Watching a friend go down the wrong path is always an uncomfortable situation. It’s hard to know how to address the issue, and many times it can damage your relationship with them. So what does a true friend look like? High school Bible teacher, Mr. Bill Schott, says that, “being a true friend is sacrificial, uncomfortable, risky and bold. It’s authentic, and it’s choosing your friends wellbeing over the friendship you share with them. It’s true Christianity.”

According to God’s Word, the Lord calls us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. To be their friend and stick with them—even through difficult trials. We are called to listen to them, pray with them, and tell them the truth even if they might not want to hear it. If your friend’s behavior is harming him or herself maybe it’s time to tell their parents. You have to care about your friend enough to be willing to risk losing that friendship.  While losing a friendship is the last thing that you want, Truth should always come first, regardless of the consequences. God is the only one who can change and heal their heart, and cause them to turn back to Him, and to you, if they turn their backs on you. Pray that the Lord would open their eyes and give you a sacrificial love to see them the way He does, and care for them in the same way Christ does.

The apostle Paul had such a love for God’s people that he was able to both encourage and admonish them through his letters to many churches. To be a friend doesn’t mean just telling them what they want to hear, but being honest with them and telling them what they need to hear. Senior, Taylor Grippo perfectly describes the importance of friendship by quoting the Scriptures, “two are better than one and a three fold cord isn’t easily broken.”

God gave us companions to help us when we are struggling. Rise up and be the friends God created us to be. Help a friend who has fallen by speaking the Truth, which will ultimately set him free.

Many high school students feel this way about studying. Teachers tell students to study, but they don’t say which way is right, because there isn’t just one way to study. There are, however, specific tools and styles of studying that can help students remember and recall the information before a test. Here are some you should consider:

• organizational tools—day planners, daily reviews schedule
• visual organization—use index/notecards, post-it notes
• memory improvement—read the information out loud
• study environment—find the best place for you
• goals, will, and motivation—create a plan and commit to it
• time management—spend time reviewing your notes
• procrastination—avoid it like the plague
• listening—class participation is key
• textbook reading—short-term memory begins here; read, then re-read
• library research—use outside resources to support what you are studying
• concentration—focus on the work
• stress management—take breaks, have fun, eat well, and exercise often
• learning styles—everyone has one, find yours

Aside from the above guidelines, there is a model that explains how the brain works, helping us understand what we need to do before a test. Did you know that it takes seven times for information to go from short-term to long-term memory? Let’s say you’re in Science class. The teacher gives you a chapter to read and you wonder how you’re going to retain this material. Follow this studying process as seen in the next table, and watch in amazement at how your brain works.

Visual Organization

The Index card method is many students’ favorite choice. Serena Rubin says, “I love index cards. In my opinion, they are the best way to memorize words and definitions.” Some teachers require students to make notecards for their classes and take it as a grade. Although some students complain about notecards, they still find they really do help. “One of my teachers requires us to make notecards and put a picture on it. It doesn’t matter what the picture is, it just helps you associate things with the term,” Mackenzie said.

Time Management

Working out when to study is another problem students face. Most students have activities after school, so finding time is hard. “I make sure to limit my activities to a reasonable amount. I’m always working my schedule around my study time,” says Serena.

Don’t waste time. Bring index cards or notes when waiting in line, at a doctor’s appointment, or even between classes. Use every spare minute. Spreading out studying time is proven to help students remember, instead of cramming the night before the test. Sports take up a large amount of student’s time, but most students can figure out a study schedule that works for them.

The Study Cycle:

1. The information comes to your brain from a textbook. You read it, you take notes, and then you even consider outside reading—background knowledge that might help you understand what you have just read.
2. Before this information can pass from your short-term memory to long-term memory, you rehearse the information using visual resources (index cards, post-it notes, etc.).
3. You rehearse the information by reading it out loud to yourself, family or friends.
4. You then create a feedback loop—ask your friends to ask you about the information. Consider this a mini quiz.
5. Review your notes and this will be recorded on your Long-term memory.
6. Review again. Long-term retrieval is activated when…
7. You take the test as a confident student who knows their stuff.

“Exams.”

The one word that may stop a student in his tracks. But why are exams such a big deal? Well, they are a much bigger than any of us may think. While students dread it, teachers do not, because it lets them see whether their students are learning… or not.

Although most students may get a little stressed about midterms, it turns out no one has to be. What do teachers always tell students to do before tests? STUDY!!! But “how to,” now that’s the real question to dig into.

If you Google this question, you are bound to get over 125,000,000 web articles on “how to study” skill techniques. Let us save you some time. Here are seven useful tips to learn and live by, as reported by www.how-to-study.com:

1. Manage your time well.
2. Take good notes in class and rewrite them at home. This process will help you review the subject as you’re writing it.
3. Study hard subjects firs and study in a quiet place. How to study is as important as where you study. Pick your favorite place and stick to it.
4. Read texts actively and slowly, before and after class. Reading your textbook helps understand the material and develop a good reading habit.
5. Do your homework. This will help you really learn, not just memorize the subject.
6. Study for exams (solo or in a group) a week or more before the actual date. Then, refresh your memory by reading your notes for fifteen minutes every day until the day of the exam.
7. Research and learn to write well. This will prepare you to write well-written essays.

If the above tips left you wanting more, just know this. Study is the answer to acing midterm week or a final exam.  Last month, we saw a flurry of activity at CCA as students were getting ready to take their first semester exams. If you were to review their grades now, you could easily ask: are students studying like they should be? Or are they just goofing off? Clearly, some students take exams seriously while others don’t. “I just listen in class and I’m good,” said one confident high school freshman. Defiantly not the right way to study, however one junior answered saying,” I pay really good attention in class during review week and do all the review work the teachers assign then study 10 minutes before the exam.”

While it is a good idea to pay attention in class, experts say there should be more time hitting the books outside of class. “I study a little each day so the information stays in my long term memory,” said a high school junior who would definitely get some bonus points from his CCA teachers. They recommend that students do not cram for their exams the night before. This is not the right way to study. According to scientific studies, when you sit down to study, how you transfer that massive amount of information from the books and notes in front of you to a reliable spot inside your brain is important. Your brain cannot retain the information if a lot of it comes in all at once. So, the next time you have an exam, don’t cram the night before, but instead study in advance a little bit at a time.