Planning to plan: The need for time management

The halls and classrooms at Cape Girardeau Central High School have filled once again with students eager to see old friends, ready to graduate and, most of the time, anxious to finish one task so they can get on to other activities.

For many students, when class ends, practice begins; when clubs let out, the clock gets punched at work. Time management is vital to surviving school, work and extracurricular activities in high school.

"My planner is my life at school," said Central senior Heather Deisher, 17. Deisher is on the cross country team, taking Advanced Placement courses and trying to apply for colleges.

"I have to keep a calendar," she said.

Keeping a calendar, a planner or even a sheet of paper with the week's activities is the No. 1 time management tip from Deniece Schofield of Get Organized. Schofield tours the country giving advice on how to get organized and has written books on the topic as well.

"Kids are so busy nowadays," Schofield said. When her teenaged son used to get stressed from his schedule, she made him sit down and write all his tasks on paper.

"Just making the list was so therapeutic," she said. "You can be so much more objective when things are written down."

Several high schools and colleges issue student planners at the start of the school year. They usually have important dates and can contain things like football schedules or school holidays for quick reference planning.

Schofield suggested sitting down once a week and writing out all of the major events for the upcoming dates. Write out work schedules, assignment information and practice times.

Deisher said procrastination is not an option for her because she is involved in so many activities. She recommended working ahead in workbooks and starting large projects early.

Like many other students, Deisher adds an after-school job to her to-do list. When she has time, she said, she signs up to referee soccer games.

Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show 2.8 million 16- and 17-year-olds employed in 2000. And some surveys show 80 percent of teens will work before leaving high school, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

For many students, "their time management is survival," said Katy Andersson, a counselor at Central High School. "The pressure that I see now is they work 40 hours a week."

She said getting through "seasonal" bouts of stress is the toughest for students. Exam time or the holidays usually add items to the workload. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education added two credits -- one science and one math -- to the class load carried by this year's freshmen and sophomores.

Andersson said breaking up Advanced Placement courses is usually a good way to alleviate some stress. Four in a row is never a good idea, she said.

When responsibilities bump heads, choosing what is more important can be hard, but necessary.

"If they're trying to get into a really academic college, those AP classes are important," said Sarah Long, counselor at Central. She said reminding students of their goals and what they are working toward can help them get focused and decide what should come first.

Send ideas for the Class of 2morrow page to: charris@semissourian.com

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