Invicta Vlogs
Lessons Learned
I hope you are all doing well and taking one day at a time! As the first term has drawn to a close, I think it is important to reflect on this term and the lessons we have learnt - especially in such a time as this. As a result, in this blog post I would like to reflect on three things I have learnt as a Year 13 student during my first term.
The first lesson I have learnt is the importance of self-care and understanding what rest looks like, for you - yes you! From entering the new term in-person, as opposed to online teaching, was something I had to get used to again and how this change may lead to feelings of stress, worry or anxiety when we feel uncertain about the future. However, as I always say to my friends, self-care is not selfish; it's just making sure that your personal wellbeing and development is prioritised and well nurtured. This may mean going for a walk in the evening, reading a new book, blocking out time in the week for a movie, sitting still, at-home-spa or even taking a nap! Whatever ‘floats your boat’, make sure that your mental health, personal development is not being neglected, just because you want to achieve at school. Remember - taking a break does NOT mean you are being unproductive - as long as it is not too many.
The second lesson I have learnt is the importance of being patient in your education. What I mean by this, is that learning is a process and it’s important not to be hard on yourself when you don’t grasp a new concept for the first time. I am speaking to myself as I type this, because earlier last month I was learning a new concept in A Level Maths (one of the most difficult topics apparently) and I remember being so frustrated that I could not understand it in the first fifteen minutes of the lesson. However, remember how I said learning is a process? I had to realise I was being too hard on myself and so as I started to relax, ask questions, and try again before the end of the lesson, I started to ‘nail’ the questions on it. The story does not end there though - I went home and I had forgotten how to do some of the steps in the question and guess what, the frustration kicked in again but this time as I relaxed, I remembered that this was all part of the process and as I did more and more questions, I was able to gain a solid understanding of the concept. Moral of the story - be patient!
The last lesson would be the importance of looking out for others. Earlier I spoke about looking out for yourself, but it is important to make sure that you are showing genuine love and care to someone besides yourself. As we are in a difficult season, this is especially important. The person sat next to you right now could be having a bad day and by you asking them a simple but sincere question – ‘how are you doing today?’ could allow the person to get some things off their chest and feel much better and optimistic about the rest of the day. Or someone could be finding a new concept hard - maybe offer to help them out? Treating others how you would like to be treated is an old but relevant truth we should all live by!
Thank you for reading this blog. I hope that you take some time out to do some reflecting too!
Donna Doherty
Senior Prefect – Deputy Head Girl
