Students, do you ever find yourself having a difficult time getting excited about school? Do you ever wonder what’s the point of school anyway? Caregivers and adults, does this sound like anyone you know?

If so, I want to share three simple tips for helping each and every student get the most out of school—and to help students find their why and their passion, along the way.

1. Get Involved Early—and Get Off to a Good Start:

Whether it is the start of a brand-new school year—or half-way through the year (and looking for a reset)–getting involved early is often key to a student’s success. Be an active learner and participant in class; get involved in sports; music; student clubs; work; volunteering; the arts—basically anything that brings learning to life.

The beginning of a new school year—or a new academic term—can be just the fresh start needed to jump-start new hopes and aspirations. Getting off to a good start, academically, is also important because much of the work at the beginning of the school year, for instance, is review material from the previous school year(s), so much of the material should already have been learned and, hopefully, retained (or at least re-learned rather quickly with a refresher). Another good reason for getting involved early–and off to a good, fast start–is that things happen. Students can get sick for a period of time and miss school, or maybe struggle more with a future, more advanced unit of study. Getting that foundational review knowledge down early can create a buffer or cushioning-effect for later on in the term when schedules can get tighter or when motivational levels might ebb and flow. The inverse is true, too: It’s almost always more difficult (in the long-run) to get off to a slow start because it can feel like a perpetual game of catch-up. Complete all work and assignments—no Zeros (which can tank grades).

2. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone:

School is meant to be a time that students discover who they are; explore what they are interested in; and tap-into what piques their innate curiosity—or even makes their heart sing. It’s also the ideal time to step out of one’s comfort zone—scary as that may sound at first! Middle school and high school are the perfect times to pick up that new instrument for the first time and join the band (or begin taking music lessons); it’s also the perfect time to go out for that sports team; or start a student-run club; or raise money for a local charity or good cause. Whatever it is, this is the time for students to take on ambitious (sometimes even scary!) endeavors and aspirations and to see what happens! Who cares what people may think (or say) when they see another student stepping out of their comfort zone and doing something with no ultimate guarantee of success. Most of those other people don’t matter (and five or ten years down the road, they will, separately, be going off in their own direction in life anyway, so who really cares what they think, right?).

3. Find Your ‘Why’—Your Passion:

Sometimes, it can be easy for students to question what’s the point of school anyway (if it’s just to get a good job or get accepted into a “good” college). But school is much more than that. It can be the perfect place to find your why—or your reason for learning and self-discovery. What problems do you want to solve? What could you do for hours at a time and lose track of time, altogether, because you were so locked-into what you were working on or doing? What makes your heart leap for joy? What do you totally geek-out on? School can help you discover all of those things, and it can even help you find others who are just as excited about the things that you are into, as well. Yes, school can often times feel competitive, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. School is also a place of collaboration; problem-solving with others; and working together towards a common cause, goal, or solution. But no matter what it is, find your why for school; your why for learning; and your why for giving time to the things you are currently giving time towards. If you feel like you need to make a change, make a change—go in a different direction (that’s almost always totally OK). But be true to yourself; own your whys and your passions. You might just change the world in the process!