Eubanks Counselors' Corner
December 2021
November in Review
Test-Taking Tips!
For some students, these tests are very stressful. It's natural to feel some stress about taking tests. In fact, sometimes a little adrenaline (a hormone made by your body during times of excitement or stress) is a good thing to jump-start you. Sometimes, though, that stress can become so distracting that it prevents a student from accurately displaying their knowledge.
If your student seems to get very nervous before a big test, here are some tips to share with them:
- First, be sure you've studied properly. It sounds like a no-brainer, but if you're sure of the information, you'll have less reason to be worried.
- Get enough sleep the night before the test. Your memory recall will be much better if you've had enough rest. In a scientific study, people who got enough sleep before taking a math test did better than those who stayed up all night studying.
- Listen closely to any instructions. As the teacher hands out the test, be sure you know what's expected of you.
- Read the test through first. Once you have the test paper in front of you, read over the entire test, checking out how long it is and all the parts that you are expected to complete. This will let you estimate how much time you have for each section and ask the teacher any questions. If something seems unclear before you start, don't panic: ask.
- Focus on addressing each question individually. As you take the test, if you don't know an answer, don't obsess over it. Instead, answer the best way you can or skip over the question and come back to it after you've answered other questions.
- Relax. If you're so nervous that you blank out, you might need a mini-break. Of course you can't get up and move around in the middle of a test, but you can wiggle your fingers and toes, take four or five deep breaths, or picture yourself on a beach or some other calm place. As we all know, it can be easy to forget things we know well — like a locker combination. The difference is we know we'll remember our locker combination because we've used it hundreds of times, so we don't panic and the combination number eventually comes back. During a test, if you blank out on something and start to get tense, it suddenly becomes much more difficult to remember.
- Finished already? Although most teachers will let you hand a test in early, it's usually a good idea to spend any extra time checking over your work. You also can add details that you may not have thought you'd have time for. On the other hand, if you have 5 minutes until the bell rings and you're still writing, wind up whatever you're working on without panicking.
These tips should help most people, but some can get serious test-taking terror. If you're one of them, you may need to talk to a parent, teacher, or counselor for help.
Good luck!
The Value of Service for Students
One powerful way to encourage gratitude and to bond as a family is to serve others together!
When we serve, we look outside of ourselves, beyond our own problems, and seek to bring value to others. Many tend to seek service organizations when they want to serve others. While there are many service organizations in need of volunteers, it's also important for our EIS Dragons to know that they can be creative about how they serve! They could consider writing letters or making cards for nursing homes, offering to pet-sit or plant-sit without the expectation of payment, or offering to tutor a younger student with no expectation of payment... the list goes on! Encourage your Dragon to find ways to give of his/her time.
Studies have shown that there are mental and physical health benefits to serving, like reducing depression, lowering blood pressure and lengthening your lifespan. Putting other people's needs before yours also strengthens your relationships. The holiday season is a great time to extend service to others. This can be done through donations to local food banks, shelters, or nonprofit organizations that support those in need. Donating time to feed the homeless or to participate in a program that supports a cause that you may want to promote is very helpful. Mentorship is also a valuable form of service that can inspire and empower the next generation of contributors.
The importance of community service lies in the fact that it connects us to the community by improving it and making it a better place for all of us to live in. Here are some other ways that community service can be beneficial:
- Provides you with the chance to improve skills important for a workplace, such as communication and organizational skills, teamwork, planning, problem-solving and task management.
- It's a perfect opportunity to become closer to the community you live in.
- Community service broadens your horizons by helping you understand the needs of the society and the population you are trying to help through the project you are volunteering on.
- An easy way to make friends is through activities you perform together. Not only would you be helping the ones in need, but you would also be able to meet some other volunteers.
- Opportunity to receive work-related knowledge and skills.
- Opportunity to create good references for potential employers.
If you are looking for an opportunity to help out the ones in need, improve your community, and acquire new knowledge and skills, consider performing community work. There are various volunteer opportunities to choose from depending on your time and preferences.
Mrs. Canafax
Mrs. Garcia
EIS Counselors
lauren.canafax@southlakecarroll.edu
Mrs. Garcia, 2021-2022 6th Grade Counselor
amanda.garcia@southlakecarroll.edu
Website: https://www.southlakecarroll.edu/domain/590
Location: 500 South Kimball Avenue, Southlake, TX, USA
Phone: 817-949-5200