Young people in society column

Provided by the Professional Order of Social Workers of Québec (Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux du Québec), these articles are intended to help you deal with everyday life. They could also help you help a friend!

Studying for your future

By Claire Leduc, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist

There are times when you loose your motivation for school; discouragement and disgust set in. Too much homework, subjects you don’t understand, getting up early and a teacher you dislike, bring you down. Maybe you’re having a growth spurt and are constantly hungry. You find it hard to keep your emotions under control, which decreases your level of attention in class. Perhaps you have family or financial problems.

Another determining aspect: some teenagers get to high school without having acquired a sense of organization. Usually, young people who lack this skill seldom use their agenda. Do you use yours every day?

How to get motivated

Even if you find school annoying right now, keep in mind that it’s preparing you to make choices based on your taste and personality towards the end of high school.

Being able to choose a job you like and have a good standard of living comes with constant work and a degree.

The future looks bright for the young people of your generation. Several technical and professional jobs will be created. Three years from now, 700,000 will be needed. To find out more about high-demand jobs, read "Le Québec a besoin de vous" in L’ Actualité at the following address: http://www.lactualite.com/economie/article.jsp?content=20080506_100412_12248 (in French only).

Doing what it takes

Getting your high school diploma sooner than later is best. With this in mind, you should try to resolve problems as they come and beware preconceived ideas. For example, many people falsely believe that there’s no homework to do or lessons to learn in high school. The truth is that you need to put in at least one hour of homework a day. Otherwise, unless you have significant learning difficulties, there is very little chance you will be admitted in advanced courses in CEGEP without this minimum of effort.

Other people fall behind at school due to irregular attendance or illness. In instances like these, teachers can offer remedial sessions. Some parents or grand-parents pay for supplementary math courses for their kids. Why not take this help?

Many high school students need help with their homework on a regular basis but never talk about it. Asking for help could help them get great scores on their exams. Perhaps your parents could even help you. Not only would that help on an academic level, it would also be an opportunity to maintain communication and the trust between you and your parents.

If you have emotional problems like major conflicts with your parents or friends, or if you have a broken heart, see a social worker at school or at a health centre. He or she will be able to listen to you, understand and give you advice.

Learning to learn

The best way to stay motivated at school is to take pleasure in learning different subjects. Discovering another language, such as French, Spanish or Mandarin, enables you to communicate with millions of people from other cultures. Math opens the door to the world of things. In the same spirit, knowing history helps in understanding passed and current events, and anticipating the future.

To adapt to the issues of our time, you must value your capacity to learn to learn; this is something you’re already doing when you discover how to use a computer, video games or text messaging. This means asking the right questions, paying attention to things that are relevant, finding the information you need and being open to new ideas.

Knowledge is ever changing, so the more you’ll apply yourself in discovering the world, the better you’ll become at retaining information and developing new ways of thinking.

Learning to learn

To be happy, you have to trust yourself and your abilities. But carrying out your full potential takes effort and will, which usually comes into play when we face difficulties or have obstacles to overcome. There’s no doubt that once you will have put your shoulder to the wheel and have surpassed yourself, you’ll be proud of yourself.