Amy's Survival Guide to Summer School

Whether you’re an NCVPS savant or just beginning your online learning experience, summer courses require a different mindset. This is neither good nor bad – summer school simply involves a tailored plan of attack. Where a traditional NCVPS student usually has the benefit of a Distance Learning Advisor (DLA), summer ones don’t. Where a traditional NCVPS student has eighteen long weeks to work methodically through each class unit, summer ones don’t. You get the idea. Before I get too engrossed in sharing summer school tips, I’d like to praise the decision you’ve made. Devoting vacation time to additional education is proof enough of your determination and willingness to succeed. So give yourself a nice pat on the back, you’ll do just fine.

There’s a phrase we use pretty commonly around here and if you’re an NCVPS veteran, you probably know where this is going. Time management, time management, time management. If you can conquer procrastination and hone in on a scheduling system that works well for you, the rest will be easy. Understanding how to efficiently budget your time is even more important when taking a summer course and I encourage you to check out previous articles on this subject, including: http://ncvpspeertutor.blogspot.com/2012/05/excels-magic-word.html .

You may find that it’s necessary to split up your workload into two daily sessions – one in the morning, one in the evening. You may have a job that eats up most of your weekdays and need to reserve weekends for online time. Play around with your options and customize a schedule that you are satisfied with.

Summer is typically synonymous with holiday and you may be thinking I can do the AM/PM work session thing, but I have this beach trip in July and there is NO way I’m missing that. Don’t panic. Because the Internet has become such a valuable resource, most hotels, cruises, rental homes etc. have some sort of WIFI connection you can utilize. If you know for a fact that you won’t have any Internet connectivity on your trip, you have two options:

      1. Work ahead prior to leaving – which means you might have to sacrifice a little pre-vacay free time

Or

      2.  Write a list of every assignment you’ll be absent for along with directions. Complete the notes for each assignment before you leave. Then, once you arrive at your awesome destination, you can set aside a portion of every day to look at your notes and finish the designated assignments. For example, you may have to create a poster for Latin. The vocabulary and informational sites you’ll use are online, so print those out ahead of time. Bring paper and markers along and draw the poster throughout your trip. Take a photo so you can upload it once you’re home and voila, Latin project confecit (finished).

Managing your summer this way won’t kill you, I promise. You may not be in agreement with me at present, but an online course doesn’t have to destroy your summer plans. Doing well in that course should be your priority, but that doesn’t mean you eliminate fun. I myself had to bring my online AP English work with me to Charleston over spring break. While my brothers checked out a naval ship for the day, I sat in a nearby park with my notebook (naval ship explorations really aren’t my thing) and knocked out a paper.

So you get the importance of time management. But what happens when you’re stuck on a science problem and the answer seems permanently lost? When you sign up for an NCVPS class, you are automatically qualified to receive help from the Peer Tutoring Center (PTC). I cannot say enough great things about the PTC team!

You won’t have the advantage of a nice, long semester. You have summer break and that’s it. If you’re confused, finding a way to un-confuse yourself needs to happen quickly so that you can move on. The PTC will gladly answer questions on a wide range of topics. They will be an invaluable resource, let me assure you. Furthermore, emailing, texting, or calling your teacher will enable you to quickly solve any other problems you’re having.

I hope you’re digesting all that I’ve thrown at you – I know it’s a lot! Don’t let the prospect of summer classes intimidate you. If you know that you’ll be enrolled in NCVPS over the coming months, ask any and all questions that you have now! The PTC is still in action and ready to assist you. With some flexibility, NCVPS can complement your summer plans, not hinder them. Who knows, you may discover that you prefer writing a poem analysis poolside over sitting at your computer desk at home.