The children at the top of the class succeed by knowing a few basic skills that others can easily learn. According to the education experts and students themselves, here are the secrets of top students.
Study is the first thing. Once the books are open or the computer is on phone calls are unanswered, TV shows unwatched, snacks unnoticed. Study is business; business comes before everything.
Study anywhere or everywhere. Study times are different for different children. Some work late at night when the house is quiet. Others wake early. Still others study as soon as they come home from school. However, all agree that consistency (持之以恒) is needed.
Get organised. Don't waste time looking for a pencil or missing paper. Keep everything right where one can put one's hands on it. Even for a student who doesn't keep his own study area organised, a bag or a drawer (抽屉) is needed to put things in to save time.
Learn how to read. The secret of good reading is to be an active reader — one who continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding of the writer s message.
Use your time best. Even the best students put off their work sometimes. But when that happens, they face it. "If you want to be at the top. make sure to finish the work on time." says Christi Anderson, a top student at Lyman High School.
Take good notes and use them. Reading the text is important, but the teacher is going to test you on what he or she emphasised (强调). That's what you find in your notes.
Another kind of important "secret" of the top students is not so secret at all. For almost all of them, their parents' help is important.
