High School Students

Expectations for High School Students

High school teachers expect a much higher level of maturity and responsibility than teachers at the lower grade levels. You're expected to be able to manage your time so you can get to class on time and complete all your homework assignments.

Most teachers will expect you to have a firm grounding in note-taking and study skills. They'll want more from students when it comes to the amount and difficulty of homework and class projects.

Many high school students get the feeling that their teachers don't understand they're taking five or six other classes in addition to theirs. The tests, papers and other homework can pile up very quickly if you aren't organized and don't work hard to stay on top of things.

Most people learn time management in high school by necessity. Some students find a planner helps them stay organized, allowing them to block out study time for each subject around different activities. Others do just as well with a to-do list that includes everything they need to do that day or week.

Some basic studying tips that will help all high school students include:

• Use your study hall time if you have one.
• Try to study at the same time and place each day.
• If you know you learn better in the morning, get up early and study before school.
• Study the hardest subjects when you are most alert.
• Take a ten-minute break out of every hour you study to get up and walk around.
• Make a daily list of things you need to get done and start with the most important things.

Social Pressures

Just as the academic pressures mount for high school students, social issues tend to become more serious as students move into the teenage years. You've probably already had your first experience of young love by the time you get to high school, and by now the feeling of young lust may be taking over instead.

In high school there is a lot more pressure to become sexually active or to do things with your boyfriend or girlfriend you might not have considered earlier in life. They key, as always, is never to give in when someone pressures you to do something you aren't comfortable with. If your problems with a particular person continue, talk to a parent or trusted adult.

In addition to the changing dating scene, friendships and social activities can change a lot in high school as well. Odds are at least one of your friends will have a car, and your parents will start allowing you new freedoms to go out on your own and maybe stay out later than they would have before.

This new freedom is a lot of fun, but again, there are potential dangers, especially if your friends are in to drinking or drugs. Lots of high school students experiment with smoking, drinking and drugs, but it is important to make your own decisions and think of your safety first.

Never get in a car with someone who has been drinking or using drugs. If you have to, call your parents, an older sibling or some other trusted adult who can get you home safely. It's better to get in trouble with your parents than to risk putting yourself in a potentially deadly situation.

Thinking About the Future

High school students also start to feel the pressure from parents and others to define what they want their life to be like after high. It's never too early to start thinking about college, especially if you want to go away to school or set your sights on a highly competitive college.

It can start to feel like everyone wants you to know exactly what you life is going to be like right away, but it's really not the end of the world if you don't know what you want to do after high school. You're going to be exposed to a lot of social and educational experiences during high school that will help shape who you are and who you want to be. So, have fun and know that sooner or later, you'll figure it all out.