This year has thrown some challenges at all of us, and it is very important to check in with yourself to see how you are doing. For the students who may be struggling with motivation and coping with the changes COVID has given us, our 9th and 10th grade guidance counselor, Mrs. Fletcher, is here to give you tips on how to stay on top of your game and where to go if you need any help.

Q1: If students are feeling unmotivated, what tips do you have to help them reclaim their motivation?
Mrs. Fletcher: “I think many of us are feeling a bit out of wack with life changing as it has. Change can seem like a challenging thing to accept, especially with Covid. I think some of the things that could be helpful are things like:

“Make sure you take care of yourself. Get the proper sleep being #1 on my list for students. With the change in schedule, I think that students find it easy to maybe stay up later than they should. Get the proper sleep so you are able to work to the best of your best ability. Get some exercise, eat well and get good rest.

“Remember to do the best you can. People seem to work best when they have a good set routine. Set your study time when you are at home (make sure you give yourself enough time to get the necessary work complete)…again…get good sleep and eat well. Give yourself necessary breaks and then get back at it to get the work completed. Letting it pile up is never an easy thing to overcome. I always compare letting school work pile up to letting laundry pile up. It isn’t going to magically get done, you have to keep up with it to make it seem less overwhelming.

“Focus on things you can control. You can control your behavior and your attitude. If you go into everything with a negative mindset, that will usually be the outcome.

“Set some personal goals. It helps to set small daily goals to be able to get to your big goals. A comparison I often make about life goals and daily goals is that it is like running a marathon. People don’t usually just go outside one day and run a full marathon, there is lots of training with smaller miles first to get to the marathon finish line.”

Q2: If students are struggling to cope emotionally, what help is available for them?
Mrs. Fletcher: “We, your teachers, counselors, administrators, school staff are always available for students, especially if you are struggling. Reach out to them. We are people who have gone into the profession, not just to have a profession, but because we want to make a positive difference with kids. Many of us have additional contacts that could possibly help you if you are in need of additional help outside of just talking over your concerns. Also, you can always reach out to your friends and family too. It is good to talk through things that are causing you any issues. Covid does require social distancing but that doesn’t mean social isolation. Please just ask for help.”