#back to school advice

[itgetsbetter]

Back-to-school tips for LGBTQ+ youth from a QUEER TEACHER!

It's that season, y'all! 🍎✏️ So we asked queer 8th grade English teacher Sarah from Memphis, TN what tips she would share with LGBTQ+ youth going back to school:

Look for supportive adults.

Is there a teacher always sporting a pride pin? Are there safe space posters hung up in their classroom or pride flags displayed? These are strong indicators that adult will affirm and uplift your identity. If you are unsure but want to test the waters, ask an adult what their pronouns are. Judging by their response and if they return the question, something small like this can help you determine if they are a safe person. 

Find a queer-affirming club(s) at your school. 

Does your school have a GSA or diversity club? Consider joining to build a supportive community and form connections with people you can relate to. If your school does not have a pre-existing club, consider finding an adult advisor to help and start your own GSA. Find more tips on how to do so here: https://gsanetwork.org/resources/10-steps-for-starting-a-gsa/

Trust your gut.

If you don’t feel safe in a situation, trust your instincts. If possible, remove yourself from the environment and ask for help; know that it’s ok to not share your identity with everyone, especially if you feel they are not a safe person. Conversely, if someone does make you feel safe and loved, believe that feeling too. You are in charge of who gets to know you.

Check out YA books exploring queer identities.

An amazing way to learn more about queer experiences is to read about them. There are countless young adult novels and graphic novels that can help you better understand yourself and others. Titles like The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, Taproot by Keezy Young, Out of Character by Jenna Miller, and Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker are all great stories to explore. For a more comprehensive list of LGBTQ+ YA books, visit https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/15/books/review/lgbtq-ya-books-authors.html

Seek social support.

What would life be like without friends? Although you may not click with everyone at your school, you are not alone. LGBTQ+ people are everywhere, even if it’s hard to see sometimes. Find friends who support your identity or are a part of the community as well! 

Remember! You have every right to be exactly who you are.

You are the only person who can define your identity. The terms you use to refer to yourself can evolve over time, or can remain the same, but as long as it feels right to you that’s perfect. Believe yourself, and do not doubt your worth. Growing up is a difficult process but remember, it gets better. 

Read it on the blog itgetsbetter.org too!

[creativeallstars]

Start your first day with confidence! Get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and pack your bag the night before. Wear something comfortable, smile, be open to new friends, and ask questions if you're unsure. A positive mindset makes all the difference—enjoy the journey!

[studycation]

my tips for students that struggle with consistency

[honeytonedhottie]

get ready to get back to school⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🗒️

i can hardly believe that school is coming up. in like, two/one week. ISNT THAT ABSURD? i feel like summer just flew past but im very excited to start my junior year of highschool…💬🎀

BUYING DREAM SCHOOL SUPPLIES ;

when ur school supplies are cute, you'll feel MOTIVATED to put them to good use. idek what it is. 99% of my school supplies are pink and because of that im motivated to take good notes, study my notes etc because seeing the sparks of pink just make me so HAPPY.

so ofc this year my school supply list has remained consistent in its color scheme of pink, pink and more pink 🎀. some things on my school shopping list are ->

notebooks

a binder

dividers for the binders with adorable labels

pink and purple gel pens (along with black gel pens)

pastel highlighters

looseleaf paper

a fluffy pink pen

FIX UR SLEEP SCHEDULE ;

ik a lot of us (including myself some times) stay up for way to long and feel like our sleep schedule is BEYOND repair but it is not. u need to be getting back into a consistent sleeping routine that keeps u healthy and well rested not only for back to school but for ur own well being. you'll have plenty of time tomorrow for what u choose to stay up all night doing, i promise.

FOR MY ONLINE GIRLIES ;

so this year i'll be taking a semester online so i've been dabbling in figuring out the perfect routine for an online school regimen. one in which i could balance personal and academic life in a healthy way (get sunlight everyday, sleep on time etc) some things that im going to prioritize while doing a semester online are ->

♡ getting fresh air everyday

♡ going for a walk everyday and making sure to stay active

♡ NOT doing school work in bed

so a tip i've learned is that the things that u do in bed, your mind will like, associate ur bed with it. so for example if ur constantly playing video games in bed, when its time to relax and go to bed, when ur in bed your mind will be like "time to play video games". so i will not be doing school work in bed, also for a healthy change of scenery…💬🎀

♡ going out with my friends and calling them everyday so that im not isolated

♡ keeping a steady and productive routine

SETTING GOALS ;

lets be goal oriented, A+ academic barbies this year ✍🏽. to make sure that ur doing ur very best its important to set goals for urself. having something to strive for is a great way to stay motivated and disciplined during the year. my goal for my junior year is to keep my straight A streak and finish with my law distinction (im 3/4 of the way done). and ofc its important to break down ur goals, and i'll give an example of how i did this.

so in freshman year ik i wanted a distinction in law, and to get a distinction in law i would have to take 4 separate law courses. there are 4 years in highschool so if i took one law course per school year i'd have my distinction. but i wanted to expedite the process so i took one course freshman year, and two courses sophomore year. this year i will take one more.

this frees up SO much time for me to get another distinction and since i've already taken a course of business in freshman year, i'll strive for my business distinction too…💬🎀

if u dont know where to start with goal setting for school here are some ideas ->

♡ maintain ur current GPA or try and raise it

♡ never get below a B on any assignment or test

♡ do every single homework assignment (never take a zero)

STAYING ORGANIZED ;

staying organized is CRUCIAL for being successful in school. i use notion to keep myself organized during the school year. by putting down dates for tests in my calendar, ik when i need to start preparing. and by making a todo list everyday i can stay on top of my assignment.

if u struggle with school organization, set aside an hour a day to just make sure that everything is in its place. and it doesnt even have to be an hour, just set aside time every single day to make sure that everything it where its supposed to be. it'll save you SO much time in the future and you'll rly thank urself for it in the future.

and to end this post, i'll share some school/academic related affirmations 💗

🗒️ im literally the definition of beauty and brains

📔 im the top of my class

🗒️ i must have perfect memory cuz i remember everything im taught in class

📔 im literally a GENIUS

🗒️ i effortlessly stay at the top of my class

📔 wow, im smart, pretty, AND talented?? god rly does have favorites

[novella-november]

Media Preservation Monday

Yeah, yeah, as of this original post it's actually only Wednesday but hey, take this as a sign to take some initiative, and keep to it each Monday at minimum if you're actively writing!

What's Media Preservation Monday, you may ask?

MPM is your reminder to back up your writing at least three ways at least once a week or whenever you make major changes to your document(s).

Here's some incredibly easy ways to back up your writing:

One your Master Document(s), put a date on the file name, and every day you make changes, "Save As" the Document and change the date. Do this every time or day you make major changes.

Example: You start writing your Novella November Story on November 1st.

You name your master document "Novnov Project 11-01-2024"

The next day, you write some more, and at the end of your writing session, you go to save your document, and instead of simply hitting "Save" you choose "Save As" and save the new copy of the Document as "Novnov Project 11-02-2024".

You now have two copies of your project, and if you keep this up throughout the whole month, you will have a live snapshot of your writing progress.

Each day or after each major writing session, open up the folder containing your document, and back it up. The Easiest and simplest way to do this is to simply email it to yourself, but you can also create multiple backups by:

Save a copy of your dated Master Document(s) to different locations on your Hard-drive, to an external hard-drive, to a thumbdrive, etc.

If you're writing offline on a writing program like Libreoffice, upload a copy of your Master Document(s) to your preffered Cloud-based Writing Program of your choice.

Vice Versa: if you write on a Cloud-based writing program, download it to various offline-based locations.

Download the base document as well as download it as various ebook formats and send them to your ebook library on your phone or kindle or nook or reading app.

Make a personal discord server and upload the document/epub form of your Master Document(s) there [this is also a good way of making a kind of personal journal / diary etc]

Whatever you do, do not be complacent and assume nothing can happen to your writing. Back it up. Preserve it.

Don't have all of your hard work go down the drain because of one tiny unforeseen accident.

When it comes time to clean up your hardrive, always assume you don't have it backed up. Before deleting anything always take the time to copy it over to another physical drive or a cloud drive.

[youngpettyqueen]

I know the decision to have Julian's parents have him augmented was made on the fly but imo its pretty obvious from early on that Julian has Family Issues because he avoids talking about his family like the plague and I think they should've incorporated this into the Julian and Sisko dynamic right from early on because I think it would've made for some really compelling stories and moments and could've set up a REALLY interesting Julian and Jake dynamic which they kinda started to do but never fully went for

[girlbossagenda]

baeeeee advice on crushes? school is coming up and i know there’s bound to be one fine man in class 👩🏽‍💻

ADVICE ON CRUSHES THAT ONLY CUPID WUOLD KNOW / HOW TO WIN YOUR CRUSH’S HEART

Hi gorgeous, how lovely! It's been a while since I gave actual love advice that does not regard my besties boyfriend ahaha, so you want a fine man? I got you.

୨୧ signature fragrances and pheromones ୨୧

I love fragrances, and do a lot of research regarding them, I found out about pheromones and I suggest you to try them out, words on the street some people swear that they work(some don’t), you can find them on etsy, I always suggest to take a look at the reviews!

Make sure to always smell in a certain way or generally to smell good, avoid overpowering smells, go for re-applicable or lighter smells, for this is suggest layering or using just a body mist, seeming like an hygenical person makes people gravitate towards you more, also idk why but I always get stuck on feminine scents

୨୧ take care of your hair ୨୧

I feel like this is really important, try to play around with hairstyles or to have a signature one, here's why they both benefit you:

if you switch up hairstyles you keep it fresh, and you can attract curiosity and you knind of understand what looks good on you and you can be more fluid which attracts more people

if you keep a signature hairstyle you're more recognizable, do it enogh to get associated to it, it adds an it factor!

୨୧ Create a signature style ୨୧

I suggest you to check my “how to be pretty when you’re feeling lazy” guide

Now why is having a signature style at school so important? You’re just more recognizable! It’s easier also to stand out in an environment where everyone wears grey sweatpants(looking like they totally gave up on themself😭) and hoodies with air 1

୨୧ Partecipate in class ୨୧

Don’t lose focus on your studies, show that you’re hardworking and smart! Also it’s easier to focus on romance when you know you’re grades are in place, it feels less stressful and you might get approached easily for when it comes to study help or maybe you can find yourself a smart nerdy handsome man that wants to go on study dates with you!

୨୧ Have a signature space ୨୧

Have a spot where people can find you or that they associate with you, you might as well not be there everyday, but be consistent, when you do this you might notice people are going and try to get that place, that’s because it’s an easy way to be notice, “who’s that girl that always sit/eat/hangouts there?”

Now this are the tips that come in my mind! Also a really important one is to improve your communication skills, it will be helpful! And remember focus first on yourself, then on men, that’s all gorg💕

xoxo

-𝓐

[sulkyuu]

tips for entering the new semester!

since i chose to take courses in my summer semester that are usually half the length of regular courses, i definitely know that i have to be prepared to lock-in so i can pass with an A+. these are just the steps/tips that i have taken that may help anyone who is also in my position :)

clean your area make sure to clean your area; not just your room, but also your bathroom, closet, desk, etc. a clean space = a clean & focused mind! i have personally been making sure to prioritize keeping my area clean because other than the fact i moved two moths ago, i also find that when my living space is messy, so is my mind. i focus 100x better when my area is clean compared to when it’s messy; i tend to get distracted and want to clean mid-study session haha.

create a schedule having a set schedule, not only for studying, but also for just daily tasks is super duper important when starting a new semester. since my classes are online & have flexible times, i just scheduled that i’ll work on that subject for about an hour and a half every day (minus the weekends). i recommend planning your day around your fixed classes then adding what else is important. example: if i only have one fixed class that is set for 8-9:45AM every Monday & Wednesday, then i will plan my day around that class & make sure i add time for studying for my other classes. here is an example of my schedule! i planned all 3 of my classes with some empty space for either some time with friends, freetime, some time to focus on my hobbies, etc.

make sure you have the supplies needed make sure you have at least a big enough notebook & writing utensils (or a good notetaking app on your ipad; i use goodnotes but i’ve heard that notability is good too!), your textbooks, and anything else required for certain classes. some classes with labs or any other science-based class most likely has a few other needed supplies. for example my chemistry classes required me to get safety glasses & a lab coat, which she told us on the first day of lab, so make sure you have everything you need prior to at least the second class!

organize your electronics some things i’ve done is going through both my phone & ipad and deleting unnecessary apps as well as adding widgets that will either motivate me or help me stay organized (calendar widget, canvas widget, etc). i have also been going through my social medias & unfollowing people who don’t post anything that would motivate me or anything that i’m not interested in, as well as un-liking and un-saving posts that i don’t need anymore/don’t have interest in anymore. some other things you could do is changing your wallpaper to something motivating or changing it to match your aesthetic better, deleting photos or contacts you don’t need, clear tabs, wiping down your electronics at least once a week, and update your apps!

setting realistic goals the way that i view having realistic goals is to make sure that you aren’t setting unrealistic goals that may make you think negatively about yourself or your abilities. for example, if i don’t study but expect to get at least a 90% on an exam, but then i get a 60%, not meeting that high goal of mine may make me think that i’m stupid or i don’t have the abilities to perform well in that subject. my main goals for this summer semester is to have at least a 3.5 GPA & complete any extra credit work that is offered, but a more specific goal i have for mainly psychology & ASL is to actually retain the information to make sure i am understanding.

getting rest getting rest is a very very veryyyy important thing to prioritize especially if you’re a very active student that studies even a couple hours a day. getting good sleep can help you get less sick less often, reduce stress, and even improve your attention & memory (source). some tips to help fall asleep, and stay asleep, include getting some exercise, going outside for at least 30 minutes a day, avoid electronics for around an hour before your actual bedtime, and sticking to a sleep schedule (sleeping & waking up at the same time everyday). i usually have a hard time sleeping mainly because i get very hot in my sleep, which causes me to wake up feeling sick, but a way that i’ve been managing this is to make sure i’m wearing breathable clothes, having a thin blanket to sleep with, and drinking a bunch of water which can actually help regulate body temperature.

some other general tips that may help - finding out what study method helps for you. some popular ones are active recall, feynman, active recall/blurting, chunking, spaced repetition, pomodoro, and mock test/exam. if anyone wants a more detailed post on these techniques lmk! - finding a place to study. some common places are a cafe, a school library, or even your own bedroom; just make sure to eliminate distractions. - alwayyyyys check your emails, canvas inbox, or whatever platform your prof uses to communicate. checking these things will help with staying updated with any announcements, upcoming assignments, or anything else that needed to be communicated with the class. - seeking academic help. if your school offers a writing center or any other tutors, take advantage of that resource!! personally, i haven’t been to my school’s writing center, but i know others who have greatly benefited from seeking that help. - go. to. your. classes. i cannnnoooottttt stress this enough. missing one class will just start a snowball effect where it goes from missing once, to twice, to then missing three classes and therefore missing a ton of important info. the only negative of actually getting up & going to your classes is getting ready and actually getting moving. it is so much more worth it to attend your classes then to miss a ton of info. - get a planner. as someone who’s been using a planner since middle school, it helps so much with keeping assignments & important events organized & remembered. - work on what assignment is due first/soonest. literally do not work on that small 250 word assignment that isn’t due until the end of next week; do the reading that is due on monday, do that 1500 word assignment that is due on tuesday. do the stuff that’ll take the longest/that is due the soonest. a way i recommend to make sure you’re doing this is to double and triple check to make sure that you’re prioritizing the correct assignments over the others.

i know this is kind of a long post, but i hope it was at least informative & will help u guys in your next semester! if there’s any specific post or thread you would want me to make then send me an anon or reply under this post :) best of luck to you guys in this next semester/school year!!

[positivelypresent]

Every day is a fresh start!

[afrenomes]

I really can’t stand seeing other Jews on here spreading misinformation about the “protesters” (honestly we should start calling them rioters or even militants—it’s what they call themselves), and their posts getting 9k+ notes, meanwhile Jewish students and NYC Jews are screaming into the void about who these people ACTUALLY are and our posts hardly even break 100 notes, with even half of Jumblr ignoring us, saying we’re exaggerating when we say what’s happening on campuses is THAT BAD, or saying that our civil rights (which are required to be protected under the law!) matter less than a person who’s violating their green card agreement facing the same legal consequences based on the same law that Biden used against violent West Bank settlers back when he was president

[itgetsbetter]

🍎✏️ Back to school advice for queer students, from queer people! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

We asked, y'all answered. Some back to school advice for LGBTQ+ students:

❤️ "Learn Queer history. Learn Black history. Learn Native American history. Learn what has gone into making it possible for you to be who you are, with the amount of safety and support you have — even if it doesn't feel like much." -Brandyn

🧡 "Autistic queer here. Always being buried in a book saved me from a lot. And find your tribe." -queerintech_

💛 "Find your people for support - whether at school or outside of school. You are loved and appreciated for who you are. Anyone that says otherwise doesn't deserve to know you or your story. Our community is sending all the love and support to you everyday!" -Amy

💚 "To my young black feminine boy: be your authentic self, people will judge you, call you slurs, but don't suppress your beauty. To my beautiful black bisexual boy: you don't have to try so hard to suppress what you like, it's okay to like boys." -Tyreece

💙 "Find at least one safe teacher you can go to. You can do this by finding the rainbow sticker on their door or by finding a sign in their room!" -Sonia

💜 "Don’t think for one minute that being bullied should be tolerated. Find help, talk to friends about it. You have the right to be yourself. I also noticed that when I stood up for myself, I was respected more." -Jason

❤️ "Befriend the other little weirdos, they’re going to be the coolest adults (and so are you). Keep your eyes on the horizon, but also know for better or worse you’re never going to experience this time again, so try to make the most of it." -Patrick

🧡 "You don't owe anyone anything. If you don't feel safe to come out, that doesn't make you any less queer." -Kayenta

💛 "Something that three people told me that I now truly believe: 'There is nothing wrong with you. You don't have to change who you are to be loved and respected.' They were right. You will figure things out!" -Bert

💚 "So many people love you. Your teachers want to help - find the good ones. We are out there." -Deirdre

[cbbyzac]

THE IT GIRLS GUIDE TO SURVIVING SCHOOL FROM CBBYZAC.COM

[donuts4evry1]

happy lny all :)

[unknownbiscuits]

My parents yelled at me for having this as my desktop wallpaper earlier today. I dunno what happened, I just left it up on my monitor to go eat, my mom saw it, and she just went off about it. She said that this looked gay as hell. If I remember correctly, she said "Looks so fucking gay." "It looks like you're a fucking queer trying to be a trans." Honest to God, I'm not any of that. I'm straight and male, and I just like Murder Drones. Uzi's my favorite character (my comfort character, if I'm being more specific). I'm sitting here, trying to figure out what the hell looks gay about this and what's so wrong with Murder Drones that they hate it like it's the devil or some shit. I think it's because of some misunderstandings about it, but I've tried talking to them about MD. They won't even buy me merch, not even with my own money. Idk what to do. It's not the first time shit like this has happened, and I think they're approaching the final straw on this matter. Murder Drones makes me happy, and Uzi keeps me alive. I can't just let go bc my parents think it's something else. I'd lose one of the few sources of happiness I have. Pls, I'm begging for advice rn.

[honeytonedhottie]

honeys guide to school໒꒱ ⋆ﾟ⊹🎀

the first day of school is rapidly approaching, this post is to help and give a guide on being successful in school. i’ll separate this post into sections <3

SECTION ONE : STUDYING

hot girls get good marks, paying attention during classes and studying are easy ways to get good marks, however sometimes studying for hours isn’t enough.

time spent ≠ results. how long u study has no correlation to how well you’d do on an exam, however HOW you study is the most important. to PASSIVELY retain information: re-read past notes/lectures, randomly highlighting and reviewing notes. when studying SIMPLIFY and explain. these two things will ensure that u learned the material.

a studying method : ACTIVE RECALL METHOD. you’ll need two different colored pens, a piece of paper and ur textbook/notes packet. first step is to read the notes packet or textbook and try to memorize as much as u can, then close ur notes and textbooks, grab ur paper and writing utensil and just start writing what u remember. once ur finished take the other colored pen and write down what is missing. until you’ve completely memorized the text

SECTION TWO : SCHOOL AIR

school air can make you feel disgusting, especially if you don’t typically do touch ups throughout the day, but here are some ways that u can beat school air.

keep ur lips MOISTURIZED, dry lips will make you feel really crusty, so make sure to walk around with good chapsticks or lip balms and gloss. also, whenever ur in the school bathroom or whatever, make sure to check on ur hair and make it look pretty.

spend TIME in the morning making sure that you look ur best, making sure that ur clothes r wrinkle free and clean, doing skincare.. all those little things will piece together how you feel and how you LOOK. get 8-9 hours of sleep, and eat a balanced diet with 3 meals a day to look after ur health, because we are most beautiful when we r HEALTHY <3

for the last portion of this post i want to talk about other various aspects of school. after school a lot of us don’t have a large amount of time to be productive, especially since it is SO tiring going to school. but use the time that u have WISELY, don’t neglect ur health during school and don’t be so hard on urself, make a good morning and evening routine and STAY consistent. do NOT bully or be rude to anybody and don’t be rude to urself either. be kind to everyone, especially ur teachers <3 make friends and have a great experience! 💗💗

if there is anything that i didn’t cover in this post please tell me so that i can talk about it <3

MUCH LOVE - honey

[vintage-tigre]