Chill Out Charlie
An advice column for Alsion students to just lighten up
Friendships. Social media. Romance. School. Family. So many pressure points and so little relief. Witherly Heights’s in-house counselor, Charlie, has all the answers to slow that heart rate, calm those nerves and temper those anxieties. Every month, “Charlie” will be a different columnist–he or she could be a teacher, middle schooler or high school student–but, rest assured, Charlie will always have your back. Write Charlie about anything under the sun at chilloutcharlie750@gmail.com
Dear Charlie,
I have too much homework and I can never finish it. I need help quickly or I am going to explode.
A PERSON WHO IS GOING TO EXPLODE
Dear Exploder,
Bomb squad here! This is a pretty typical experience for people in school who take on a lot of academic pursuits. The obvious answer would probably be to work on time management and try to get on top of homework, but I know that can be hard. Sometimes, there’s just too much work and too little time!
For situations like that, the best thing to do is to just learn how to work more effectively. For one, it’s good to be better organized when doing big projects. Things like presentations and outlines become so much more streamlined when you outline, for example. These things may feel like a waste of time initially, but it truly helps organize thoughts and eradicate those moments we’ve all been through, like getting to the middle of an essay and having no idea where to take it or trying to figure out where that one paragraph fits.
Another thing is to read more efficiently! Textbooks are great, but they often have so much information that just isn’t relevant for the homework or assignment. They’re also written in a way where you can generally ascertain what a paragraph is going to be about if you read the topic sentence, and the rest will be examples to back up the topic sentence. If you don’t need examples, don’t bother reading the paragraph too closely.
My final bit of advice for knocking out homework more quickly is to just take advantage of where you are and when you have free time. If you’re in school and have five extra minutes to do a math problem, don’t hesitate. Especially if you are having a hard time understanding, don’t be afraid to talk to a teacher to ask him or her for help. After all, that’s what they’re there for!
Dear Charlie,
I really wanted to know how to study for my tests better. I’ve been struggling to remember things from readings and other worksheets and I need an efficient and easy way to study and remember things. What can I do to be more efficient in studying and how can I remember things better?
Sincerely,
THAT BAD STUDIER
Hey, Bad Studier,
We’ve all been there! Studying for tests is so hard, especially when you’re still figuring what works for you and your style of learning. I wish I could tell you exactly how to study better and memorize better, but it’s really just different for everyone. It’s really helpful to figure out how you learn best, whether it be from graphics, readings, listening to lectures, or even just repeating things out loud. See if you can figure out which is your learning style, either from trial and error or simply seeing if online quizzes can give you a consistent answer. Then take advantage of it!
For example, for me, reading really helps. I always go over readings and then make flashcards on Quizlet, where I can make games that help me memorize various terms. A friend of mine who needs to repeat stuff to remember takes a different route, and she’ll read passages out loud to be able to process the information better. Everyone’s different! Just remember to study for what’s relevant, so you don’t waste time on information that may not be covered on the test. Don’t be afraid to clarify with a teacher about exactly what material will be covered.
Dear Charlie,
Lately my producer and I have been having a hard time making music covers. We can’t really finish our work and at the same time produce “our” music. We are supposed to be meeting up on Friday or Saturday, but based on our schedule it’s hard to find time. HELP ME CHILL OUT CHARLIE!
Sincerely,
Medium Abale
I’M HERE TO HELP!!! I think we all wish we had all the time in the world to get everything we want done, but unfortunately, there’s only 24 hours in a day, and a lot of stuff to cram in. Finding time to meet up with somebody is always hard, especially when schedules are busy, so it’s really just a matter of prioritizing and making the most of time when you are together. See when’s the next time that you’re both free and mark it off. Even if it’s a month from now, dedicate that day to working on music covers. Once you start looking more long term and finding days that do work, you can put aside bigger chunks of time to make up for such infrequent meetings!
Also, if there are other things in the way, like homework, try getting those done ahead of time so that when the time comes to meet up, there isn’t something else that will cut your time short. I know it’s hard, but hopefully keeping that in mind will ensure you can see each other more often in the future! Best of luck.
“Charlie” for this month is Jessica Anthony, a senior and one of Witherly Heights’s editors-in- chief.