As fall begins, so does the onset of flu and cold season. Missing school due to illness is hard on students as the make-up can pile up quickly.
Here are just a few tips for staying on track after missing a day.
- Get informed. Put those texting thumbs to good use. Chances are you have at least one friend in every class that you can text to see what you missed. If you don’t, try Facebook. Knowing exactly what you missed will eliminate the chance of nasty surprises when you return.
- E-mail teachers. If you find out from your friends that you missed a quiz or test, e-mail your teachers immediately to talk about when you can retake the test. It’s helpful to know exactly when you have to stay after school so you can get the test over with as soon as possible.
- Take notes. Classes like math usually follow a pretty logical format. If the last day you were at school you studied chapter 2.3 in algebra , what are the odds that on the day you missed you learned 2.4? Although it’s not the most fun sick-day activity, pull out that math book and take notes as you would in class over the chapter you missed. You can cover a 40-minute lesson in less that 15 minutes, plus you won’t feel completely clueless when you come back to class.
- Stay organized. If you know that there’s extra work you’ll have to do in the days after you come back to school, go ahead and write it in your planner now. Make plans now to ask your friends to copy their notes. Doing it all now rather than later will help you to feel less overwhelmed when you come back to school.
- Prepare for your day back. Getting over an illness is hard. Chances are, on the morning that you return to school, you’ll be moving slow. Choose your clothes the night before, make sure your car has gas, pack all your books in your bag, throw some tissues in your purse or backpack, and go to bed a little earlier. There’s nothing like stumbling around at 7:30 a.m., coughing and sneezing and missing your psych notebook.
- Keep your head up. Just work your hardest, and see the bright side. One day of school missed is one day less of school until the weekend, when you can rest and relax.
