what we have learned when we don't put it into practice on a consistent basis.  Like the professional athlete who needs to warm up for seasonal training to ease his/her body into an accustomed pattern, we also need to ease our academic selves into performance mode.

Here are some suggestions for students and parents of students returning to school this Fall:

1. Don't expect to hit the ground running if you have not practiced your skills throughout the summer.  You will need to ease into practice again.

2. Give yourself some time to adapt to a new school environment or to a new social situation.  Do not be impatient with yourself for taking the time you need to get used to doing homework again or to meeting new friends.

3. Establish good study habits.  At very least, re-read your class notes daily and even do your homework twice if you want to remember new or reviewed skills.

4. Take some time between short bursts of mental effort.  You may find it more effective to put in six five-minute sessions of work and  take a five-minute break between study sessions than it would be to work for a half-hour without interruption.  Athletes call this interval training.

5. Do not wait until you are in academic trouble to get academic help.  Playing catch-up ball is risky.

interval, homework