Take 5: 4th May 2015 by Mr Chan Hoong Leong

Good morning Mdm Tan, Mr Lee, Mr Tan, fellow colleagues and Gessians.

Before I start off today Take 5, please kindly remember to take out your GESS Life book to jot down these important points.

Last week, you have successfully completed your English and Mother Tongue exam and this week you going to embark on the rest of your subjects for the rest of the Mid Year Examination.

Sometimes as you are studying, you may feel down or lousy and doesnΓÇÖt have the mood to do so. In the next few minutes, I hope I can share with you some tips to motivate you in this journey.

Enjoy Studying
It is hard to digest this fact. Many of you think that, ‘enjoying studying’ is an absurd statement. No, it is not. Studying and learning things is never hard, if you enjoy and perceive the purpose in it. There are many subjects which you can learn and have fun such as general science, physics, history etc. So, try to comprehend the merit in your subjects and learn them.

Friends
Associate Yourself with Good and Hardworking People. It is true that friends play a significant role in shaping youself. When you associate yourself with irresponsible people who care the least about their education, it is likely that they may rub off on you. The positive waves from good and hardworking friends, will motivate you to study well. We can also play an active role within the class to encourage our friends to do their best and ensure that we complete this journey on a high note.

Set a Target
Once you set your finishing line, it will be easy to work on it. When you set a target, your direction towards studying will be controlled and organized. Before setting your target, consider the factors such as your ability, stamina, difficulty level of the subject you want to study and exam date. Don’t get too excited, and set a target such as completing your whole syllabus in one day. If you are capable of doing it, good, however, if you are not able to, it will demotivate you, instead of the other way round. So be realistic. This is not a 100 m sprint. It is a marathon. So do spread out the goal over a time period instead of finishing it within a day.

Utilize the Early Morning Hours
It has scientifically proven that our brains work at its best during the early morning hours. The freshness that you feel in the morning time, can be found nowhere in the rest of the day. During the morning, you can study some subject whichever you feel is complicated, because the grasping power of the brain will be more during this time. The point is, once you gain confidence in a difficult subject, you can easily go on with other subjects and excel without much effort.
Time is Precious
It is an undeniable fact that time is a valuable thing. Study now because this is the right age and never let the clock tick away your life without any purpose, success or prosperity in it.

Organize Your Study Room
This is a psychological way of getting motivated to study and to avoid distractions while you study. Keep your study room clean and well-organized, so that you will feel like studying peacefully. Arrange your textbooks properly in your book shelves.

Consequences
You need to understand that your academic history is very important in each step of your life. It you don’t score well, you may not get admission in a good college or get a job of your choice, and you may have to compromise with your career. Tell it to yourself that, It is my life and I need to work hard to achieve what I want. It is not only you who is going to suffer because of your poor performance, but also your parents. So, when you compare the consequences of not scoring well with the effort you need to put now, you will surely get motivated to open your textbooks and start studying.

I conclude this Take 5 with the words of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam (former President of India), who is a beloved teacher and scientist of India, ~ (you may all want to jot it down)…

dream is not what you see in sleep, it is something that doesn’t let you sleep”.

Thank you and have a successful Mid Year Examination!

Onward !!!