Description: In this blog article, Science tutor Emma, shares with us how she overcame falling behind in school and tips on how to get back on track.
Under Pressure
As a teenager, I remember feeling that school was going to determine the trajectory of my entire life and there are no second chances.
I believe that it is essential for students to understand that life can turn around at any stage and they can accomplish a lot in a short period.
For many students, a lot of pressure can cause them to foster an attitude which leans more towards giving up than working harder.
Many students do not yet know what they are capable of and they are juggling with other aspects of figuring out who they are and where their happiness and passions lie.
This is why I want any lesson I have with a student to be a positive and supportive experience for them.
My Experience
Due to personal circumstances, I had a slightly different experience of secondary education towards the end.
I was self-taught for this period (not without struggle or family support) and in the end, I had less time than my peers to get through the same material for my GCSEs.
This meant that I had to be very savvy in my approach.
One of the things that I learned is the importance of understanding your own learning style as a student and exploiting this.
I am a reading/writing learner meaning that I have to make notes and format them myself.
Other types of learners are visual, auditory, kinesthetic or a combination.
Whilst delivering lessons I will be keeping in mind the different learning styles of different students.
I also learned about how to be efficient in terms of deciding what concepts are the most crucial for me to focus on and what exam boards require for high marks.
I managed to get the grades I needed to do the college qualifications that I wanted to do despite the turbulence that I experienced.
At first I chose to study A-levels in psychology, business and law but later decided that actually I am much too fascinated by science to not take it any further (all part of figuring myself out) so I switched to a science course.
I was once told by a teacher that I would not be able to study a core science given my position.
I am proud to say that with determination I went on to complete an honours degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Warwick and I loved it.
A Lesson Learnt
The biggest lesson that I learned from all of this is that you should only ever be competitive with yourself.
Everybody is having a unique experience in their lives and life is full of opportunities to do something that makes you happy.
Furthermore, studying is not necessarily all about studying harder it can be just as much about studying smarter (this is something I would encourage students to understand.)
It should also be enjoyable!
By tutor Emma. Contact Us