A holiday is an occasion recognized by both the state and federal government in any country and it’s usually marked on calendars. Many people both workers and students love to have holidays, moments they will have all to themselves and their families. It is a well known fact that holidays not only provide students with positive impacts it also affect their productivity as well. During the school holidays, students have more time to spend with their families, but also a long time away from school may mot the best thing for students. When students don’t have classes their level of knowledge goes down, and when they come to school, they are troubled by the change of their environment.
For students especially undergraduate students, having a lot or log holidays tend to pose as a problem especially as their knowledge of things taught in school diminishes with time as they spend most their time watching TV, playing games, playing and visiting family and friends. All these activities during the holiday especially when overly done without creating time to study and research will affect the performance of students in undergraduate projects and other departmental activities. That is why parents must ensure that even during the holidays, learning never stops. Perhaps it’s not so much about how much time students spend in class, but what they do when they’re not.
However, another advantage of holidays is that it is the perfect healer that helps people to regain their well-being and freedom after being obligated to work.
Furthermore, some students enjoy having holidays because they can take a break from their deadlines, improve their mental performance or take time to de-stress. However, they don’t know that having lots of school holidays can give negative effects on their school’s performance. A long study break can be damaging because students cannot find the extra support that they need ion school or focus well in the environment.
HOLIDAY
School holidays also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess are the periods during which schools are closed or no classes are held. The dates and periods of school holidays vary considerably throughout the world, and there is usually some variation even within the same jurisdiction. It is any special day set aside for leisure or celebration.
However, school holidays teach students to occupy themselves and not to rely on others for entertainment. It also provides students with the opportunity to learn other things that are not taught in school because children are constantly learning and therefore, need more than just academic education.
SCHOOL RESUMPTION
After the stipulated time given for the holidays, it is expected that students resume/return back to school for resumption of academic activities. However, in most cases students tend not to resume at the stipulated time which could be deliberate or as a result of unforeseen circumstances. Students must understand that not resuming early or the stipulated time given by the school management, might pose a threat to their academic performance in the sense that most lecturers tend to give a resumption test to their students which of course is accompanied with marks, if you are not present at the time the test was written, you have automatically lost some marks no matter how little. So it is advisable as an undergraduate student that you resume school early or at the stipulated time.
HOW TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AFTER THE HOLIDAY
i. Develop a positive mental attitude: for everything one must achieve in life, you must first and foremost develop a positive mindset towards it. You must believe in yourself and in your ability to achieve anything. Therefore, when you return back to school after the holidays, be optimistic that you will achieve your desired CGPA this semester and make sure you work towards it.
ii. Work out where you’re falling short before the holiday/last semester: another point to note on how to improve your academic performance after the holiday is trying as much as you can to work out where you are lacking academically. If there is any course you find difficult, it is only necessary that you study more, ask questions and make more research on it/them so as to improve. And if any case is not course related but rather some negative behaviors and attitudes that causes you not to concentrate or give the time to your study, then it is time to review your attitudes and make positive change.
iii. Talk to your teachers: it is quite unfortunate that most students think their teachers as only useful in the classroom and concerns themselves with their teachings only regardless of how their students are performing. But that is not the case; most of these teachers are actually happy when their students approach them on some issues especially as it concerns their academic performance and how they can improve. It is also important that you discuss with your teachers if you don’t understand or like their method of teaching that way, teachers can adopt a more suitable method to use in teaching and learning.
iv. Pay more attention in class and ask questions: no one knows it all. Whatever you don’t understand in the cause of teaching in class please ask don’t feel shy to ask questions be it your teachers or colleagues that is another way to gain clarity and know more.
Paying attention in class is also very important. You know during the holiday, it is possible that your knowledge of some certain things have diminished, so it is advisable that you pay stern attention to the teachings in class avoid any kind of distraction especially when teaching is going on in class.
v. Improve your note taking skills: aside paying attention during teaching and learning in class. It is also important that you develop the skill of writing that is taking note of what your lecturer is teaching. Most times it is during explanation that the lecturer actually divulges what is likely to come out in exams or how they like their questions been answered during examinations. If you are the type of student that doesn’t take note during lectures, you have automatically missed it. Taking note during lecture will also help you during your study time especially in topics you didn’t understand in the classroom, you can quickly refer to your note to gain more understanding and clarity.
vi. Find the right learning/reading skill for you: individuals are different and so are their levels of understanding and comprehension. Therefore, it is important that you understand what method of learning and reading works for you. There are students who learn faster during the day as well as enjoy the daytime reading while some prefer the night time reading/learning. Identify the one that best works for you and stick to it.
CONCLUSION
Conclusively, students must avoid seeing the holiday time as the period to forget all about school and focus more on having fun with family and friends in as much as having fun and spending time with family and friends is one of the essence of holiday, students must not forget to keep developing themselves and keep learning new things everyday so as to improve their knowledge and keep their brains working and afresh of what was taught in school so that they don’t go blank and empty once school resumes. The activities during the holiday must be balanced so no side suffers and bear the consequences alone.