Philadelphia Tribune - Index

Philadelphia Tribune - The Learning Key, Tuesday September 22, 2009 - Index

Fight Anxiety: Be Prepared
Staying on top through tough situations
For many students returning
to school for the start of a
new year can be exciting,
but for others it causes a lot of
stress and anxiety. Behavioral
health professionals say that the
key to fighting back is to prepare
well ahead of the first day of
school. If you are well prepared,
then you will go back to school
feeling confident and ready to
tackle just about any situation.
And just in case you are feeling
a little apprehensive, here are
some stressful scenarios and suggested
ways that you can resolve
them.
TEACHER TROUBLE
Despite the smile, you are suspicious
that your teacher doesn’t like
you, and you are concerned that
you might end up with a bad grade.
1. If you’ve done all the work
you’re supposed to do and still feel
the teacher doesn’t like you, talk to
the teacher after class and state
your concerns, saying you’re worried
the situation will impact your
grade.
2. If this still doesn’t work, talk
to a counselor. If need be, the
counselor can change your schedule
so you won’t have the teacher
any more.
3. Most teachers are tough at
the beginning of the year and mellow
as the year progresses. Wait it
out and if you feel that it’s not getting
any better go to #1 and #2
above.
DEALING WITH BULLIES
A bully is stalking you and
threatens to beat you up everyday.
1. Stand your ground. Most bullies
can’t handle people who stand
up for themselves and would
rather pick on a weak student.
2. Assess the situation to see if
anyone else might be able to help
to get you out of the bind.
3. Tell the bully you don’t want
to fight and walk away.
4. If the bully begins striking
you, cover your head with your
arms, yell “Stop it!” loud enough
for teachers to hear and try to protect
yourself by keeping your arms
up until someone else (hopefully
the school guard, principal or
teacher) arrives.
5. Talk to a teacher or administrator
afterward and tell them
what happened. Often an administrator
will be able to tell the bully
someone else saw the incident and
reported it. That way you won’t be
labeled a snitch.
6. In the future, try to avoid the
bully and hang out in crowds since
bullies are less likely to strike with
witnesses around.
SQUASHING RUMORS
You’ve just discovered there’s an
untrue rumor circulating about
you.
1. When you hear the rumor, tell
the person spreading it that it’s
not true and change the conversation.
2. Don’t talk about the rumor,
but try to squelch it as soon as
possible.
3. If you know someone is
spreading the rumor, but don’t
catch the person in the act, confront
that person and tell them it’s
not true and that you want them to
stop spreading the rumor.
4. Remember that most rumors
will pass. But in some cases, one
will stick, so head it off if you can.
5. Don’t spread rumors about
others; it could come back to
haunt you.
NO CHEATING
During a test, someone tries to
cheat off your paper.
1. Move your arm or your paper
so the person can’t see your
answers.
2. Pretend you don’t even see the
person cheating and don’t
acknowledge the person during the
test or afterward.
NO SEAT FOR YOU
There’s only one seat left on the
bus, and the other person sitting
there says that they are saving it
for a friend.
1. Continue to stand beside the
seat until the bus driver sees you.
2. Once the bus driver tells you
that you have to sit down, blame
the driver and tell the person you
have to sit there.
All engines
are a go for
West Philly
senior
Jacques Wells, a senior at
West Philadelphia High
School, is looking forward to
going back to school. He is
not letting the stress get to
him. Why? He is looking forward
to meeting new
friends, seeing old friends
and learning new things. He
is looking forward to going
to a new grade and starting
the year off right.
“Over the summer, I
worked at a mechanic shop
and when I go back to
school, I will be focusing on
learning more about
Automotive Mechanics.”
Sounds like he has a
GREAT ATTITUDE that will
assure his success this
school year.
Jacques Wells attends the Back-to-School Night at Sayers Memorial United Methodist Church.
– PHOTO BY SHIRA YUDKOFF
September 22, 2009 / PAGE 3