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With distractions and no motivation, it is easy for students to fall behind in studies. Dorothy Victor writes how this can be avoided.
It is said that time is never wasted by the hours, only by the minutes. This truth cannot be more relevant in the context of today’s student fraternity. A typical day in the life of a teenager is harried, busy and crammed with activities and private classes, besides the long day at the school or college. The student is always racing against time, little as he is.
Yet, paradoxically, none in modern times squanders time as much as it is done by teens today. Through their long and hard day, much time slips away like grains of sand passing through a sieve.
The primary reason for this scenario, among other factors, is the failure on an education system to teach its students the importance and significance of time.
Time, the leveller
The one factor that is given in equal measure to all students is time. While cognitive skills, talents and other abilities could vary from student to student, each one is given 24 hours in a day to work on these skills. How a student makes use of these hours ultimately defines his level of success and growth. It has been observed that academic achievers are those not necessarily with high IQ levels. A common trait among high achievers is their ability to use their time wisely.
An academic year at school or college passes fast with weekends, public holidays and vacation breaks. With the many subjects that students are required to learn and with a wide range of syllabi that goes with these subjects, teachers are under a tight and programmed schedule to complete the syllabus. Unless students are in tandem with the teacher, it is very easy for them to get lost and lose track of the lessons that are being taught. As one topic in most subjects, is built upon the knowledge of the previous topic, losing out on the subject-matter of the initial topics has a negative spiralling effect on students. It is in this context that time management by the students becomes imperative. Students should be made to understand and appreciate the benefits that flow from keeping pace with the lectures in the class room. When students make sure they go hand in hand with what is being done in the class, the time at school or college is utilised effectively and fruitfully. For a majority of students with no time values, a big chunk of their day at school and college is wasted through much distraction and diversions. It is not uncommon to see students dozing in classrooms. Inattentiveness in class creates a backlog that will have rippling effects in a student’s poor academic performance. Educational institutionss should compulsory bring awareness to its students on the role time management plays in the success of a student. After all, every student wants to perform well, score high and scale the heights.
While a select few manage to reach this goal, most students grope in the dark, simply because they do not have the wisdom to discern that proper use of daily hours is an effective key that can unlock the door to a successful academic life. A talk by experts in the field at the start of the academic year is a viable option from which students can gain immensely.
Significance of each day
Making every day count in the school or college ought to be drilled into students. Perhaps a 10 minute allocation can be built into every period for students to recap the lesson done in that period, so that when they leave for the day, the first level of studying has already been completed.
Sundry other effective ways of utilising precious time should be instructed to the students. These could be such tactics as making use of commute time to revise lessons, meaningful interactions and academic discussions with friends during break and other intermissions. Making use of scraps of time is also an easy way to make a day count.
Much time is wasted between periods and other interruptions in a day. A wise student would make use of those scraps of time which in an academic year adds to a big chunk. Even if fresh concepts cannot be studied, formulae, equations, definitions and other materials already put to study can be revised in those scraps of time. A student’s fluency and clarity during exams after all, depends much on the revisions done after studying a subject well.
Lastly, teens should be drilled with optimum cut off time on leisure activities. In today’s world of video games, social networks, 24x7 TV channels and hordes of other distractions, it is easy for a youngster to get engrossed and misuse time.
A Chinese saying is apt in this context: If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.
Getting carried away is easy, staying focussed and drawing a line is often a difficult task, but one that will add minutes and hours to a student life.
An academic year is one too short for a student to take things relaxed and easy. With good time management, several hours and eventually days, can be added to the academic year, which will prove to be the biggest asset for a student.
Students should internalise the old saying “Do everything at its right time, and one day will seem like three.” It is an eternal truth that time is like a river; it flows by and doesn’t return.