Dear curious querier,
For the first and most prominent question about how a bird is able to type, I will respond in the best way I can manage with my beak swiftly shifting across the keyboard, pressing individual letters and keys. I was taught as most creatures are to communicate using memorization and reward-based training techniques, resulting in my ability to type full words, sentences and responses. It’s quite an entertaining process, although the keyboard I currently use is thoroughly scarred with scratch marks but nevertheless, I am able to reply to the questions I receive through this portal so therefore I will not complain.
As for the next question about managing stress as a highschool student, specifically for an individual who is steadily nearing graduation, I have a few pieces of advice. Firstly, as you continue in your educational journey, from what I’ve observed, stress alongside a growing workload will only increase with each passing year. Creating a functional time-management system is extremely important at this point in your life because it will determine the rhythm that informs your work ethic, responsibilities and your progress in college or further in your career. You must also allow yourself to take time doing activities that you enjoy because focusing solely on your grades will surely drain your energy and lead to burn-out if you do not prioritize your mental, physical and emotional well-being as well.
Although staying up to date on the plethora of assignments you seem to always have, remembering to take a moment to breathe and look towards the future, imagining the goal that you have set for yourself is equally vital to your growth and development as a student and as a person. Fall semester for seniors is an extremely stressful and difficult time due to managing current school work and classes as well as devoting much time and energy to college applications which will determine a large part of your future but what most people don’t realize is that the fall semester of junior year is also quite exhausting. Not only is this your most important year academically, but this year you will be taking the big standardized tests (if you haven’t already) and beginning to think about college.
For current juniors, to avoid overwhelming anxiety and fear of missing deadlines for senior year, I would recommend getting a head start on researching programs, narrowing down your top five to ten schools, visiting as many colleges as you are able and deciding on an idea for your main college essay. Completing these items will lift much of the weight from your metaphorical shoulders and give you peace about the future that always awaits you. Personally, I think it is extremely strange that humans have created a system where young adults must decide the location and focus of the next four to ten years of their life without possessing a fully-formed brain, but as I am just a bird, I have no true say in the thoughts and ideas of people. I can only provide advice based on observation and knowledge that has come through reading (which I was also taught to do).
For stressed students, my best tip is to take a deep breath. Breathe. Although this year seems to feel like it will never end but is simultaneously flying by within a matter of a few short months, you will enjoy this time. Look back on it with fond memories. Take a moment to find joy in this tumultuous time so that nostalgia isn’t wasted. As they say, you will miss it, when it’s gone. Focus on the present while you continue to hold the future in your peripheral but don’t forget to have fun in the current moment. Thank you for reading this response, I hope I have assuaged some fears and provided some assistance to your worried thoughts. As always, remember that nothing is permanent and that you have the rest of your life to figure out what you want to do. What you were meant to do. And every step along the way, mistakes included, are simply part of that process.
Sincerely,
The Raven
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