Making your school year spectacular! 12 principles to help you become more successful in school

It was a bit nippy this morning, a precursor to fall and school beginning. While some schools across the nation have already begun, I suspect many of you are still anxiously anticipating school and what it all means this year—shopping for new school clothes, except those of you who wear uniforms; wondering what it is going to be like being in school in new classes with new teachers; and being in classes, face to face, some with masks, other without. Oh, the excitement of it all!

While you are trying to contain your excitement for another school year, let me share a dozen simple principles to help you to become even more successful in school this year. All these principles I have learned over the past several years, working with all levels of students and from my own experience as a lifelong learner. No matter if you are in fourth grade, a freshman, a senior in high school, or even a college student, they all apply, some more than others, depending on where you are in the school process.

Principle 1: Surround yourself with a great support group and seek out supportive friends.

They should be the ones who cheer you on, motivate your, not drag you down or convince you to do reckless or foolish things that may impede your progress or shove you down life’s paths that will lead to sad things. They will be your lifelines. 

Principle 2: Establish great relationships and rapport with your teachers.

You will need letters of recommendation. It may surprise you, but a good letter of recommendation goes a long way in helping college reviewers look favorably on your application. Teachers are very good at writing excellent recommendations—if they are warranted.

Principle 3: Become friends with the higher school counselor or scholarship coordinator.

This one may be a new one, especially for those of you entering juniors and seniors. It’s time to be thinking about graduation and all the stuff that needs to be done prior to graduation, particularly scholarships and college applications.

Principle 4: Do your very best.

This goes without saying. You have heard this from your parents and teachers since the day you began school. Doing your best every day will help you move forward. Granted, some days will be downright challenging. That’s just the way school is, especially high school. The key is just plowing forward every day, every day, every day

Principle 5: Learn to love learning.

If I had a dollar for every time someone said: “I hate school. It’s so boring,” I would be a semi-rich man. We study so we can learn to pass the quiz or exam. The key to learning, though, is that it never ends. If we do not continue to learn, we will end up in jobs and lives that are really boring and that don’t earn us enough money to do what we had hoped. Learning is the key to success in the long run, and you are the puppeteer of your own learning, meaning you are responsible for your success in school.

Principle 6: Always be prepared and do your homework first.

Part of doing your best is doing your homework first. Yes, it is easy to put off. There’s that favorite YouTube video you have been dying to see or the video game you have been playing all summer. Don’t put off the inevitable. Just do your homework first. It will definitely reduce your stress and not make you panic when you get up in the morning and realize your homework isn’t done. Your grades will definitely reflect how you do your homework and the preparations you make each day. Plus, your parents will be very happy!

Principle 7: Reinvent yourself and become who you need to become to reach your goals.

If you haven’t been doing very well and have wanted to change forever, now is the time to reinvent yourself. It can be done. You may have to change your way of thinking and doing. Some of the changes will be challenging. But changes must happen if you want to become your best self.

Principle 8: Find some service to do to help others.

I know your schedules are full but find someone or some organization to help. Most scholarship applications want to know if you have done service and how much. Plus, many companies today have a humanitarian/service component in their mission. Service will help you grow and develop in ways you never thought possible. Instead of becoming selfish, you actually become selfless—all part of that reinvention thing.

Principle 9: Be kind, gracious, and compassionate. 

Unfortunately, bullying has become a rampant problem in our schools and in our society. People pick on the weak and the less fortunate. Rise up and be kind, gracious, and compassionate. Don’t allow others to be bullied. Make sure you and your group are ones who champion those who need championing.

Principle 10: Be a cheerleader, mentor, and leader.

All of you possess leadership qualities, some hidden within your personality. As you reinvent yourself, allow your leadership quality to emerge and embrace it. Part of being a leader is being a positive and a motivating example, someone who inspires others to do good things. Some may see this as too much responsibility. Interestingly, it is all of our responsible to be good examples.

Principle 11: Practice resilience.

Resilience is the ability to overcome challenges. In today’s world, the challenges seem to come in waves, washing over us at times. Sometimes, we even feel like we are drowning. The amazing thing is that you have an incredible support group, family, and friends. Reach out to them. Just remember who you are and what you are capable of doing. You can do this!

Principle 12: Challenging and hard things teach us lifelong principles. 

You have heard this before, and your eyes have rolled to the back of your head. The irony is this: Today may be full of challenging things that cause you great grief and consternation. In the long run, though, you will learn important principles that will help you in the future, short term and long term.

Overall, school should be a challenging yet marvelous time to learn something that will stick with you throughout your life, make new friends, challenge yourself, become better than you thought, grow up, and have fun. All of these can be done simultaneously if you plan and go and do. Promise!

Good luck this year! Make this the best year ever!

Are you ready to be a first-time parent?

Not long ago, I was visiting with two of our friends who were preparing for their first baby reveal about what first-time parents ought to know before the baby comes and even after. They were curious as to what to expect. I told them I would do a little research.

So, what does one do to research this information? You ask experienced parents, especially those who just had a baby! I used Facebook as my research tool and posted this question: “What would be your top three things/principles first-time parents ought to know?”

I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity of answers I received from recent first-time parents, parents with eight children, and grandparents. Once I read and reviewed the information, I have categorized them in 15 categories, directly from other parents and grandparents who have been in your shoes.

Here they are, first-time parents:

Love them

This was the number one answer for most respondents. A father of twins, Carl, said, “Recognize that love is infinite and grows with each child.” It will be really challenging not to love your new baby. I remember seeing Anna Rose and Hailey, our daughters, for the first time after they were born, and we loved them instantly. In actuality, though, the moment you find out that your spouse is going to have a baby your love begins and grows and grows. According to Amy, a mother of several daughters and one son, “Be prepared to love like you’ve never loved before….Babies also need to FEEL love and lots of it.”

Do your very best.

The one thing most everyone agreed on is this: You are going to make mistakes. I know that is a challenging concept to accept, but it is the truth. Do not worry about the “should-have-done-it-this-way.” There really are lots of correct ways, many of them you will learn along the way. Your child will love you even though may make a mistake. They probably will not realize it. Just move on from that mistake and do what you know you need to do. Great parenting comes from doing your best and improving every day.

Relax and enjoy the experience.

One mother Kristen astutely wrote, “If you have to choose between a nap and a shower, it’s okay to choose the nap.” Joanne, my wonderful wife, wrote: “Take time to record the memories.” Write in your journal or even buy a journal or a baby book for your baby and record the moments. Often, you will be holding your new baby in the new rocking chair or recliner, and all you want to do is just hold the baby, nothing else. That is okay. There will be a constant nagging in the back of your mind that there are things to be done. These times will not last forever. Just sit back and enjoy that sweet baby.

Understand that every baby is different.

Sandra, one of my high school classmates, reminisced, “I thought I knew everything until I had my 8^th child. She was nothing like the rest. It was like starting completely over!” Focus on your child and know they will be different than the rest of your children and anyone else’s. There is nothing wrong with that. Some will need more cuddling than others; some will drink more milk; others may cry more or smile more or….a thousand other differences. Be accepting of those differences.

Seek to establish a family-centered child and not a child-center family.

Another mother Kandi gave this counsel. “The family is truly the center, not necessarily the children. The children need to learn to be part of a family and have responsibilities and consequences. Amazingly, when we work as a family team, everyone learns their role and how to grow and develop their talents with the help of their siblings.” Yes, it is easy to just focus on just your baby and nothing else. Please create the environment so they know they are part of a family, even an extended family.

Know that you can never prepare enough but “tis enough.”

Because of the inordinate number of books, the Internet, etc., you will have lots of first-time parent material to read and ponder. But when the little one arrives, it is as if you did not read or listen to a word. You look at your baby and say, maybe a wee bit exasperated, “I have no idea what to do!” Well, that is truly a frustrating moment. We were the same way. We had read the books, but we felt so unprepared. But the moment Anna Rose, our first, was placed in Joanne’s arms, she knew exactly what to do. That mother instinct kicked in immediately. It was a marvel to watch. One father, Chris, a young man we knew in Miles City, Montana, said, “Nobody is ever truly ready for the first children. There are lots of trials by fire….experience is the best teacher.” Just remember: You will be enough.

Be prepared to be tired, probably even exhausted.

Many mothers responded how tiring it was being a first-time mother. One of the grandmothers who responded, Therese, commented: “It’s okay if you don’t get the dishes done after each meal. Try to relax.” Babies are time consuming. With diapers, feeding, changing their clothes, holding them, just watching them, etc. takes time and great amounts of energy. These new babies are literally 24/7 beings and need attention all the time. You will be tired. So, take time and rest when they are resting. Do not think you have to do all these things while they are resting. Rest when they rest!

Listen to some advice but not all of it.

Once you announce you are going to have a baby, the advice and counsel will be delivered to you in dump trucks and several data dumps in your email box, Messenger, text, and other social media sources. Listen to some of it, but do not listen to all of it. There are thousands and thousands of books on parenting—some good, some bad, some mediocre. One mother, Nicole, wrote: “Listen to your own parental instincts rather than what your family, friends, Google, or the latest parenting book tells you….Find what works for YOU and your child.”

Know you are still an individual.

Sometimes first-time parents feel they lose their identity with a new baby in the home. People coo over the babies, bring them gifts, and then—maybe—they say something to the parents and ask them how they are doing. Jennifer, a mother of an autistic child, wisely wrote: “Don't forget to take time every day to do something that makes you, YOU. Take a bath, read a book, write in your journal. Maybe you'll only get five minutes, but it's five minutes where you get to be completely yourself.” The key is that you still have an identity, and it also needs to be fed.

Do not be afraid of what you are about to do.

There is always a fear that lingers prior to your first-born coming. Some sound advice comes from Brandy, a mother of three boys: “Give yourself more patience than criticism.” A fairly new mother, Candace, wrote: “Having children will change you in a way you never imagined. It will bring the worst and best out of you leaving—hopefully—a more perfect person full of compassion, understanding, patience, and charity.” If you enter this phase of life with fear, it will dissipate if you remember why you decided to have a baby. Yes, changes will occur. Yes, your body and emotions change. The key hinges, though, on knowing that these little ones will help us learn new lessons, help us grow and mature, and develop in positive ways. Thus, do not be afraid; rather, be anticipatory and grow from this incredible experience.

Do not compare yourself to other moms and the corollary is do not compare your children to other children.

Every child is different, yours included. Our oldest did not walk until she was 14 months old. We wondered what was wrong with her—what was wrong with us! She was bright, she could say a few words, she was attentive, but she did not walk. One day at Church, she was standing by her mother and me, holding on to both of my hands and watching the other kids her age and younger walking. She looked at them and then at us, let go of my hands, and began walking. Just. Like. That. One mother from Springville, Utah, Natalie, wrote: “You are the perfect parents for your children. Be your best self for your kids and don’t worry what other parents are doing.”

Read and talk to your children often.

One of my former basketball players, Darcy, said, “Talk to your babies a lot when they are little. Then, when they can talk, listen to everything they want to talk about. When they become teens, they will be more likely to talk to you when they need your help.” We loved reading with and to our children. When Joanne was in the hospital for two months when she was pregnant with our oldest, I read the Hobbit to both of them, Joanne in the hospital and Anna Rose in the womb. When Anna Rose began to grow, she loved being read to and still loves the Hobbit.

Remember to do the basics.

Several respondents reminded us of the basics of first-time parents. Leonr from Puerto Rico shared some counsel from her pediatrician daughter: “If you feed your baby with a bottle, don’t lay him/her down with the bottle of milk against a pillow because this may cause ear infections. Try to keep his head raised.” Many said, “Buy lots of diapers and burp cloths.” Pam wrote: “Pray every day for patience, kindness, love, safety, acceptance, help, strength, courage.”

Be the best father.

As first-time fathers, we know that it is the mothers who seem to do the bulk of the work with the babies. Be cognizant of that and try to help in any way you can. Do the housework, wash the dishes, put in a few loads of laundry. Do not wait to be asked. Also, you may want to take some time after the baby is down for a nap or right after they go to sleep and just rubbed your wife’s feet, back, shoulders, etc. Be attentive and observant to her needs. Remember: If it is your wife’s challenge, it is your challenge, too. This baby is yours together.  

Your life will change.

Starting a family will change you, and you may never be the same. Amy, one of the moms, counseled, “Nothing can really prepare you for the ways your life and your heart will never be the same. It’s also the hardest thing and can be quite overwhelming. You will experience sleep deprivation, hormonal changes, self-doubt and if you’re breastfeeding, this can be extremely painful and difficult, but you will know how to love them because that comes naturally.” But as a new father, Joseph, wrote: “You and your spouse may be sleep deprived, but as long as you support each other, take every opportunity to rest, keep an eye on each other’s emotions, you will learn to enjoy every moment.” Thus, change can be a learning experience.

Conclusion:

Overall, being first-time parents can be challenging, yes, even hard at times. But the counsel that a OBGYN doctor, Liz (our niece), gave is profound: “It’s easy to look back on your life with young kids with rose-colored glasses and wish about all the things you ‘should have done’ and offer advice. Despite this when you are in it all the work still needs to get done and a lot of the time it’s hard. It’s ok that it’s hard, it’s ok that you hate it some days, it’s ok to be unhappy and not want to ‘relish’ every all-nighter, diaper explosion, tantrum, etc. Do your best, love them and know that they won’t be small forever, and eventually you’ll be able to look back with your rose-colored glasses and think that it wasn’t that hard.”

We wish you well, first-time parents. Do your best! And remember that you are you and will do just fine. Please have some fun being a first-time parent. 

Good luck!