back to stress… I mean school…

story by | laura sokolofsky

students – before the test

Jane sits at her desk, the teacher told her about this test 2 weeks ago, she studied a lot, the test is now being passed out… her leg starts jumping, her palms get sweaty yet cold and clammy, her face feels warm, her heart starts racing and it feels like it will jump out of her chest as she looks over the test and her mind goes blank… her anxiety has taken over.

Back to school can mean back to emotional stress and test anxiety for many students. High stakes, mandated testing has raised pressures for schools, teachers, and it often lands on the students' shoulders with higher expectations and standards to measure up to each year.

Fear is a reaction to a real outside source of danger that can hurt you. At that moment, the fight, flight, or freeze instinct takes over. Anxiety is internal, which causes a physical and emotional reaction to the stressor. Logical thinking is affected if emotions take over. The ability to concentrate and focus can be lost as well as the ability to remember stored information. There are some things teachers, parents, and students can do to help send positive messages about testing and ease the test anxiety for all involved.

Common sense says get sleep, eat breakfast, and study. Sounds easy, right? But many students don’t know strategies to study effectively before the test and this adds to feelings of being unprepared, not confident, and possibly hopeless. No one can memorize all their notes, teachers' lectures, and textbooks. Have your child/student consider these ideas to help the days before the test go smoother: students – during the test Emotions are often high at test time and success depends on the physical, emotional and mental ability to cope with the pressure. First, to calm oneself to stay rational, take a deep breath, visualize a relaxing scene and remember worrying is a waste of energy and will not help the outcome. Think of it like being on “Who wants to be a Millionaire” [without phone-a-friend], but use strategies to think through and narrow down options:

• Take good notes, write what the teacher puts on the board or says in a list “1st, 2nd, 3rd”.

• Use a three ring binder so notes can be added, removed, highlighted, or organized by information as needed.

• Write down the bold and italicized words and definitions from textbooks, and answer the questions at the end of each chapter to quiz yourself.

• Ask for a practice test or for the teacher to help narrow down what’s most important to focus on in studying.

• Most importantly, tell them about test anxiety. Remember, teachers want to help students do well too; it is a reflection of their teaching.

• Look over the whole test, circle or underline key words in the directions like; identify, describe, compare. Be careful of words like always, never, least, not, and except because these can change the meaning of the whole question.

• Multiple Choice questions. Read the question and answer A, then reread the question and answer B, reread the question and read Answer C, reread the question and answer D—this helps you better eliminate and cross off the answers you know are wrong. It also helps you focus on each answer and which would be the best choice.

• True/False questions, pick true, unless you can prove otherwise and check that all parts of the sentence are true.

• If the first question is hard or you don’t know it, move on to find an easier one and start there instead. Panic and doom can set in if you sit on and struggle with the first question.

student – after the test

The test is over and it’s time to evaluate your results and your testing process. Look at how you did and how you felt during the test. Do you think you are a good student? Do you have confidence or interest in the subject? Do you have the ability to cope with your emotions and stress? If you answer no to these questions, you need some support before the next test. Talk to your teacher. Everyone has to do tasks in life they do not enjoy and must learn to persevere.

Parent Help

As parents we all want to see our kids do well in most everything they try and when it comes to school, nothing is more important. Here are ways to offer assistance to cope with test anxiety:

• Ask how, when, and where he will study for the test.

• Ask him how prepared he feels for the test.

• Offer to help him as needed [flashcards, make up questions, listen to him orally explain the chapter, quiz vocabulary definitions, etc].

• Help him feel safe talking with you about his feelings, reassure him that many people have test anxiety and he can get help to handle it.

• Show unconditional love. You expect him to try his best, but you will not judge him on the outcome.