Welcoming a New School Term Using The “3Ds”
Dear girls and boys. How are you doing? Are you making great progress? You have been at school for exactly two weeks now. I am sure you all started the year with all kinds of good intentions and promises, to yourself, to your parents, your teachers. Are you trying to keep these promises? Are you using the three Ds: Direction, Determination and Diligence?
I know some of my own English students, some of those who are a bit weak, like this Korean student, think the best thing to do is buy and do lots and lots of exercises – that’s what they did in the Summer holidays. I want to tell them and you – STOP! Your teacher gives you as many exercises as you need. If you are doing them but not improving, it doesn’t mean you need more and more. You need to try some other way. Go and find an interesting book to read, one that isn’t too difficult. Watch an English movie, a television programme, the news. This will all be far more helpful.
Another thing you should do, which will be very helpful for ALL your subjects is find one or several classmates that you can discuss your school subjects with, even do your homework together. Talking about something is very stimulating. You will learn to ask and answer questions, to use your imagination and to explore even the most challenging subjects. You might even be surprised to find you start to have fun. Instead of your subjects making you feel heavy and tired, under pressure, you might start to feel as light as that kite I mentioned earlier, flying high in the blue sky.
Now is the best time to start. It is still early in the year and you have not formed any bad habits yet. So get started today. Talk! Tell stories, explain things, make jokes, ask questions! Fly that kite! Have a really exciting year of learning and achievement so that at the end of the year you will find that yes, you did it, you did what you promised yourself, your parents, your teachers you would do!
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