virtual school – ♛ The Joys and Trials of a Christian Teen ♛

Greetings, everyone! Q’Zion, here, and welcome back to The Joys and Trials of a Christian Teen! Yesterday was my first day of high school–which is ninth grade in the United States–even though I started doing my work a couple days before school was officially back in session. But I don’t mind because I am absolutely in LOVE with all of my classes.

Even though I attend a public virtual school, we still have to do a lot of notetaking throughout the day. And that means that we need a lot of supplies to last us for the next nine months. Now that all of our school shopping is complete, I decided to do a what’s in my backpack sort of post and show you guys some of my brand new school supplies for this year. Let’s begin!

Here’s a little sneak peak into my backpack. I know that I don’t really need one because I don’t go to a building–my school is also my house. But it’s really good for storing extra school supplies that I can’t put in my office area. Plus, I’m a little obsessed with the coral and sky blue color combination. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Although Goodmommy already ordered about 25 70-sheet notebooks in a variety of colors, you really can’t go wrong with a bunch of notebook paper. I plan on using this binder and sheets of notebook paper for extra-curricular notes, like my clubs for this year. Well, technically, my school’s Club Rush isn’t until next month . . . but at least I’m prepared!

This is just a close-up picture of the notebook paper. A.k.a. my attempt to make them look more aesthetic. 😉

I’ve got a little secret to share with you all: I actually use more pens in my notes than I do pencils. For whatever reason, pencils seem to have a “chalkier” look on the pages. I think smooth ball pens look much more crisp, which is how I like my notes to look. BiC is one of my favorite companies to shop from for pens, so I’m super pleased that we were able to catch these before they flew off the shelf.

Okay, so just because I don’t use pencils that often doesn’t mean I don’t use them at all. Even though I use standard pencils for sketching, most of the time, mechanical pencils are also a personal favorite of mine while jotting down notes. I’ll probably jeuje up a lot of them with pencil grips that I make on my Rainbow Loom. That’ll be a nice challenge to complete, on a weekend.

One thing is for sure; I won’t be needing any more erasers for a long time. But the truth is, I love this mini pack of pencil toppers so much because of how colorful they are more so than because of their actual function. I also have a simple pencil sharpener to match.

So I don’t know if I’ll have to turn-in any art projects this year–considering that I won’t be taking any art classes–but I do plan to join the Art Club, so hopefully I can put together something vibrant with these markers and crayons to show to my fellow club members some time this year. Either way, I can always use some more art supplies–especially since it’s been years since I’ve use a marker or crayon.

Crayola absolutely slays when it comes to markers. And the skinny ones are probably my favorites, so I’m glad I was able to get some!

A large portion of my notes are actually provided by my school, where they give us guided notes to print out before starting each lesson. Then, it’s up to us students to fill in the blanks with what we learn. As a result, glue sticks are absolutely essential for keeping all my notes in my notebooks.

You know how I said that I prefer to write with pens in my notebooks? Well, there’s one little disadvantage that comes with that preference: pen is permanent. As a result, we always have to keep a couple bottles of the BiC Wite Out liquid solution, which you can apply on a permanent writing mistake, let it dry, and then write on top of it. I actually have to use this pretty often, so it’s always handy to have some available.

The main scissors that I use are pretty large and sharp on the tip, which I actually replaced for a pair of pink classroom scissors because they didn’t cut that well. But this blue pair of scissors looks like they have a decently sharp edge. Plus, the royal blue color and the design are absolutely adorable!

I had a lot of fun collecting and photographing all of my new school supplies, and I hope you all had just as much fun seeing what I have for the 2022 school year. I didn’t mention earlier that I also got some more ink for our printer, as well as a few neon highlighters, but I was so excited that I’d already opened them by the time I began taking pictures lol. Either way, I’m super glad that my freshman year is starting off to a great start, and I pray that all of yours are, as well.

What are some of your favorite school supplies items that you bought this year? Do you go to school in-person or virtually? And finally, are you excited to start school again, or do you wish summer break wasn’t over, yet?

Have a beautiful and blessed day, everyone! God bless you all and I’ll catch you later! Peace in! ♡

Something really important to me as a student that does work at home, and has been for 5 years, is organization. When my workspace is organized, I automatically feel more productive and I can remain focused on the tasks at hand. A clean space can also cause for a clean sense of concentration that will make it easier for anyone to study.

The only catch is organization is not an easy task for everyone. If you happen to be one of these people, don’t worry! I’ve got some great tips for you to help you learn how you can stay productive and confident while completing your work.

Choose a designated workspace.

This first point is a big one, and I’ll explain why: If you don’t have one fixed space where you always come to in order to study and get your work completed, it’s easy to loose track of supplies, notebooks, and other items you may need.

When you have a designated space to work, everything is where you left it, therefore making your whole study experience more enjoyable and a lot less of a hassle.

Have a calendar and/or planner handy.

Personally, I have a lot of appointments, club meetings, and live classes that I like to (and sometimes have to) attend for school.

Let. Me. Tell. You. As far as material items go, planners and calendars can be a homeschooler’s best friend. Not only do they easily allow you to document all of your to-dos, but it can also give you a peace of mind: you won’t have to remember everything by yourself. All you’ll have to do is take a look at your calendar or planner.

Take lots of notes. Organized notes.

Note-taking is a great technique if you want to get a good review of the Module or Segment before a test, and they can be extremely productive, as long as they are organized. There may even be note resources that your school provides, so if that’s available, take full advantage of that! In order to create organized notes, take a look at these bonus tips:

Separate your binders and notebooks by course. Every course needs a designated notebook.
When you do a new lesson, start a new page.
Write down lists with bullet points (the dots before each sentence in this list.)
Use highlighters to make key points stand out.
Organize the text by headings, always making sure to label each page with a title, explaining which lesson it covers.

Create and maintain a routine.

Things can get a little “messy” when you don’t have a routine. Without some type of schedule, there’s no specific time when you need to wake up, do your work, and meet the necessary attendance requirements your school has in place.

It’s best to create a routine where you set an alarm for when you wake up and have a time frame or fixed goal for how long you need to work or how many assignments you will submit every day. I love this method, as not only does it help create productivity in our academic lives, but it can also help us make time for family, friends, clubs, and other extracurricular activities.

Eat breakfast before you start working.

Usually, I aim to wake up 60-90 minutes before I actually start doing my work for the day. I have to clean the beds in my house, plus eat breakfast, all before I “go to school.”

Therefore, waking up a decent (but not too large) amount of time before your work begins will give you time for a nutritious breakfast to get your mind moving and start off the day strong! A good attitude is a HUGE factor in productivity, no matter how or where you learn.

Take breaks.

While a lot of people would guess that homeschoolers don’t actually have to work, I’m sure me and you know otherwise. It’s possible to spend 4-5 hours every day, Monday through Friday, working in order to complete all of our assignments.

In order to prevent fatigue, take at least one 30-minute break every day that you do your work for over 4 hours. It gives you an opportunity to get a healthy lunch, rejuvenating your energy, hence helping get you through the day.

Hopefully, this list of tips was a great help to anyone who works at home and needs some guidance on how to get and stay organized. Remember, as long as you have determination, a good attitude, and good organization, your online education is sure to be successful.

Have a great day, y’all! ✨