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Dear Jamie,

A few months ago, I found that I liked one of my classmates. I asked him about his thoughts and he said that I was like a sister to him.

Now, I know that he has a girlfriend and I also want to concentrate on my studies. The main reason is that I want to get good results in the exams and go to university.

I do not want to waste my time, so what can I do?

Doldi

Hi Doldi,

It's great that you had the confidence to talk to your classmate about your feelings, and to move on, now that you know you are just going to be friends. Well done.

It's very important to focus on your studies if you hope to get into university. Staying focused can be quite difficult.

The best way to  do this is to know what you need to achieve.

Do some research and find out what results you need to enter the university of your choice.

When you know what you need to achieve, you will be able to manage your time  and studies accordingly.

It's also essential  that you know what needs to be done each week and set aside time for it.

It is a good idea to plan your school week and study times on Sundays, so you can be prepared every day for what you need to achieve.

Hi Jamie,

I am the English leader of my class and lately I've been having problems collecting homework. Every time I collect homework, I get mad. Although several of my classmates hand in their homework very early, the majority of them copy it in the classroom,  so I have to collect theirs later in the day. Some of them even forget what the homework is about.

I'm only an English leader with no authority. I think my English teacher is the only person who can resolve this issue.   Actually, I am fed up and would like to tell my teacher, who always says 'Put yourself in my shoes!' Do you have any solution for me?

Chris

Hi Chris,

Being  a leader can be difficult when others don't want to follow instructions.

It is especially hard when you are dealing with your peers.

Unfortunately there's not much you can do  about the copycats in your class. Copying other people's work is a very bad habit.

I'm sure the teacher will be able to pick this up because the work handed in by those students will almost be   the same.

What you can do, however, is to have a cut-off time  to collect the homework.

And if they do not obey the rules,  they will have to give it to the teacher themselves. This will show the teacher that they are constantly  late with their homework and will save you the effort of having to re-collect work from people.

I recommend that you meet your teacher and talk about this problem and set some new guidelines. Your teacher could explain the new rules to the class.

If you allow students to break these guidelines and hand in the work after the cut-off time, they will never take your role seriously.

You can also think about whether  this role is causing you too much trouble, and if so, you may need

to reconsider your decision

to shoulder this responsibility. Think about whether you really want to be the English leader.



Free to be me