How To Survive High School, Pt. 5

SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND ORGANIZATION

If you’re in school, you’re obviously going to use school supplies. That’s a no-brainer. And if you’re going to use school supplies, you’re going to be aggravated by them because they’ll get lost or get broken or they’ll be inconvenient. That’s another no-brainer, right? Not necessarily. Here’s the most basic tip regarding school supplies: think about how you define convenience and comfort and choose school supplies accordingly. Now, here are some ideas if you need some help with your definitions.

PENCILS

Kids seem to like mechanical pencils better than wooden pencils. The preference makes sense. Mechanical pencils force you to write neatly and they eliminate the need for a pencil sharpener. You should have a few wooden “number 2” pencils. You’ll need a “number 2” pencil at least once in high school for standardized tests. Some mechanical pencils are “number 2” pencils, but I think it’s easier to see the phrase “number 2” on a wooden pencil. I like to be absolutely sure of things. Believe it or not, but one of my fears was taking a standardized test with the wrong kind of pencil. If you have any of those holiday pencils that some teachers like to give out, read them carefully. Some of those pencils are “number 2” pencils, also.

PENS

Before we get to a remotely serious discussion on pens, let me tell you how you can make pens a little entertaining.

PUNCHY PENS

First, get two pens and hold them side-by-side in one hand. Take a rubber band and wrap it around both pens. Don’t wrap the pens too tightly. Leave some slack. Then, while holding one pen, turn the other pen as though it was the propeller on a toy airplane. This will twist the slack in the rubber band. The twisting should happen between the two pens, not on the outside of either pen. Twist the band until it can’t be twisted anymore. Then, place the two pens on a flat surface. When there is a safe distance between your face - and anyone else’s face, for that matter – and the pens, let the pens go. The band will try to unwind itself quickly, making the pens look as though they are fighting. I used to do this in elementary school. It’s good for a quick laugh. You can use pencils instead of pens if you want.

PRANK PENS

You can only use pens for this next bit of amusement. In fact, you need simple Papermate ballpoint pens (the ones with solid color cases) or simple Bic ballpoint pens (the ones with mostly white cases). Any other pen with a pull-out-able point that’s connected to the pen’s ink tube will work. You also need different pen colors. For the sake of this example, let’s say that you have three Papermate ballpoint pens – one black, one blue, and one red. Pull out the point (and consequently the ink tube) of each pen. Then, switch the points. For instance, you could put the blue point and ink tube unit into the black pen, the black point into the red pen, and the red point into the blue pen. Sure, it’s not an extreme sport, but it can keep you occupied for a minute or two. If you want, you can use this to play a small prank on a friend. Now, I will return you to your regularly scheduled discussion already in progress.

PENS, SERIOUSLY SPEAKING

You probably use more pens than pencils in high school. If you do, make them work for you. Take notes for a class on one day with one color of ink and then switch ink for the next day. I did this when I remembered to do it. When I didn’t remember, I drew obnoxious lines and hideous waves in my books to separate notes. I suggest that you have at least a blue pen and a black pen. If you want, go nuts with the colors. One girl I interviewed used some wild colors to make certain things in her notes stand out. There’s a more modest way to make your notes stand out. Use…

HIGHLIGHTERS

Highlighters are virtually vital in high school. You can use them on notes or in textbooks, if your teacher doesn’t mind. If you intend to highlight a recently photocopied document or a document printed from a computer, don’t use the highlighter on the document right away. Let the ink dry for a moment. Otherwise, the highlighter may make the ink smudge. In fact, the same thing can happen with pen ink sometimes, so be careful with your highlighters. If you can find the triangular highlighters with a color at each corner, get one.

IF YOU'RE NOT BORED TO TEARS, GO ON TO PART 6!

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