Un blog de nuestra Lider Aolani Contreras: La clave para una vida exitosa es el equilibrio

Como Pablo menciono en el blog anterior, "a mí me parece que el estrés está controlando la vida de muchos estudiantes, especialmente los de la escuela secundaria y la universidad." Estoy totalmente de acuerdo. Como estudiante todos pasamos por momentos llenos de tensión, pero es normal. Tenemos que ir a la escuela, hacer la tarea, limpiar las habitaciones, y aparte de eso tenemos que lidiar con los problemas sociales y familiares, esas son un montón de cosas que tenemos que hacer en tan poco tiempo. Pero siempre es importante tener en cuenta que podemos tomar un descanso, toma por lo menos 30 minutos al día para sentarte y reflexionar, puede ser una de las mejores decisiones que puedes tomar.
Pablo menciono algunas cosas que usted puede hacer para poder aliviar el estrés y me gustaría añadir a esa lista:

* puedes tomar tiempo para ver tu programa favorito

* juega un juego de vídeo

* da un paseo o ve a dar una carrera

* lee un libro

* medita

* escucha música o

* toma una siesta

Otra cosa que puedes hacer es simplemente comer la cena en la mesa en vez de comer en su escritorio mientras usted está haciendo la tarea. Eso puede hacer una gran diferencia. Has tomar un descanso una prioridad diaria. Las investigaciones han demostrado que las personas que toman descansos son más saludables y felices. Empezando mañana si te sientes como si estuvieras a punto de explotar por hacer tanta tarea sal para afuero por un momento y respirar, esos momentos te quitaran un gran peso de tus hombros y te sentirás más saludable. Y ten en cuenta que la clave del éxito es el equilibrio.

Guest blog by Peer Leader Aolani Contreras: The key to a successful life is balance

As Pablo mentioned on the previous blog,” it seems to me that stress is controlling many students’ lives, especially those from high school and college.” I completely agree. As students we all go through moments full of stress, but it’s normal. We have to go to school, do homework, clean our rooms, and apart from that we have to deal with social and family issues; those are a lot of things to do in so little time. But it’s always important to remember that it’s okay to rest; taking at least 30 minutes a day to just sit down and reflect, can be one of the best decisions you make.

Pablo mentioned some things you can do to relief your stress and I would like to add on to that list:
*You can take time to watch your favorite show

*play a video game

*take a walk or go on a run

*read a book

*meditate

*listen to music or

* take a nap

Another thing that you can do is to simply have dinner at the dinner table and not on your desk while you do homework can make a huge difference. Make taking a break a daily priority. Tests have proven that people who take breaks are healthier and happier.Starting tomorrow if you feel like you’re about to explode from doing so much homework go outside and breathe, those moments will take a huge weight off your shoulders and you’ll feel healthier! And keep in mind that the key to success is balance.

Un blog de nuestro Líder Pablo Cruz, La Rutina Diaria: ¿Cuánto tiempo hasta que nos cáiganos?

Me parece que el estrés esta controlando la vida de muchos estudiantes, especialmente los de la escuela secundaria y la universidad. El estrés inicia al instante que el ruido de la alarma suena. Una de mis buenas amigas, dijo: "odio tener que levantarme al ruido de la alarma .

Se siente como que penetra a través de mi cuerpo. "Como estudiante, mis días comienzan con el estrés. Me apresuro a tomar el desayuno y para alistar mis materiales. Tan pronto como llego a la escuela el parqueadero es una molestia y temo que voy a llegar tarde a clase. Mientras camino rápidamente ya puedo escuchar a mi profesor diciendo: "¿mi clase comenzó minutos antes por qué llegas tarde?" Pero finalmente llego a la clase y el profesor pregunta "¿cómo fue la lectura? ... bien, bien, porque vamos a tener un examen."

Incluso cuando estoy sentado sin el examen enfrente de mí, la ansiedad comienza a abrumar a mi cuerpo como un perro hambriento. A pesar de que llegué a clase al final del día estoy agotado mentalmente, físicamente e incluso emocionalmente.

Aun cuando el día de la escuela se ha terminado el estrés continúa ya que algunos estudiantes corren a casa a comer un bocadillo y se preparan para ir al trabajo. Después de 4-6 horas de trabajo, se ha llegado el momento de volver a casa cansados, con hambre, sueño, y agotados. Es tiempo para descansar. Pero la realidad es que no hay tiempo para descansar debido a las tareas. Entonces, de rapantemente se llega la medianoche, o incluso a veces las 2 a.m. Con sólo 5-7 horas de haber dormido los estudiantes se despiertan agotados y una vez más, el estrés toma control.

Escribo esto para tratar de apoyar a todos los estudiantes por su gran trabajo. La escuela no es fácil para todos y tenemos que tomar un descanso, y ser pacientes. Manténgase activos en algún tipo de ejercicio y lo más importante, duerman y sonrían.

Guest Blog by Peer Leader Pablo Cruz, Daily Routine: How Long Until We Fall?

It seems to me that stress is controlling many students’ lives, especially those from high school and college. It begins from the very second we get up to that noisy alarm clock. One of my good friends said “I hate waking up to the alarm clock. It feels like it pierces through my body.”

As a student my days begin with stress. I rush to eat breakfast and to get my supplies ready. As soon as I arrive to school parking is a hassle and I fear that I will be late for class. While walking at a fast paste I can already hear my professor saying, “my class started minutes ago why are you late?” But I finally make it to class and the teacher mentions “how was the reading? ...okay good, because we’re having a quiz.”

Even when I am sitting without the exam in front of me, I tend to freak out as the anxiety starts to overwhelm my body like a starving dog. Even though I made it to class at the end of the day, I tend to be both mentally and physically drained, and maybe even emotionally.

Even when the school day is over the stress continues as some students rush home, eat a snack, and get ready to drive to work. After 4-6 hours of work, it is finally time to go home tired, hungry, sleepy, and exhausted. It is time to rest. But the reality is that there is no time to rest due to homework. Then suddenly it is about midnight, maybe or sometimes even 2 a.m. With only 5-7 hours of sleep a day students tend to wake up exhausted and once again the stress is talking control.

I write this to try and give a pat on the back to all students, great job! School is not easy for everyone and we have to always relax, take a break, and be patient. Stay active in some sort of exercise and most importantly, sleep and smile.

Motivations in School

An article posted on Psychology Today caught my attention. In Barry Swartz’s “Do Grades As Incentives Work?” the author wonders if grades make students merely work harder. In other words, he asked is the pressure to complete all assignments to get an ‘A’ teaching us anything besides how to get work done. Are we learning the material? Or are we regurgitating what teachers say in order to get a high GPA?

Why do we study hard? For many it’s to get a good grade. But shouldn’t it be for the love of learning?

In my humble opinion I believe that students, by the time they have reached college for sure, but most likely by junior high or high school, have learned that to get the grade we must recite exactly what the teacher says. Most people are afraid to challenge a teacher’s ideas in fear that they will be punished with a lower grade. So, we reread our notes right before a test and recite word for word what teachers want to hear. And as soon as we walk out of the classroom the valuable information slips away.

We also must think about the students. There are the lucky few who barely have to open a book, can skip class, and still get an “easy A” without really trying. Can people honestly say these kids have learned anything that semester? It may be more realistic to say these particular students are able to use their skills in certain techniques such as writing and test taking which allows them to slide on by without effort. They have achieved the desired grade, but learned nothing.

On the other side we see students who struggle to get good grades and really want to learn but aren’t able to do so. Schwartz says in his article “the students in the bottom half of the class--students whose learning we want to encourage--know that the odds of high grades and high rankings are stacked against them. If we corrupt students' souls by convincing them that the main motive for learning are high grades and honors, we end up de-motivating, and de-moralizing, those students who have little chance for the top rankings.” Over time they begin to give up and stop trying to learn.

So it looks to me like the grading system is flawed. Instead of focusing on learning valuable information we can use in the future, we are instead using any means possible to get a good grade, or we simply stop caring. Either way this isn’t helping students prepare for their future.

But what can be done? It isn’t likely that any time soon schools will even consider getting rid of the grading system, so how can teachers encourage students to work hard and actually learn at the same time? That is a question that isn’t easy to answer. Thankfully everyone goes through school and therefore has valuable information and feelings in regards to this topic. Maybe one of us, the frustrated students who are ready for something better, who will eventually discover a way to improve our school systems.