Student questions answered by junior Keely Walker:
"How do I keep my mouth shut when a teacher is being disrespectful? (honest question)"
Keeping quiet when you feel disrespected, especially by an authority figure, is a difficult task. However, picking and choosing your battles is equally as important. I would encourage you to speak to another teacher or someone in a higher position, just so someone else is aware of the situation. While it is important to not say anything to get you in trouble, suffering in silence is not necessarily an adequate way to cope. If you feel like it would be helpful, maybe try talking to the teacher and mention how their actions are inappropriate. If not, that is when I would move to another adult. That being said, if you do not wish to involve another adult, here are the ways to try and keep quiet: count to ten, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. While speaking up is difficult, you are more likely to see the results you seek by doing so. Even if you try to follow the whole meditate for a minute routine, it might just build up. So ultimately, I recommend taking a minute for yourself and closing your eyes, looking for a friend so you know someone else recognizes the misjustice, but mainly talking to someone in power about this so the disrespect does not continue.
"How can I manage my time?"
Time management is not only an important skill, but a tricky one to acquire. I recommend creating a schedule for all the things you need to get done, and as the day goes on, cross each task off your list. The satisfaction from knowing you're making progress can be rewarding, turning a small habit into a regular one. If you struggle with the motivation to make a list, maybe try setting up rewards for getting things done. This way, you're sure to get things done in a timely matter so you can do whatever you want. Moderating yourself is not easy, but if you create a schedule and set up rewards for certain checkpoints, you're on the right path.
"I have no motivation for school whatsoever. How do I fix that?"
Getting yourself to do things you don't want to do is never easy. That being said, things still have to get done. Similar to a time management situation, I would recommend a rewards setup and a list. Even if you don't accomplish everything you have to do, getting some items crossed off might inspire you to keep going. If you tell yourself you can go get yourself something on your wish list if everything gets done, you'd be more encouraged. Find someone to hold you accountable, too. Also, if motivation is a strong issue, it's possible something else could be underlying. Speak to an adult if you have a feeling something else is going on. Overall, make a list, set up rewards, and find someone to make sure you are productive.
“Listen, I don’t really know what to do about this and it is kind of silly. My stomach grows really loudly, and you may be like “no one else can hear it” and that is what I had been telling myself for a long time. However, now I have had people point it out on several occasions. I’ve tried laughing it off, or announcing it and apologizing before anyone else can point it out. It gives me a lot of anxiety. In one of my classes, we aren’t allowed to talk and so everyone can hear it. What makes it worse is that it is consistent. I have tried drinking lots of water, eating, holding my breath, focusing on my breathing, chewing gum, listening to music so I can’t hear it. So far, none of that has worked. In one of my classes I’ve just stopped doing my work so I can do something where I can type loudly to try and distract from the sound. It’s really bad. Also, I am a procrastinator so that work never gets done. I don’t really know what advice you could give, but it feels nice to talk about!”
I'm sorry to hear about your stomach issues. Stomach grumbling is caused by the small intestine moving food, hence creating the sound. One thing that came to mind was that it might be what you're eating. You might have some sort of indigestion that makes it harder to digest food. Try to stay away from processed or acidic foods. Also, try eating slowly, and try to stay away from any anxiety-inducing activity because that could cause it, too. Keep us updated if it works! Good luck.