A U.S. History 1 Honors and U.S. History 2 teacher at Edison High School, veteran teacher Dawn Penny has advice to offer for students:

“Students must learn how to manage their time successfully in all aspects, including school and life,” advises Penny.

Having to juggle a multitude of pursuits in high school and college, Penny learned to allocate ample time for all the demands of life, inside and outside the classroom. By doing so, she created a balance between majoring in education, playing sports, and taking on a part time job.

“In high school, I played three sports and had to make sure that I was on the honor roll. Otherwise, my parents would have forced me to drop my extracurriculars,” said Penny. “Because of all the stress, I had to start managing my time well so that I could participate in all the extracurriculars while still being on the honor roll.”

Additionally, in college, Penny was a D1 athlete in two sports, playing field hockey and softball at Rider University in New Jersey. She also had to maintain above a 2.5 GPA as she majored in education. Aside from her commitments of performing well in the sports she played and maintaining above the required GPA, Penny managed to take on a part-time job at the recreation center. By implementing time management skills, Penny gave respect to every one of her commitments.

Penny, an avid reader, believes that all students must apply this advice not to assignments and tests, but also hobbies.

“Learning how to manage your time early on will result in an improved academic performance, reduced stress, and a better school-life balance,” said Penny.