#back to school advice

[itgetsbetterproject]

Back-to-school tips for LGBTQ+ youth from a QUEER TEACHER!

It's that season, y'all! 🍎✏️ So we asked queer 8th grade English teacher Sarah from Memphis, TN what tips she would share with LGBTQ+ youth going back to school:

Look for supportive adults.

Is there a teacher always sporting a pride pin? Are there safe space posters hung up in their classroom or pride flags displayed? These are strong indicators that adult will affirm and uplift your identity. If you are unsure but want to test the waters, ask an adult what their pronouns are. Judging by their response and if they return the question, something small like this can help you determine if they are a safe person. 

Find a queer-affirming club(s) at your school. 

Does your school have a GSA or diversity club? Consider joining to build a supportive community and form connections with people you can relate to. If your school does not have a pre-existing club, consider finding an adult advisor to help and start your own GSA. Find more tips on how to do so here: https://gsanetwork.org/resources/10-steps-for-starting-a-gsa/

Trust your gut.

If you don’t feel safe in a situation, trust your instincts. If possible, remove yourself from the environment and ask for help; know that it’s ok to not share your identity with everyone, especially if you feel they are not a safe person. Conversely, if someone does make you feel safe and loved, believe that feeling too. You are in charge of who gets to know you.

Check out YA books exploring queer identities.

An amazing way to learn more about queer experiences is to read about them. There are countless young adult novels and graphic novels that can help you better understand yourself and others. Titles like The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, Taproot by Keezy Young, Out of Character by Jenna Miller, and Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker are all great stories to explore. For a more comprehensive list of LGBTQ+ YA books, visit https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/15/books/review/lgbtq-ya-books-authors.html

Seek social support.

What would life be like without friends? Although you may not click with everyone at your school, you are not alone. LGBTQ+ people are everywhere, even if it’s hard to see sometimes. Find friends who support your identity or are a part of the community as well! 

Remember! You have every right to be exactly who you are.

You are the only person who can define your identity. The terms you use to refer to yourself can evolve over time, or can remain the same, but as long as it feels right to you that’s perfect. Believe yourself, and do not doubt your worth. Growing up is a difficult process but remember, it gets better. 

Read it on the blog itgetsbetter.org too!

#itgetsbetter #queer teacher #gay teacher #lgbtq youth #queer youth #trans youth #trans kids #back to school #back to school advice #coming out at school #lgbtq advice

[fortheloveofxenia]

My Top 5 Recommendations For A Dorm Altar

(Part 1 of my Back To School Series)

1. Set aside some shelf area. If you want, you can get a small shelf specifically to sit on your desk for your altar.

2. Get some electric candles. They are fairly affordable, will not set off your dorm’s fire alarm, and I highly doubt that they will get you in trouble with your RAs.

3. Get yourself a cute teacup and saucer set. You can find them at pretty much any thrift store, and together they work as a great libation cup and offering dish set that isn’t going to weird out your roommate.

4. My personal favorite way to replace incense is to get one of those reed oil diffusers. They’re pretty cheap online and at discount stores, they will make your room smell good (obviously), and I love to use them to replace incense in the dorm.

5. If you don’t have any deity statues, or don’t feel comfortable displaying them, you can draw your own depiction of whatever gods you currently worship, use a symbol of theirs, or simply print out pictures online.

#hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polythiest #hellenic worship #worship #hellenismos #hellenic pantheon #hellenic deities #back to school advice #dorm living #dorm room altars #paganism #polythism #witchblr #paganblr #Finley’s Back To School Guide For Hellenic Polytheists #Part 1

[studycation]

my tips for students that struggle with consistency

#studyspo #studyblr #studycation #studyblr community #school advice #school #study tips #adhd tips #adhd school tips #executive dysfunction tips #ways to be productive #productivity tips #back to school

[cbbyzac]

THE IT GIRLS GUIDE TO SURVIVING SCHOOL FROM CBBYZAC.COM

#pinterest #coquette #moodboard #dollcore #coquette aesthetic #angelcore #dollette #girl blogger #gossip girl aesthetic #preppy aesthetic #classy #elegant #it girl #it girl lifestyle #old money #pinterest moodboard #fashion article #fashion advice #back to school #school aesthetic #school advice

[honeytonedhottie]

honeys guide to school໒꒱ ⋆ﾟ⊹🎀

the first day of school is rapidly approaching, this post is to help and give a guide on being successful in school. i’ll separate this post into sections <3

SECTION ONE : STUDYING

hot girls get good marks, paying attention during classes and studying are easy ways to get good marks, however sometimes studying for hours isn’t enough.

time spent ≠ results. how long u study has no correlation to how well you’d do on an exam, however HOW you study is the most important. to PASSIVELY retain information: re-read past notes/lectures, randomly highlighting and reviewing notes. when studying SIMPLIFY and explain. these two things will ensure that u learned the material.

a studying method : ACTIVE RECALL METHOD. you’ll need two different colored pens, a piece of paper and ur textbook/notes packet. first step is to read the notes packet or textbook and try to memorize as much as u can, then close ur notes and textbooks, grab ur paper and writing utensil and just start writing what u remember. once ur finished take the other colored pen and write down what is missing. until you’ve completely memorized the text

SECTION TWO : SCHOOL AIR

school air can make you feel disgusting, especially if you don’t typically do touch ups throughout the day, but here are some ways that u can beat school air.

keep ur lips MOISTURIZED, dry lips will make you feel really crusty, so make sure to walk around with good chapsticks or lip balms and gloss. also, whenever ur in the school bathroom or whatever, make sure to check on ur hair and make it look pretty.

spend TIME in the morning making sure that you look ur best, making sure that ur clothes r wrinkle free and clean, doing skincare.. all those little things will piece together how you feel and how you LOOK. get 8-9 hours of sleep, and eat a balanced diet with 3 meals a day to look after ur health, because we are most beautiful when we r HEALTHY <3

for the last portion of this post i want to talk about other various aspects of school. after school a lot of us don’t have a large amount of time to be productive, especially since it is SO tiring going to school. but use the time that u have WISELY, don’t neglect ur health during school and don’t be so hard on urself, make a good morning and evening routine and STAY consistent. do NOT bully or be rude to anybody and don’t be rude to urself either. be kind to everyone, especially ur teachers <3 make friends and have a great experience! 💗💗

if there is anything that i didn’t cover in this post please tell me so that i can talk about it <3

MUCH LOVE - honey

#advice #back to school #it girl #becoming that girl #self care

[bismuth-209]

it is the end of summer in the northern hemisphere and this means that many people are having first days of school.

i am going to give you some advice for making friends on first days. this can be the first day of school, but also of various jobs, and it doesn't necessarily need to be executed on the first day, but i think it probably works best if you're part of a larger group of people who mostly don't know eachother, are nervous, and about to spend time together whether you like it or not. so first days of school!

i'm going to try to be as explicit in this advice as possible, to make it as easy to follow as possible for people who struggle with social conventions (hiii fellow autistics)

the first step: wear something easy to compliment

this not the item in your closet that makes you look the best/prettiest.

it might be! but if the main feature of a garment is that it makes you look sexy, it can also be somewhat awkward to compliment without seeming flirtatious and we're looking for friends.

what we're looking for is cool and potentially you being able to say some things about it

cool can mean:

band tshirt

pretty graphic tshirt

puffy sleeves

noticeably long or poofy skirt

ANYTHING selfmade. if you have a selfmade thing that's wearable, wear it, even if it's not perfect. especially if it's not perfect even. if people can tell it's likely handmade it's a very easy thing to compliment

jewelry, particularly unusual jewelry

and a number of other things! things that stand out a bit are good in general.

bags and such can also work here if you have a unique one, such as with added pins.

step 2: compliment others

it can be very scary to walk up to people and say something! but to me it's less scary if i remember: they're likely also nervous, even if they don't show it AND i'm going to make them feel good for at least a moment.

now not every compliment is most suited for this situation. in general you want to compliment on something that they have (taken) control over. this means clothes are almost always a safe bet, and dyed hair is too (step 1 becomes pretty much unnecessary if your hair is already dyed btw)

things like hair texture or natural colour, eye colour, skin texture, those are features i would not go for because the individual you're trying to make friends with usually hasn't taken control over those, or if they have (see: pressure on black people to relax their hair) they might be of the mindset that it's just what they do to look normal/be accepted. similarly, natural looking makeup with no adventurous colours, while still an impressive display of skill, is not what we're looking for.

if someone's eyelid are covered in hot pink pigment, it's probably safe to walk up to someone and say "hi! i love your makeup!"

and then

after you compliment someone they're likely to say thanks, feel a bit good about themselves, and then either talk about the thing you complimented them on "i got the palette from revolution makeup! really recommend them" or, and this is why step 1 was important, say something about you. by having something that's easy to compliment you are making it easier for people to talk to you.

(although the other person might choose a variety of different paths, they could also just ask about your classes or hobbies or talk more about the thing you complimented them about. or they might be an even more socially awkward bean than you and not say much at all)

i have had good experiences with using this "technique" last year when a friend gave me the tip. and i hope you will too!

please feel fre to add on other advice for people wanting to make friends

#bis speaks #back to school #advice #autistic #asd #actually autistic #tips for autism #making friends

[socstudies]

18-09-2023

im so scared of bears like i literally can't explain it and i don't even live in a country where there are wild bears but i really am scared of them??? and whenever i think about them i feel like there's a memory at the tip of my brain that i've forgotten but idk why??? i've never seen a wild bear before ???? also classes start in two weeks woo

#studyblr #studyspo #new studyblr #100 days of productivity #studying #study motivation #school #aesthetic notes #gilmore girls #sociology #study memes #study with me #study blog #paris geller #study with paris geller #studyblr motivation #back to school #back to uni #back to college #college advice #college student

[chaotic-archaeologist]

My boyfriend is a jewish trans archeology student trying to get back into school after having to drop out during covid, do you have any words of advice or encouragement?

Wow, this feels a lot like being asked to give advice to my past self... if I could go back in time and say something to 2018 Reid (who was going back to school under similar circumstances, although my break from school was not pandemic induced), it would be something like this:

Ultimately, this is an exercise in trusting yourself. Initially, this may be hard to do, and that's understandable—your world has been turned upside down and school did not go how you expected it to. Forgive yourself for this. But with every class you attend, every paper you write, and every test you study for, keep in mind that you are building trust in yourself that you can do this.

Notice that I didn't tie any of those activities (going to class, writing, studying) to the grades you may be given. Yes, you need good grades to pass, but they're also not the best or only metric of your success. You may have hard months or semesters where your grades take a dip, and that's fine. What matters most is how you recover from these moments. Nobody is going to care about your GPA when you get into the real world, and grad schools care more about how you do overall than whether you managed to get a 4.0 every semester.

You're also a different person this time around. You know yourself better. You are more mature. You have survived hard things. Use that to your advantage! Nobody whose opinion is worth a damn is going to think less of you for coming back to take a second crack at this.

Take some deep breathes. Make yourself a plan. Use all of the resources at your disposal to help you succeed. Our society has instilled in us a belief that college is supposed to take four years, and that's just not true. It takes as long as it takes. Make the best out of this experience now that you're here.

-Reid

#he speaks #academic advice #life advice #internet brother #in 2018 I had no high school diploma and no college degree. #I went back to school taking a class at a time and built myself back up from there #and by god it was excruciating sometimes #but it *is* possible #and you can do it too

[all-lars-bars]

In my delusion world, the MC in DDLC is aroace and transfem

#sayori catches her trying on her uniform and gets so fucking excited to give her a makeover #natsuki gives advice bc she is also transfem. bc I said so #monika helps with getting her preferred name‚ gender‚ and pronouns into the school system #her pronouns are she/they btw #and yuri pulls transphobes aside to threaten them #when they try to tell people no one believes them bc yeah Yuri's weird but she's too shy and sweet to threaten anybody #that's such nonsense!! She would never do that!!! #the literature club know better but they're not gonna say anything #also they're all in a polycule‚ including MC. it's just platonic for her #In my world MC a bastard in game because she's dealing with a lot of her own problems on top of everything #ddlc #doki doki literature club #anyways I'm gonna get back to writing a fic for marble hornets

[bimiio]

i am my own worst enemy cuz i keep ALMOST booking tickets 4 queer events/parties but then not doing it cuz i’m afraid of goin alone but then seein pics n vids from said events on da organizers social media n bein SO MAD i didn’t go cuz it looks SO fun n way less intimidating than i thought😭

#there was dis back 2 school themed party (think like cheerleader/nerd/jock costumes n like mean girls/clueless vibes etcetc) #n i didn’t go cuz i had no1 2 go with n i was worried i’d b da only one there alone #which is so stupid cuz obvi so many ppl r probably in da same boat as me like hot dykes goin out alone 2 meet other hot dukes #dykes* #at a venue i’ve been 2 b4 n actually rlly like #but yeah i didn’t end up goin but then i saw da pics n vids from da event n it looked SO fun n there was SO MANY hotties😭 #n there was dis vid of a bunch of studs n mascs doin a shot 2gether n they were all SO sexy i was so sad i didn’t go😭 #i wish i could ask if sum of y’all were in my city without having 2 reveal wut my city is #but alas.. #it is not possible #does any1 have any advice on how 2 overcome dis fear of going out n like especially going out alone?? #m1n3 #m1sc #also if u sumhow by divine perception think u know wut party i’m talkin abt #even tho i am bein SO incredibly vague #n wanna go 2 parties 2gether next month pls DM me mwah <33

[itgetsbetterproject]

Advice for LGBTQ+ students going back to school this year:

We asked our community what advice they would give LGBTQ+ students going back to school this fall and they ANSWERED and now we are cryinggg:

🍎 Nothing gets better in a vacuum. It gets better because of the experience you gain, the relationships you build, and the tireless effort of people you may never come to know. Why? Because you are worth it, sweetheart. We will love you with profound depth until and after you begin to love yourself. - Nick

✏️ Identify your safe people. I had a “safe person-safe place” sign on my school bus. Any student could approach me at anytime for any need and I’d have their back. This was especially true for my LGBTQ+ riders. I like to think I set the tone of inclusion for all my kids to follow. Once I declared the bus a safe space with no room for intolerance, the kids all felt free to be themselves. And they were all beautiful, wonderful people! -Lisa

🏳️‍🌈 I had someone in high school that NEVER talked to or associated with me. We ran into each other at a party a few weeks ago. I got hugged. I also got invited, with my husband of 22 years, to a party this weekend. It DOES get better. People grow up, learn things, and change. -Michael

🏳️‍⚧️ Just because it’s safe for some people to be “visibly out” doesn’t mean you HAVE to be. Do what makes YOU feel comfortable and SAFE. Being out and proud and loud is great, but you can still be proud without being obvious if that’s what you need to do. There’s not just one way to be, it doesn’t make you any less valid - Kaitlin

🍎 It is entirely up to you where and when and how to be out or not be out.

Find your people - other queer & trans kids, allies, teachers, school staff & love each other fiercely

Find those who will speak for you when you can’t speak up for yourself.

Find safe spaces & people outside of school, find spaces and people that allow you to be you.

Know that you have a whole community of queer and trans and non- binary folks cheering for you, supporting you & loving you. When no one else is, imagine us surrounding you. - Heather

✏️ Be bold, be brave, be unapologetically you. Embrace your authentic self, radiate your truth, and let the world witness the beauty of your existence. - Daniel

🏳️‍🌈 School is only one part of life - a relatively small and short part. Even if it feels enormous and all-consuming now. Make the most of it if you can. Just wait it out if you need to. It does not last forever. - Sera

🏳️‍⚧️ Remember that you are equal to every person. No one is superior to you. And, this segment of your life is far from permanent. Try to enjoy it, but realize that it will remain in the past as you advance into the future. You are in school for the primary reason of learning. Be a glutton for this learning, because what you learn is truly among the things that cannot be taken or stolen from you. Don't give up on your dreams, no matter how farfetched they may seem. I thought my dreams were lofty when I was in school. But I found that I had never aimed higher than I could easily go. There is a vast world of people who already love you, and I am surely one of them. - Marc

#it gets better #back to school #lgbtqia #lgbtq advice #queer advice #trans advice #lgbtq youth #queer youth #trans youth #middle school #high school #gsa #gsa club

[bmpmp3]

man in his mid 20s who says tee hee

#art #traditional art #watercolour #oc art #ocs #oc group: lia crystal darling #oc: bibi #I DREW THIS a while back u can see the date in the corner LOL but i didnt scan it because it was like #a tiny little drawing from a tiny little watercolour paper pad and i. lost it JHKDSDds i forgot i had it #BUT I FOUND IT AGAIN so i scanned it finally ~ #today i had a slightly wretched critique in one of my classes. kinda incomprehensible. oddly harsh with very little actionable advice #i think ive been really lucky in school with critiques at least post secondarily. most have been very useful and fun and interesting #even if i dont find all the advice useful usually i can at least glean something like a communication issue or something im having #but this one was wack as FUCK only advice i got was basicaly all the work u did sucked u should just redraw year old unrelated work instead #my professor seems to think im on the right track tho i think it was just the TAs who came out the gate swinging LOL #theyre like my age so maybe theyre just overwhelmed about trying to lead a critique like this i think theyre new at it #so i'll try not to be too discouraged but MAN.... so now. i need to post drawings of my anime boys to bring me back down to earth #look at my anime boy. he even has hair covering one eye <3

[anonymouspuzzler]

how did you go through college/grad school with ADHD, don't know how to combat it well.

genuinely, I dropped out because I had no idea i had it, had other compounding shit going on, and subsequently lost the ability to take care of myself! when I decided to go back it was after learning I most likely had some form of adhd, and I bolstered my support systems in many forms (lived with family instead of alone, went to therapy regularly, generally was older and a little more assured of myself, etc). and even with all that it's still a huge struggle!!

a lot of it comes down to "acknowledge and accept that you're never going to be able to just Become Neurotypical, some days will be hard, be willing to experiment and figure out things that do help you and Use Those Things whether or not they're 'normal' or you think you 'should' be doing them". ie. I struggle a lot with graduate-level reading, and after a lot of experimentation figured out what works best for me is having a TTS read the text out loud at the same time I'm reading it! It took me a long time to realize that because for some reason I got stuck on "needing" to just do one or the other!

#anonymous puzzler answers #genuinely every time folks ask me about school stuff i need to emphasize I Dropped Out And Did Not Go Back Until My Mid-20s #it took me a WHILE to reach a point where I understood what i wanted and needed out of my education & build support systems accordingly #shit was hard! shit's still hard! but it was something I care a lot about and it was important to me to go to school anyway #and maybe this is bad advice but genuinely if you don't feel that desire to Go Through It: figure out why! #do you need a different major? are you not vibing with this school's approach? is college/grad school just Not For You? #(like i Know the way The Industries are now wrt College Degrees but genuinely college isn't for Everyone and that's Fine) #(trades are Awesome and if you vibe more with that that's fucking Awesome)

[ratwithhands]

School's done!!! I mean there's still like two random days I have to go back before it's completely over but I'm not getting anymore assignments!

Here's the drawings of high school Ingo and Emmet that made the advert and cover of my magazine culminating this semester. They also made it into the advice column for that project (though technically that was Ingo talking about Emmet in a message to the magazine). Fun fact I freehanded the perspective on Emmet in like 20 minutes because I had to rush. I think it came out alright considering I've never done that before ^^. Anyways I'll se if I can put up some doodles later for Burst.

We made it fellas :) I'll see you later, have a good night

#submas #ingo #subway master ingo #ingo pokemon #nobori #emmet #subway master emmet #emmet pokemon #kudari #I got to drop some lore/hc for the culminating because the advice column with Ingo talks about him having a rockier relationship #with Emmet after some stuff happens at school and Emmet closes off to himself and starts ignoring him #it's something I write into the background for a lot of AUs but I feel like Ingo does better academically and it sets off crazy responses #from Emmet because he's competitive and wants to “win” so when he gets another report card score under Ingo's #he shuts himself off to study and practice #and Ingo doesn't know what's going since Emmet doesn't want to talk to him and especially not about that #so as far as he knows Emmet's behaviour is just random and sometimes he's the goofy little brother but other times he's just a #cold stranger. They get better in college when they move out to Nimbasa and Ingo's really happy about that since it's like #getting his brother back from whatever happened back in middle-high school #anyways that's enough writing on that; I'll make a post on that alone later if I really need to #have a good night and I'll see you later

[bloompompom]

last night i saw the sweetest thing and was like “oh i used to love this movie” and like halfway through mr bloomy was like “how old were you when you watched this??” and now i am realizing it’s movies like this that at the ripe age of twelve made me Like This

#but this is also coming from the man who in high school i asked him if he played skyrim and he said ‘im not allowed to play rated m games’🤓 #<- every time i remind him of that he’s like WHY DID YOU LIKE ME #but that’s what you want in a man #get me the man that curses ‘jiminy christmas’ because he won’t break ur heart but will blow ur back out #that’s my life advice #bloomy rambles

[anaalnathrakhs]

btw my mom said it. she said it to me looking me in the eyes. i told her about how difficult it was for me to get through those family reunions, and she admitted it was very important to her, important enough that she was just going to do it anyway.

#i know there are compromises out there #and i'm not going to live w them my whole life so i'll be out fairly soon all things considered #and i'm trying to be understanding when people's priorities aren't the same as mine #but i uh. would be lying if i said it doesn't hurt a little wittle bit. #i'm gonna keep handling it because i've been an asshole to my parents for long enough #i largely owe them that. cooperating and spending time with them and engaging in what matters to them. #but then she's says things like ''but whenever you move out you'll still be part of the family and invited if you want uwu'' #it's just ?????? okay thanks ???? perhaps you could also try seeing things from my point of view perhaps???? #it's all circling back to that. they have a very weird way to ''help'' me #throwback to them trying to cure my depression with amusement parks #when i would have liked a little less of that and a little more help and understanding #it feels like they're trying to put bandaids on a cancer #''you don't ask for help'' okay no help is coming. i am not being helped. #the system can't help me cause there's no damn beds no damn professionals no damn time to help everyone #the people around me can't help me because it's not their job or within their wheelhouse to help me #and they've got their own shit to deal with #on that note #i was discussing stuff with my mom #and i mentionned it was indeed pretty difficult to manage your time when you had to deal with school and friends and your parents #and she was like ''deal with your parents???? what do you have to deal with????'' #oh i don't KNOW maybe that i'm officially an associate of my dad and i have to help out w events and some accounting #or maybe i have to pay back the fucking years i spent being an ungrateful child now i do everything you expect me to and it's exhausting #maybe that you constantly remind me i am living in YOUR house by touching my shit instead of letting me deal with shit at my own pace #maybe the fact that despite everything i care about you and i want us to have a good relationship and that takes WORK and i'm exhausted #maybe the fact that you keep giving me advice that is unproductive misguided misunderstanding etc etc #and cold comfort after you did something you knew to be difficult for me #how you keep encouraging shit that i don't want and am unhappy with because it's the ''normal'' way #how you raised me from childhood to be an empty shell in a family of empty shells #broadcasting my misery #vent