HOW TO BE A ‘SHARK’

Learning doesn’t end when you leave the classroom. The beauty of possessing a love and appreciation of learning is that it lasts a lifetime. Even though there are natural “sharks”, you can also train yourself to be one, and always be ahead of the class.

Curiosity should be one of your qualities as a student; you should always want to know why and how things happen. It’s easy to understand things when you try to find out the “Why, though?” and “How come?”. Questions are a natural way of the learning process, in that it helps you find out answers that have not been included in the notes given in class or an extract you read from a book.

Be inquisitive in class and ask your teachers subject related questions, especially those that you read from different sources and don’t understand. Read wide from different sources on the same topic, and make sure you note down or underline any phrase or word you don’t understand and look it up later in a dictionary.

There’s nothing like a “dumb” question, some of the greatest questions have sparked answers that have changed our understanding of the world. “Why do things fall from the sky?” a young man once asked, and a few years later the theory of gravity was born. This sends the message that asking questions is not a bad thing, but rather an opportunity to understand and mature. Make it a point to arm yourself with this power, and you will see yourself absorb information you never imagined possible.

You will definitely be bothering people with your “bunch” questions, but don’t to resist wanting to know more. Mind you, to excel in school or be on top in your class you must be ahead of the class. Even if you don’t have anything to ask you can give contributions in class especially that which your teacher left out while teaching.

Reading at your class level is good. Reading one or two levels ahead is great as long as you are absorbing and understanding what you read. You should aim higher than your level to be able to be ahead of the class. Try as much as possible to make friends with your seniors who can assist you with problems you have in class. You can also let them clarify notes you don’t understand especially those that are for their level.

The goal shouldn’t be just about the phonetic comprehension of sounds but should also be focused on idea retention. Mastering retention will provide benefits across all subject areas and aid you in mastering test-taking skills. Borrow a lot of books from the school library and your friends too, even if those books are to be used in the next term, you can still make time to read them during vacation.

If you want to be the “shark” in your class, support yourself with wide reading, good friends who will encourage and help you read as you also help them. Fostering an inquisitive mind, a tenacious mentality and a desire to aim high academically will help build a strong foundation on which excellence in class can be built so that a lifetime of success can greet you at every corner.