All Aboard the Struggle Bus

Come join me in my struggle today as I talk about what I hope is a shared helplessness. Today I wanted to talk about that one class we all have where we feel like Miley Cyrus will become clean and wholesome again before we do one thing right. This is going to be general advice for literally any class because if Brian from "The Breakfast Club" taught us anything it's that there is no such thing as "easy A" class.

To get the ball rolling, I'll share my experiences that inspired this post. It could've been a subplot in a mediocre high school genre film, an intelligent girl who never had any real problems with her core classes (me) decides to take a Jewelry class just for fun. As the class begins working on projects, she slowly starts to realize that she is really bad at drilling, and then sawing, and later filing. She tries to correct her mistakes, but nothing is making a large difference. The hard truth of it is, she is struggling in this class. She feels incompetent, and embarrassed. The academic confidence she once had has dissolved into nothingness, leaving her feeling seemingly weak and alone.

Me in jewelry class. Image courtesy of Barkpost.

But seriously guys, I am terrible at jewelry making, and the drill press is the worst part. As my friend Natalie nicely put it "The drill press is the bane of Allison's existence." How should I put this, I would rather write a twenty page essay on my experiences with watching paint dry than use the drill press one more time. It doesn't help that when I'm using it people are usually forming a line behind me. Those people are not really interested in how big of a challenge it is for me, they just want to drill there holes and get on with their lives. I mean who cares if I'm completely paralyzed by fear of the power tool they entrust to 9th graders (because we are supposedly so mature now. I'm trying really hard, but I'm not even living up to my own, now severely lowered, standards.

What I imagine my conversations with my art teacher are going to be like. Image courtesy of EpicPinterestFail.

  So clearly I'm having problems, but how do I, or you for that matter, fix that? my suggestion, find one part of it that you can do even slightly well, and maybe something that you enjoy. If you can focus on that, your life int that class might be easier (no promises in cases like mine), and less miserable.

This beacon of hope for me in my jewelry class is refining our pieces. This means sanding by hand for literally over an hour, and then using the buffing machine, which, by the way has scalped people. All this, just to make it look shiny. Sounds terrible, but I love it, I might even go as far as saying that I'm good at it. On a more social note, I also have good friends in that class (shout out to Sam and Franzi). They keep me from going insane, or should I say more insane.

Well, this is the end for now, but kudos to those who actually made it to the end of this post. Special thanks to my mom for at least trying to understand why I continually embarrass myself on the internet. And finally, none of this would be possible without viewers like you, thank you (PBS reference). Talk you you dorks later (even sooner if you comment on this post)!

Vacation Procrastination

We all do it. In fact, that's exactly what I'm doing right now. I am in Las Vegas until Sunday for a dance competition (Youth America Grand Prix), and I have decided to write in impromptu blog post instead of finishing the essay due in just a couple of days. When you are on a vacation, you put off doing your homework as long as you can, and often times until the journey back home. This is the definition of unnecessary stress. While I understand wanting to relax on your vacation, ruining the end by cramming all your homework into the last day puts a negative spin on those good vibes you had during your trip. Here are some of the best ways to keep up with school and paradise without one dominating the other. Bonus, I am determined to only use images from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, so enjoy.

1. Find The In Between Moments

Image courtesy of The Prospect

During a vacation you will always have those moments of pause before you head to your next adventure. If you have half an hour because your mom couldn't stop taking pictures around the hotel, then use that time to read your textbook, finish an essay, or hey, write a blog post. Even if you only have two minutes you can finish a math problem or two. Little by little your workload is lightened and your sense of accomplishment grows. I know I am proud of myself when I finish my homework early (for me that means not in the last minute before class).


2. Car Rides

Image courtesy of Blogramme.

Although I just said no to leave all you homework for the car ride home, I didn't say you couldn't do some of it then. Not to mention, if you are capable of completing assignments on your way home, then you can do it on the way there too. I don't recommend this if you get car sick easily. Also and advantage of the road is the constant access to gas stations and their candy. Sometimes I will reward/bribe myself with candy to get my homework done. One Reese's Piece at the end of each paragraph sounds like a good deal to me. I don't recommend that if you are allergic to peanut butter.

3. Makeup Work

Bueller? Bueller? Image courtesy of Bitcointalk

This is a big one guys. I know it's hard to accept the consequences of playing hooky, but unless you want to spend the rest of the quarter digging yourself out of a hole, it has to be done. Of all my vacationing sins, this is the one I am most often guilty of. Half the time, I don't even check Canvas before I go back to school. This always backfires, and is one of the most obvious things that needs to be done. I understand the frustration that comes with being sick, and not completing your math assignments while feeling like you've just eaten a carton of rotten eggs and went back for seconds. I understand that, but everyone is guilty.

Well I hope you all keep these tips in mind for the upcoming winter break. I also hope you aren't getting tired of Ferris Bueller, I know I'm not (please help, I may be a little obsessed)! Also, if you want to prove to me that you readers are existent, and are not just ghosts, then try commenting, or following this blog.

Just kidding, you guys should go read my other posts. Image courtesy of Wikia .

Mark the Date

Image courtesy of OpenCareer

Get out your pens, pencils, and other writing utensils! Today is the day we laugh in the face of fear! No longer will we worry, and wonder in anticipation of an audition, performance, or test. From now on, we will walk with a confidence, and certainty that will make the teachers ask you for a grade, interviewers will ask you for a job, and parents will ask for your permission to leave the dinner table!

So maybe I was a little bit too enthusiastic, but who can blame me? As teenagers, our lives are riddled with unnecessary anxiety. Not doing well at events like sports games, tests, or auditions may not be the end of the world, but as teenagers, they are still and important part of our lives. Everyone works, learns, and feels in different ways, but this is how I go into a potentially stressful situation.

A small warning, this post isn't about how I prepare beforehand. You can use this advice if you have studied and practiced for hours, or if you walk in completely unprepared.

 First, when I am dreading the event to come, I try to remind myself that just as sure as it is going to begin, it is going to end. At this point, there is nothing more you can do to change what is going to happen. You will get through it, I promise.

Next, in a lot of situations, especially tests, people around you will be in a nervous and talkative frenzy. They will share information all about the hours they spent preparing, and how they still feel unprepared.. Try not to participate in this. I know it can be hard not to get caught up in all the sharing, but most of the time you will begin in an even more nervous state than when you first walked in. Try listening to music, or reading a book instead. I don't suggest studying, sometimes when you have spent a lot of time preparing for a test, the best thing to do is relax, and trust yourself. A last minute cram session isn't going to do very much good.

Last, when you are anxious and on edge, you might rush through what you are doing, and make silly mistakes. You will only make things harder for yourself if you don't have a clear and calm head. Freaking out isn't going to help solve your problems, and people are more willing to help out someone who isn't screaming, moaning, or acting generally insane. When I want to calm myself down I just pretend that it's no big deal, and that everything is okay. You don't have to believe it, but sometimes just acting cool and collected can help. This trick helps me when I forget something important, when I make a big mistake, or even when I'm just generally flustered.

I hope this helped you, make sure to suggest and comment!

So You Spent Three Hours On One Homework Assignment, And Now You're Freaking Out

Photo courtesy of OnTheRunEvents

So,  Thursday night I spent three and a half hours on one math assignment. These three and a half hours were spent before, and after dance. In fact, I even left dance early just so I could get a head start on the gigantic load of homework I had. In hindsight, I should have managed my time better so that I could take a break and work on something else to decompress, because when I finally asked my mom for help I found that most of my problems were just silly mistakes that wouldn't have happened if I had a better attitude. Luckily, I was able to finish everything I needed to do, but I went to bed way later than I should have.

In my position that night, there wasn't much that I could do to fix my situation, but here is how to prevent that from ever happening. First, it sounds obvious, but really make sure you understand the lesson taught in class. Ask questions, talk to the teacher, and do examples of what you are working on. Second, do your homework the night it was assigned. This makes sure everything is still fresh in your mind. Also if you have a problem, you have a lot of time to get help. Now, if you find yourself in a position like mine, and you have been staring at the same problems for 20 minutes, take a break. Do another assignment, grab a snack, do something that relaxes you. Once you get frustrated, the work becomes twice as hard. This is the game I like to play when I want to relax. Just remember, use this link responsibly. While I think that taking time to relax and having fun is important, procrastination is not a good way to spend your time.

I hope these tips work for you. If you have any suggestions, make sure to comment!