Junior high roadmap
High school is an exciting if sometimes scary and demanding stage of a teenager’s life, and it requires a daily focus on learning and academic work while also continuously considering their future and where they are headed.
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‘These competing considerations – the focus on now while also not losing sight of tomorrow – can cause uncertainty and anxiety, but using a framework on the way can have a significant impact on creating peace of mind and successful outcomes’, says Dr Gillian Mooney, Dean: Academic Development and Support at The Independent Institute of Education.
Dr Gillian offers the following strategies to follow now to start senior high in a strong position.
Keep on top of things every day
Make sure that you master the work done in class every day. Do your homework to the best of your ability, and if there are concepts you don’t understand, ask for help and assistance until you do. Don’t push things to the side and think you are going to deal with them later, because later you may just have too many things to deal with and then you’ll start feeling overwhelmed.
Don’t go off the rails – ask for help
You’ll be faced with exciting new opportunities but also temptations. Don’t lose sight of what you are building towards, and always consider how your choices will impact your future. Your freedom will be increasing, but so will your responsibilities. Make wise choices and enjoy your journey towards adulthood, while also being careful not to make choices that can turn into hurdles down the line. In particular, be extremely circumspect where social media is concerned as small missteps can have huge consequences.
If you find yourself struggling – academically, mentally, emotionally, physically – know that there are many avenues you can turn to for help. There could be trusted adults in the community, teachers, organisations and even online resources to which you can turn. Don’t despair if you are finding yourself in a difficult spot. There are support and resources available, so keep looking for help until you find it.
Constantly evaluate where you are headed
So as you progress through the days, weeks and months of junior high, consider where your strengths lie, and how these might match up to a future career. This is why it is important to not leave your investigation of your future studies until Matric, because by then you may have dropped the subjects you would have needed to apply for your qualification of choice. If you think you are terrible at Maths and want to drop it as soon as you can, consider which careers you will be ruling out if you do so.
If you don’t know the answer to that, it is worth finding out by for instance doing online research, or speaking to student advisors at higher education institutions about fields that interest you, and what the entry requirements for those would be.
Broaden your horizons
In junior high, young people should start developing themselves holistically, and start learning about things outside of their current field of experience and frame of reference. For instance, they can start keeping up with the daily news so that they know what’s going on in the country and the rest of the world. They could also start cultivating a hobby to develop their creative side and ensure they get regular exercise through group or individual sport.
You are now at the stage of your life where you are starting to develop into the adult you will become. As the saying goes – with some creative licence taken here – there are things we know, things we don’t know, and then things we don’t know we don’t know. Your school will be teaching you about the things you don’t know, but it is your responsibility to be curious about the world and start finding out about the things you didn’t even know you didn’t know.