School is officially back in session, and people have mixed feelings. Some are thrilled to see their friends while others are already dreading their classes. Different students are even starting to make plans for next summer. 

     I know the first few days of school are not enjoyable for everyone, especially with having to wake up early again. With teachers presenting slideshows about themselves, making students do icebreakers and going over expectations, it can start to feel repetitive. This can lead to many students saying that their day has gone by so slowly and that they can’t wait to go home. Admittedly, I said a lot of similar things on the first day.    

     While these comments are not necessarily bad to make, I did notice how they negatively impacted the rest of my day. On the first day of school, I woke up excited to reunite with friends and ready to meet new teachers. During one of my classes, while everyone was staring at a slideshow and counting down the minutes until the next period, I mumbled to a friend something along the lines of, “I just want to get this over with.” After saying this, my attitude for the day completely changed. 

     I was no longer excited and the rest of the day suddenly felt slow because I had a negative attitude. While the first few days of school are different from the rest of the year, the same concept can be applied. 

     There is a common saying that, “nothing is ever black and white.” While there are many ways to interpret this, one way is imagining black as negative and white as positive. Nothing will ever be positive all of the time, but that also means nothing will always be negative. There will be a mix of positives and negatives, creating some shade of gray. Even if something upsetting happens at school, like failing a test, it should not ruin the rest of your day and impact how you treat others. 

     Similarly, when you have a negative mindset, it can limit success in a subject. For example, if you did not do well in science last year and you already have it in your mind that you will fail it this year, it can create a wall between you and a decent grade because you are not letting yourself believe that you are capable of obtaining a grade above failing. A more positive mindset allows you the opportunity to learn and grow. 

     As a student, you can choose your mindset, attitude and how you let setbacks affect your performance in school.