March 2013 Archives
How not to sweat your next test
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Test stress can turn you into a mess and make your grade less, instead of doing your best, and...ah, forget it. We're out of rhymes!
But seriously, this seems like a big issue for students of all ages. How many times have you been disappointed by how you performed on a test, and felt sure that it wasn't because you didn't know the material but were instead so nervous or freaked out by the test itself? You're not alone, but there are lots of strategies to tackle this. Check out our section on Test Stress and see what other IML'ers have written about the subject on our Test Stress You Said It page.
We recently read about a new study from the University of Chicago that asked students who were anxious about a test to spend 10 minutes beforehand writing about their feelings. What happened? Those students improved their scores by a whole grade (for instance, going from a B minus to a B plus). What these researchers were trying to prove is that worrying uses up a lot of the brain's "working", or short-term, memory, so that memory can't do its job of recalling all the stuff that person studied to prep for the test.
Maybe the process of writing about test stress gets those thoughts out on paper so they're not swirling around in your head, taking up space. Or maybe it's just a relief to acknowledge that you're nervous, face the worst case scenario, and move on. Whatever. We're just big fans of the power of journaling to help with all sorts of feelings!
The next time you're really amped up about an exam, see if you can take a few minutes that morning or right before class -- in the hallway, the library, even in the bathroom if you have to -- to let that test stress out of your brain and onto the page.
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Test stress can turn you into a mess and make your grade less, instead of doing your best, and...ah, forget it. We're out of rhymes!But seriously, this seems like a big issue for students of all ages. How many times have you been disappointed by how you performed on a test, and felt sure that it wasn't because you didn't know the material but were instead so nervous or freaked out by the test itself? You're not alone, but there are lots of strategies to tackle this. Check out our section on Test Stress and see what other IML'ers have written about the subject on our Test Stress You Said It page.
We recently read about a new study from the University of Chicago that asked students who were anxious about a test to spend 10 minutes beforehand writing about their feelings. What happened? Those students improved their scores by a whole grade (for instance, going from a B minus to a B plus). What these researchers were trying to prove is that worrying uses up a lot of the brain's "working", or short-term, memory, so that memory can't do its job of recalling all the stuff that person studied to prep for the test.
Maybe the process of writing about test stress gets those thoughts out on paper so they're not swirling around in your head, taking up space. Or maybe it's just a relief to acknowledge that you're nervous, face the worst case scenario, and move on. Whatever. We're just big fans of the power of journaling to help with all sorts of feelings!
The next time you're really amped up about an exam, see if you can take a few minutes that morning or right before class -- in the hallway, the library, even in the bathroom if you have to -- to let that test stress out of your brain and onto the page.
Living with Challenges: Anna-Marie's Story
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Recently, we posted an interview with IML'er Danielle, who told us what it was like to live with chronic illness. The response from you guys was huge, and we'd like to continue to tell the stories of tweens who have to face life with, or have overcome, some kind of physical or emotional challenge.
Our first Guest IML Blogger is Anna-Marie!
Anna-Marie's Story
When I was a baby, I was born prematurely, weighing 1 pound, 15 oz. I was supposed to be born in June, but I was born in March, instead. Because of my premature birth, I had to stay at the hospital for approximately 4 and 1/2 months after I was born.
When I was born, my lungs hadn't even developed, so as a result, I had to be connected to a respirator while my tiny lungs finished developing. I was diagnosed with retinopathy at prematurity, and I had to get laser eye surgery at 2 and 1/2 months. Along with that, I had to get needles in my foot to draw blood.
When I finally came home from the hospital, I was still really tiny, and every cold or flu sent me back to the hospital, where I spent approximately 2 weeks. However, I was a very happy (and cute) baby. I liked the Teletubbies, Elmo, Barney, Dora, and Strawberry Shortcake, but I didn't like needles, or anything coming near my feet. My mom had to trim my toenails and fingernails when I was sleeping!
Now, I'm doing really good. I'm going into grade 7 this year, and I'm going into my 5th year of piano (I think it's my 5th year. I'm not sure). There are some things that will always remain in my life from being born early. Because of the laser eye surgery, I don't have any peripheral vision (meaning that I can't see out of the sides), so I was often a target for getting hit with balls in gym class (which sometimes caused really big injuries that I won't forget about). The song that has a really special meaning to me is "Who I Am" by the Jonas Brothers. I think that this song describes my life, because in the music video, there are people who have gone through challenges in their lives.
Our first Guest IML Blogger is Anna-Marie!
Anna-Marie's Story
When I was a baby, I was born prematurely, weighing 1 pound, 15 oz. I was supposed to be born in June, but I was born in March, instead. Because of my premature birth, I had to stay at the hospital for approximately 4 and 1/2 months after I was born. When I was born, my lungs hadn't even developed, so as a result, I had to be connected to a respirator while my tiny lungs finished developing. I was diagnosed with retinopathy at prematurity, and I had to get laser eye surgery at 2 and 1/2 months. Along with that, I had to get needles in my foot to draw blood.
When I finally came home from the hospital, I was still really tiny, and every cold or flu sent me back to the hospital, where I spent approximately 2 weeks. However, I was a very happy (and cute) baby. I liked the Teletubbies, Elmo, Barney, Dora, and Strawberry Shortcake, but I didn't like needles, or anything coming near my feet. My mom had to trim my toenails and fingernails when I was sleeping!
Now, I'm doing really good. I'm going into grade 7 this year, and I'm going into my 5th year of piano (I think it's my 5th year. I'm not sure). There are some things that will always remain in my life from being born early. Because of the laser eye surgery, I don't have any peripheral vision (meaning that I can't see out of the sides), so I was often a target for getting hit with balls in gym class (which sometimes caused really big injuries that I won't forget about). The song that has a really special meaning to me is "Who I Am" by the Jonas Brothers. I think that this song describes my life, because in the music video, there are people who have gone through challenges in their lives. 
