How to Stay Positive in School

Co-authored by Jai Flicker

Last Updated: February 7, 2023 References

One of the keys to doing well in school is staying positive. Positivity will make you feel better and give you good attitude to be more productive with your schoolwork. Staying positive in school means staying optimistic, keeping organized, avoiding negativity, and surrounding yourself with a positive environment. By staying positive, you can do well in your classes and earn the grades you want.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Being Optimistic

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Be optimistic about school. Make sure not to focus on the negative in every situation. Instead, try being positive about what you feel good about and are looking forward to in the future.
- Create a list of things you are grateful for. You may be grateful for your parents or maybe even your new jacket. Try to appreciate the good things in your life.
- Write down one thing every day that you are looking forward to. This can help you appreciate the future and what it has to offer.
- Imagine all the things that could happen in the future. Think about your future self and all the things you will accomplish.
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Encourage other students. Sometimes taking the focus off yourself can help you to be more optimistic. Help make others feel better and often you’ll feel better as well.^{[1]
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- Share any encouraging thoughts if you have them. If you are impressed by someone’s ability in math or science class, tell them. Making others feel good about themselves can make you feel good too.
- Give small, thoughtful gifts to your friends. People appreciate it when others are thinking of them. Even something as simple as buying a friend a coffee can encourage them to stay positive at school.
- Offer practical help if people seem to be struggling. Asking to help someone carry heavy or large items indoors can be a good way to encourage others by showing them you care.
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Take feedback constructively. Though it may sometimes be difficult, it’s important to not get down when teachers offer you feedback. Take what they say and learn how to apply it to be better in the future.^{[2]
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- Breathe when you get any potentially negative feedback. Take a minute to calm down your initial response before you react.
- Take your own notes about the feedback you receive. If it’s written feedback, write down what you think you need to do based on your teacher’s recommendations. If it’s oral feedback, write down what the teacher is telling you and verify that you’re understanding correctly.
- Be thankful for feedback. Thank your teacher for giving you feedback. Consider it as an opportunity to improve yourself.
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Smile at your peers and teachers. Smiling can make you feel better. Even if you’re not feeling great, just the physical act of smiling improves your mood.^{[3]
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- People will find you more trustworthy and approachable if you’re smiling. Smiling makes you look like an open and warm person that will listen and be friendly.
- Smiling makes other people smile. It can be contagious if you see others smiling around you.
- You are also more productive when you smile. Smiling makes you feel better, so you work harder and smarter.
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Take advantage of extra help. Some teachers may offer extra help either before or after school. Additionally, you can always find a tutor to help you on any subjects you’re really struggling with.^{[4]
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- Go to any before or after school tutoring that your teacher offers. Talking to your teacher more about your schoolwork, especially areas where you are struggling, can be really beneficial.
- Come to any tutoring sessions with specific questions. You can get the most out of your tutoring session if you have clear questions for your teacher. Stating, “I don’t get it” isn’t as useful as “I’m confused about…..”
- Find an individual tutor. There may be tutors who are other students at your school. See if you can find any of these students who may be willing to help you out with your work.
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Focus on your strengths. Not everyone is good at every subject. Emphasize the things you do well so you can do those that much better while you’re in school.^{[5]
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- Enjoy the classes that you do well in. Some classes may be easier for you than others, so make sure to really shine in those classes.
- Feel a sense of accomplishment when you succeed. It’s important to feel good when you do something well. If you got an A on that test or really did well on that essay, recognize what you’ve done and feel good about it.
  - Understand the system. Your school may have scheduled Math, English, History, Science, PE, and other electives in case you change your career to a different one, you had the previous time, which could consist of different material.
- Find things that you enjoy outside of school. Pick up some hobbies or extracurricular activities. Enjoying these things can put schoolwork into perspective.
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Stay patient with yourself when you’re trying to change. Optimistic people try to take a longer view. Don’t get impatient with yourself if you’re struggling in school.^{[6]
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- Catch yourself if you find yourself getting impatient. Recognize when you’re feeling impatient and end your thought process.
- Relax your body from your head to your toes. Don’t get tense by being too impatient.
- Focus on what you’re currently doing. Try not to think too far ahead, but instead work on this particular homework assignment or this particular test.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Keeping Organized

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Make a clear plan of action with specific goals. Staying positive in school is easier if you have a clear plan of what you want to accomplish. Have clear benchmarks and deadlines for your goals, so you’ll know when you’ve accomplished them. If you don’t meet your deadlines, try to adjust your goals, but don’t beat yourself up too much.^{[7]
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- Create a list of things you want to accomplish in school. Maybe you want to take better notes or participate more in class. Think of things that you are struggling with and want to do better on.
- Develop a plan for how you’ll accomplish your goals. Find little ways you can improve on a daily basis and work towards achieving your goals.
- Set clear deadlines by which you’ll achieve your goals. They should be reasonable deadlines, since your goals may take a while to achieve.
- Review your action plan on a regular basis. Remind yourself of what you’re trying to accomplish
- Change your plan of action if necessary. If you are struggling to reach your goals, update your action plan. Don’t think of this as a failure, but instead think of it as an adjustment to how you’ll achieve your goals.
2
Keep organized in your school materials. Being organized lets you keep things in order and feel more in control of what’s happening. You'll be able to find everything quickly and easily when it's time to study.
- Put all your assignments, notebooks, and class information for each class together. You want to be able to look at everything for each class at one time. Don’t have your class information in too many locations. If you carry just one binder, make sure you have different sections for each class.
- Buy organization tools like binders, planners, and book bags. Have places where you can store your class materials and take them with you to different events. ^{[8]
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- Take notes during your classes. It may be useful to recopy your notes after class since this helps you retain the information better.
- Find the best way of organizing your school work that works for you. If what you’re doing isn’t working, then change your method of organizing into something that does.^{[9]
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3
Make your work area tidy and comfortable. Wherever you do most of your work should be clean and ready for you to work. You need to feel comfortable when you’re working on your schoolwork.
- Put similar school supplies together. Keep the paper together and the writing utensils together. Everything at your work area should be easy to locate when you need it.
- Keep supplies in stock. Don’t run out of paper or pencils at your work area. Stay well-stocked so getting supplies does not become a distraction to avoid doing school work.
- Get rid of any unnecessary items. Avoid too much clutter in your work area. Remember that the main goal of any work area is to get school work finished.
4
Stay busy and active during school. Try to keep motivated by staying busy. Avoid getting distracted too much by extracurricular activities or your personal life.
- Keep to a consistent schedule to complete your schoolwork. Give yourself enough time to complete assignments.
- Look ahead to see what’s due soon. Plan out the best way you can start working on assignments now, instead of at the last minute.
- Being busy can motivate you. Not having enough to do can sometimes make you lose momentum.
- Try not to be overwhelmed by being busy. If you find you’re overwhelmed by extracurricular or personal commitments, consider reigning these commitments in. Being busy should make you productive and not distract you from your tasks as a student.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Surrounding Yourself with a Positive Environment

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Find positive environments in your school. Negativity can often be contagious. If you’re in any toxic environments, get out of them so you can stay positive about your schoolwork.^{[10]
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- Look for teachers that make you feel good about yourself. A teacher can make a big difference for students. Interact with teachers you really connect with to feel better about school.
- Join clubs or groups that are positive. Community engagement groups may help you to feel about what you and others are doing.
- Talk to teachers or counselors about finding positive environments. They may have suggestions for how to get more involved so you don’t feel down about your time at school.
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Be around positive people when you’re at school. Positive friends can make you feel better about yourself. Seek out friends that are enthusiastic and passionate about their lives. Negative people can often be draining on you, especially in tough environments like school.^{[11]
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- Positive people can influence you to become more positive yourself. They show gratitude to others and seek out experiences that make them feel good about life and school.^{[12]
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- Pay attention to how you feel around people. Positive people should make you feel invigorated and excited about the future.^{[13]
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- Be honest about how others make you feel. Even if it’s a long-time friend, it may be time to break away from overly negative people in your life. Though it is difficult, being honest about how others make you feel will create a better, more positive environment for you.
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Talk to others about your fears and worries. Being in positive environments doesn’t mean you never feel negative. If you’re feeling negative, it’s important to share these feelings with someone you trust. Find friends, teachers, or counselors that will listen to you. Your parents are always willing to listen as well.^{[14]
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- Find teachers that you can talk to about your fears and worries. Talking to an influential teacher you respect can make you feel listened to and may make you feel better about your concerns.
- Talk to school counselors or professional counselors. Counselors are trained to talk to struggling students. They should be able to listen and give you good advice on how to feel better about yourself and any struggles at school.
- Share your feelings with your friends. Close friends will be willing to listen to you. They may share their own feelings, which can make you feel better if you have some shared emotions about school.

Expert Q&A

Question

What is the best way to study?

Jai Flicker
Academic Tutor
Jai Flicker is an Academic Tutor and the CEO and Founder of Lifeworks Learning Center, a San Francisco Bay Area-based business focused on providing tutoring, parental support, test preparation, college essay writing help, and psychoeducational evaluations to help students transform their attitude toward learning. Jai has over 20 years of experience in the education management industry. He holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of California, San Diego.

Jai Flicker

Academic Tutor

Expert Answer

Find a work place that’s free of distractions. Studying on your bed or in a noisy area may not be the best spot. Study somewhere where you feel the most productive. Also, turn off your phone or put it on Do Not Disturb when you're studying. Turn off notifications on your computer too.