The World's Best Students

For Students Only: Secrets of the World’s Best

It’s that time of year again. Most students are busy writing exams, but very few students will do exceptionally well. What are the secrets of these few top-performing students? Let’s take a quick look at the differences between ordinary and extraordinary students. It never hurts to learn from the best and, who knows, you might just learn how to go from average to amazing. Here are four secrets of the world’s best students: 

 
1. Self Discipline: Ordinary students are like rusty wheelbarrows: they only move when they’re pushed, and even then they roll along reluctantly with all kinds of squeals and moans. Exceptional students love being pushed, especially by their teachers. They move at a fast pace because they are the first to push themselves. They don’t wait for someone else to get them rolling; they’re self-starters and, as a result, they go much farther. 
 
Let’s be clear. Despite what you may have been told, self discipline has nothing to do with wearing a blazer or standing in silent, straight lines. That kind of discipline is imposed by others and it evaporates quickly when someone isn’t standing over you. 
 
Self discipline is about standing up -- for yourself and for your future. It’s about consistently postponing present pleasures for future gain. It’s about making a sacrifice. Sometimes it means putting off what you really like doing: hanging out with friends when there’s work to be done, watching TV, sms-ing, going on Facebook, whatever it might be. The fancy name for this is “deferred gratification.” Whatever you call it, this is the essential building block of success.
 
What pleasure or pastime, would you need to sacrifice to excel? 
 
Average students get distracted easily; amazing students know that sticking with their prime task and ignoring all manner of interruptions will bring big rewards. Average students put off the toughest jobs till later in the day; amazing students do the most difficult assignments first, when they’re fresh. Ordinary students are fuzzy about what they wish to achieve and how. Extraordinary students are crystal clear: they know precisely what grades they want to achieve and in what specific subjects.
 
You see, the best students constantly remind themselves of what it is they want. They get a piece of paper and they write down their goals in the present tense. They post those written goals such as “I am getting an A in Maths” – in places where they’ll see them every day. Self discipline becomes less difficult – it’s never easy – when you have your own marching orders on daily display. 
 
2. Time Management: The best students get the same amount of time as average students -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – but they manage that time much better. Managing your time is like packing a suitcase. You write up a packing list and then you make sure the big items go in first, followed by the smaller items. It’s no good trying to jam a big item into your suitcase if you loaded the small stuff first.
 
The best students jump at the chance to use small segments of time, small spaces in the suitcase. They know how often you have to wait for short periods of time: say it’s 15 minutes waiting for a ride. Average students look down the road and tap their feet. Amazing students look in the book they’re reading – they carry a book at all times – and tap their brain.
 
Waiting is a part of everyday life. An ordinary student wastes this time spent waiting. Extraordinary students make sure that even the smallest bits of time serve his/her purpose. If you respect the value of these small segments of time, you can bet the larger chunks will be cherished as well.
 
3. Body Language: Extraordinary students deliberately position themselves at or near the front of the class, close to the teaching action.   They sit up and listen intently to whomever is speaking. Extraordinary students nod their heads to indicate they understand; they ask questions, they track the speaker with their eyes, be it teacher or student, and they soak up whatever the teacher might choose to illustrate or demonstrate.
 
Ordinary students are usually more focused on socializing than learning. Their priority is to sit with friends or to position themselves near the back of the class to avoid engagement with the teacher. Ordinary students are soon slouching in their seats; their gazes wandering all over the show.   They imagine how embarrassing it might be to raise their hand and ask a question. They prefer to be silent and confused rather than to risk being active and clear.
 
4. Finding a Mentor: A mentor is an older, more experienced person who advises a younger person. Wherever you go, there is someone who has travelled that way before, someone who knows the tricky turns and can help you avoid the deepest potholes in the road. Extraordinary students often find a teacher to act as a mentor but it can also be an older student, relative or family friend. They choose a mentor who inspires them, a person they trust and feel comfortable with, someone they can talk to regularly. 
 
Ordinary students typically regard teachers and older students as a nuisance, as creatures to be endured, not human resources to be tapped. Ordinary students cannot bring themselves to say the four magic words that might save them countless wrong turns and wasted effort, the four words that extraordinary students say without hesitation. These words are: “I need your help.”
 
 
Next week: more secrets of the world’s best students.
 
Andrew Taylor is the Principal of the Maru-a-Pula School in Gaborone, Botswana.  His email address is: principal.map@gmail.com.  Maru-a-Pula’s website is: www.maruapula.org