As a teacher, I am obliged to give exams regularly. But, I recognize that learning how to study for an exam is no easy task. Here are 5 key S.T.U.D.Y. tips to keep in mind when preparing for a test, however big or small.
Sleep
Does the all-nighter really work? Can you cram a unit’s worth of material into your brain the night before an exam? No, and in fact, it will often backfire. Pulling an all-nighter will defeat the purpose of studying when you have no energy to think the next day.
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Too often high school teachers serve up the same “classic” novels that have weighed down the literary canon for decades. You know the culprits: The Great Gatsby, A Tale of Two Cities, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Grapes of Wrath, to name a few.
While going about how to register for the AP exam, people tend to put off finding a place where they can take the them until the last minute--and that's the worst thing you could do, especially in a place like New York! Unlike the SAT or ACT, there is no online AP test registration and there are no test centers set up specifically for these exams. It’s left up to each school to allow (or deny) students who wish to test with them. I always recommend the following:
Xin Nian Kwai Le! Gong Xi! Gong Xi Fa Cai! This is the traditional Chinese greeting that families, friends and neighbors address each other with during Chinese Lunar New Year. It translates to “Happy New Year! Wishing you happiness and prosperity! This year, 2015, which happens to be the year 4714 on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, will be celebrated on February 19th ushering in the year of the Ram. The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals, and their legends are often told by the elderly members of the community as they pass on the customs and rituals to the younger generations.
As parents and their children worry more and more about how hard it is to get into college, they look for additional opportunities to distinguish themselves from the rest. Advanced Placement courses and exams have become one of those things high school juniors and seniors take to show that they are competitive. Every year, however, I field inquiries from frantic parents who are looking for a tutor or a place for their child to take these AP exams, in large part because “that’s what everyone does.” Befo
In a follow up to my last blog regarding how significant a role creative software can have in the development of a person’s mind, I’d like to share an illuminating example. Here at The Beekman School we offer various creative courses, and one of them is a course in the fundamentals of design using Adobe Illustrator as the software tool.
We all have stories. Sometimes we think that our stories are not valuable or interesting, but if our inaugural Chirp Café last week taught us anything, it’s that this just isn’t the case. The room was packed to the rafters with spectators who were there to listen to students tell their personal stories of transition and change.
Virtually all schools have a technology requirement. Common sense tells us that this is because our world is increasingly dependent upon technology, and it’s important to be able to utilize it. Here at Beekman, however, we go beyond the basics and learn technology through the execution of “fun” software. This is certainly more engaging for students, but there are more benefits than meet the eye.
Are you starting to look for a school next year? Just like the college admission game, getting into a private high school in Manhattan can be a strategizing and stressful experience. Although there isn’t a report like the one U.S. News & World Report publishes so parents can see top ranking schools, there is an unspoken hierarchy passed among parents and other education professionals as to which schools are “the best.”
Do you ever feel like you just don’t fit in at your school? Mean kids, exclusive cliques, lunchroom gossip, bullying in the halls, unfriendly teachers, no one listens to you and no one cares? Most teenagers feel that way at one time or another, but when the atmosphere at school becomes so oppressive that it’s keeping you from performing at your best, it’s time for a change.