The pandemic has hit many people hard, and teachers are no exception. Despite these difficult circumstances, many teachers still show an incredible amount of passion for their students and subject. Here are just some of the ways teachers have brightened my own life and the lives of many other students: Their passion is infectious. One…
We’ve all heard the word mindset. It’s the mental attitude held by someone. But how exactly does it affect our everyday lives? Our mindset not only affects the way that we think but allows us to learn new skills, develop healthy self-esteem, and impact how we respond to mistakes. Most importantly, it is responsible for…
Presentations are hard without physical contact. But no one has any choice in the matter when we’re all shut at home, hiding from a global pandemic and trying to avoid physical contact as much as possible. I struggled tirelessly with this painful process for the past year: from Model UN conferences to novel studies to…
Nothing to do at home? No problem. Alberta has just announced that mass gatherings will not be allowed this summer. Yes, this means no Stampede. Even though this measure is very needed, it throws a wrench in the works for students. Many Calgary students rely on these events to participate in the community, and…
Esports is a billion-dollar industry that is growing rapidly. Youth are presented with countless opportunities in an industry that didn’t even exist at the beginning of this short century. Professional esports athletes are making salaries comparable to athletes in other professional sports. Esports organizations are being valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. Companies are…
Calligraphy is the art of forming beautiful symbols by hand and arranging them well. Do you remember learning how to handwrite in cursive in elementary school? It was comprised of the tedious tracing worksheets and exercises for a style of writing that we would never use again! I have always had a profound fascination with…
At one point in time or another, you’ve probably heard one of two things: Studying while listening to music is distracting. Studying while listening to music helps you focus. You’ve probably also noticed that these two things are completely contradictory. So, this begs the question: should you listen to music while you study? Some people…
We’ve all done it one time or another. Cramming. It’s that single word that brings fear to adolescents’ hearts all over the world. It’s a last resort and is viewed as unreliable and ineffective. But is it really? Does cramming work? The simple answer is yes. Yes, it is does work for tests the day…
As my years of public school education come to a close, here are three valuable lessons I’ve learned from my three years of high school. 1. Failure happens. What matters is the response. Disappointing test marks have shown me the limits of my preparation methods. But dwelling on shortcomings isn’t what will make a difference.…
We’re getting to the end of the school year and I’ve noticed that everyone is obviously super stressed. Exams are coming and people are starting to study. By now, I’m sure everyone has figured out how they like to study, but just in case, here are some tips on how I personally study for exams.…
With final exam season just around the corner, many students typically try to frantically cram information from the beginning of the semester before their exam or diploma. However instead of trying to pull all-nighters and study for hours and hours at a time, there are many ways to retain the same amount of information without…
Writing notes that are easy to read and understand is essential for studying and reviewing. It can be difficult to study when your notes are a mess and there are random jot-notes sprawled all over your notebook. Ensuring your notes are organized as you’re writing them, will help you stay motivated to study later and…
Try to embrace the unknown!
Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with Thanusha Veeraperumal, the blogger of the month for February 2019. Thanusha is a grade 12 student at Lester B. Pearson High School. She joined Youth Are Awesome (YAA) in August of 2018, and has already contributed much to the blog. What resonated with me throughout our ‘interview’…
Things will always take longer than what you think even if you think they’re going to take longer than you think they will. 1. Start NOW This is a lot easier said than done. A significant number of us put things off as long as we can but if you think you can do something…