13 Oct Road Map for October: Sophomores

Now that you’ve settled into the school year, I hope things are going well! How are your classes? Are you feeling challenged, and are those challenges manageable? Do you have a clear understanding of expectations? Students often find that their workload increases each year in high school. How are you doing with respect to keeping up?

If you’re finding it hard to manage your homework and other responsibilities, it makes sense to invest in some planning time. Do you use a paper planner? Google calendar? The calendar in your phone? If you don’t use any system consistently, it’s time to start. Think about what might work for you and start putting all of your commitments into whatever form of calendar you choose. You can use a template like this if it’s helpful. Make a note of times that you are in class or committed to other activities, and what time you have available. Then you can schedule in your obligations, like homework, that do not have a defined time slot but need to get done. Be specific about what assignments you’ll work on at what time, and take note afterwards of whether the time you allotted to each activity actually turned out to be the right amount. This will help you make adjustments in the future.

Many sophomores are taking the PSAT this month. While I generally don’t recommend students prep for this test, it can be a good opportunity to start thinking about a plan for standardized testing in the junior year. In my webinar, This Is Only a Test, on December 3 I’ll give 10th graders a preview of what I recommend doing next spring and summer, as well as what you need to know about the test-optional trend. I hope you’ll join me!