Does a subject make you moody? Everyone has experienced this sensation once or twice. But you can learn some basic tips to stay positive, interested and through your semester successfully, even with the worst and most boring classes you have to take.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Stay Positive for Class
Step 1. Prepare yourself mentally every day
Even if you have to go to your least favorite class, it won't feel too bad if you go in with the right attitude. Build a little ritual for yourself when you need to enter the class to give yourself the strength to get through it. You can do it!
Listen to uplifting songs, songs you love so much that you're moved and energetic. Let that energy carry you to class. This step will help make at least the first part of a boring lecture less boring
Step 2. Keep your energy levels high for class
You are not allowed to sleep, although you may want to doze off during this lesson. The higher your energy level for the class, the easier it will be for you to pay attention and attend the class. The easier it is to take classes, the less bored you will feel. The less boredom there is, the more interesting the class will be.
- Get at least eight hours of sleep before school, especially on days with a class schedule you hate so much. If you feel sleepy in class, things will feel a lot more boring.
- Trying to get a little exercise will help keep your energy levels high before class. Hide in the bathroom and do 15 jumping jacks. Just don't let anyone see you.
Step 3. Reward yourself with a snack
Algebra lessons will feel better if there is a Snickers chocolate at the end of the lesson. Buy a snack for a class you hate, to reward yourself before, during or after that class depending on the rules at your school. Try to save it until after class ends, to give yourself something to look forward to. Save your granola candy as a reward for making it through another class you hate.
Processed snacks that are high in sugar can boost your energy in a short amount of time, but you'll end up feeling much more exhausted for the rest of the day, making it harder for you in the final hours of class. Instead of chewing on Skittles candy, try to eat an apple, orange or a handful of nuts
Step 4. Dress up before going to school
Your appearance can affect how you feel. If you dress like you don't want to go to class, you'll feel the same way. Instead, put on a cool new outfit or take a little time to get ready for school on a day with a class schedule you hate so you'll feel confident and refreshed instead of bored and tired.
Step 5. Customize school supplies according to your taste for the class
Do your best when you are looking for school supplies for this class you don't like. Decorate your binders, notebooks and notebooks. Buy those colorful plastic pens and pencils, stickers, and paper separators. Even if the class is bad, you still have something to enjoy and separate activities to keep you busy.
Part 2 of 3: Controlling Boredom
Step 1. Find one thing to enjoy from the lesson
No class is always fun all the time. But sometimes, you can pick one thing you like, to help you stay focused and give you a reason to enjoy your time in the class. Even if it's not part of the content of the lesson itself, but rather from the classroom, the students or your own brain.
- Find a friend in the class, or another student you have a crush on. Spend time in class thinking of interesting topics to talk about after class, when you leave the room.
- Try to find something to enjoy from the lesson too. If the lesson is history, sit patiently over the boring topic of legislation to get an interesting piece on the wars that took place.
Step 2. Allow yourself to daydream once in a while
Every now and then, you can allow yourself to imagine entertaining thoughts without sacrificing your attention. A recent study showed that letting your thoughts wander around in controlled sequences can help you refocus and retain information.
- Make up silly stories about the people in your class. Who is most likely to be a secret alien from Planet Zebulon? Who secretly likes the teacher? Who will survive if your class has to face a zombie outbreak?
- Start imagining about what you will do after coming home from school. Playing video games while eating pizza? Seems okay too.
- Match a variety of forest-dwelling creatures with the appearances of various students in your class. Who looks the most like a squirrel? Wolf? Owl? This turned out to be fun.
Step 3. Try to relate the lesson to other topics that interest you
What if this class isn't algebra, but training for astronauts so you can learn the right formula for charting a trajectory to the moon? What if this class wasn't a gym class, but a secret training facility for talented athletes and geniuses. What if this class isn't history, but training for secret agents? Whatever you're in, allow yourself to fantasize that the class is something else and you have to do well to be successful.
Step 4. Write down your lesson notes and draw on your notebook
This step is a mutually beneficial solution. Taking notes keeps you active and productive in class, while doodling is fun and a simple, nice and fun way to pass the time. Drawing also has the added effect of helping you stay active.
A recent study has shown that people who doodle can retain more information, because you engage in active activities--drawing and taking notes--compared to passive listening activities
Step 5. Find other silent activities to do silently
If you want to keep yourself busy in your thoughts, try to make little games for yourself to pass the time. As long as the game isn't loud or so loud that you're reprimanded by the teacher, you can play this game every now and then to help you survive a really bad class.
- Take your pen as fast as you can and put it back together. Count your time and try to beat your own record. Invite your friends to play.
- Find a good window seat. Look out the window. You get five points for each bird and ten for each piece of trash you find. Challenge your friends.
- Try to make things move with the power of your mind. Make the girl sitting next to you scratch her head just imagining it. Hey, nothing to lose right?
Step 6. Try your best to be of good manners
If you don't like a class because you often get into trouble there, it's going to be a lot harder to pass. If your goal is to survive, learn when it's time to be quiet and not mess around, otherwise the rest of the class will only get worse. If you want to pass the time, do it vaguely. Try to get through the entire class by talking without being caught.
- Pranking the teacher is not a great way to survive in the classroom. Pranking the teacher is a great way to get suspended. Don't argue or cause trouble, unless you want to make things worse.
- If you hate a class because it's so difficult, or because you can't pay attention, talk to your parents, counselor, or teacher to find a solution. Maybe you really should be in another class.
Part 3 of 3: Through The Semester
Step 1. Make friends with other students in the class
Classes you don't like will get much better as the semester progresses if you can make friends. If you go to class alone all day, things will always feel a lot more difficult. But if there's a friendly face waiting for you in class and a sympathetic ear willing to listen to your complaints afterward, things will be a lot easier.
Just find an excuse to open up a conversation with someone, if you don't know anyone. For example "The dress is cool, what's your name?" Perfect
Step 2. Prepare yourself for each class
If you come without books, pencils and without carrying out the necessary preparations for the class, things will get worse. You will be reprimanded by your teacher, you will be confused during class and you will have nothing to occupy yourself with. Even if homework is a nuisance, you have to do it if you want to survive the class. Even if you hate it.
- Try to do homework that you don't like first. You'll get it done faster, which means the rest of the homework won't be as bad as it was.
- Do your homework when you are in class if you can. If you can do it without getting caught, one of the best ways to make the task less difficult is to complete it while you are still in school. Leave that dreadful chore at school and you won't have to think about it too much at home.
Step 3. You just need to put in enough effort to pass
If a class really sucks, you don't have to be number one in front of the class. You don't need an A+ in every subject. But that doesn't mean you can be lazy so badly that you have to repeat. If you don't pass, you'll just end up in the same place, resenting that class all over again. There's no profit.
Familiarize yourself with the term "minimum requirements". What is the most important and absolute standard you must meet in order to pass that class? As long as you pass that standard, it's only a matter of time
Step 4. Talk to the teacher about your problems
If you're really struggling and can't find a way to make you enjoy class, or if you're really stressed and worried about a particular class, talk to the teacher about your problem. Oftentimes, teachers will be very sympathetic, especially if you have a genuine desire to get better and pass the lesson without causing any problems.
- Wait until the class is over and talk to your teacher alone. Say something like "I really want to do well in this class, but I'm having a problem. I'm having trouble paying attention and staying focused. What can I do to get better, sir?"
- If you are a student with a visual learning style, try asking the teacher if it is possible to incorporate more visual diagrams and whiteboard learning into the subject. Or include more activities in the classroom if you are a student with an active learning style.
Step 5. Consider leaving the class, if you have to
While this step is usually only an option in college and sometimes in high school, if you really can't afford a class right now, sometimes it's best to consider giving up on it and taking another class with a different teacher or returning to a different class. It's the same when you feel you're better prepared to take it.
Try to go to classes in the same subject taught by another teacher and see if you can move to that class slowly, without causing big problems for everyone
Tips
- Make friends with every new student in your class. That way, if they dare, they will help you deal with your problems.
- Call your teacher "sir" or "ma'am". It's more polite than calling their name directly.
