The first month of the school year is an exciting but stressful time. Students are becoming familiar with new grade levels and new subjects. They’re still adjusting to a more regimented schedule after the flexibility of summer. It’s inevitably overwhelming.
Parents are experiencing their own challenges. They’re often juggling multiple students’ priorities. Many are working as well. Parents want and need their high schoolers to operate with independence just to ensure dinner gets on the table.
One tool that can help both parents and students is a weekly assignment plan. Here are five reasons you should consider using one this academic year.
Task Management
High schoolers have a lot going on. There’s homework, tests, essays, etc. And then there’s musical lessons, sports practices, youth groups—you get the idea. A weekly assignment plan can help you plan out your whole week amid your other commitments.
Alleviate “Avoidance Coping”
When we have a difficult thing to do, a common coping mechanism is to simply not think about it. Psychologists call this maladaptive behavior “avoidance coping.” The problem is, doing so actually increases stress. If you use a weekly assignment plan, you know when the week begins what’s due and you can create a plan for tackling each assignment. Not only does this reduce your stress, but it also leads to better quality work.
Improve Your Memory
Most of us know intuitively that we remember things better when we write them down. But scientific research also backs that up, especially when you write rather than type. The best weekly plans are simple, simple enough for students to track with pen and paper rather than using a computer.
Work Ahead
A few years ago, our Physics master teacher, Liz Shimada, ran a statistical analysis of her Pre-Calculus class. Her analysis showed that students who completed their first lesson on Monday or Tuesday had higher chances of receiving “A’s” for the course. A weekly assignment plan helps you organize your tasks so that you aren’t scrambling to finish them and making unnecessary mistakes as a result.
Sense of Accomplishment
Balancing everything as a high schooler is hard. A weekly assignment plan provides a written record of everything you accomplished. At the end of the year, you can look back on your logs and be proud of your efforts and perseverance. Bravo!
Don’t have a weekly assignment plan? We did the work so you don’t have to. Download HSLDA Online Academy’s weekly assignment plan for free.
