According to the American Psychological Association, Anxiety "is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also have physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness or a rapid heartbeat."

source: https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety

Anxiety is known to limit engagement in academics and to reduce one's ability to learn and to recall. Anxiety works against learning and reduce's the sufferer's ability to think clearly during assessment.

There are a few strategies one can use to reduce anxiety in an educational setting:

• Learn for the knowledge , skills and the opportunities they present. Try to overcome learning for the purpose of assessment.
• Set your own academic goals. Don't be a passive recipient of course material - make it relevant to the path you follow through education toward your own successes.
• Do not cram before an exam. Learn how to learn everyday. Pre-read before lessons. Review the day's material later that day rather than putting it aside until last-minute studying. The more often you recall what you are learning, the more permanent it will become; the less often you recall it, the more likely you are to forget it.
• Take breaks. Do not allow yourself to get tired or "burnt out." Learn healthy. If you try to study for too long you will lose focus and the ability to understand the material and connect it to what you already know.
• Develop more effective learning techniques and strategies so that your learning sessions are more efficient. This also helps you become more comfortable with taking breaks.
• Stay active. Get enough rest. Eat healthy. Good health helps to reduce anxiety.

King's View Academy utilizes flexible scheduling and self-pacing, along with student-decided assessment (timing and method) to reduce anxiety in academics. Students at KVA follow their own program, in their own terms, and use KVA resources (print, online and human) as they need to reach their academic goals. All course success is based on published NS Dept of Ed outcome documents which comprehensively and clearly communicate what knowledge and skills are to be mastered to achieve 100% in any course.

There may be anxiety experienced with this flexible, self-directed model for those students who are not used to this approach, and may need help in developing self-direction, learning ability, goals-setting, organization and progress tracking skills. These are the skills universities identify as typical weak areas in first-year students. KVA helps student develop these skills for the duration of their enrollment.

The staff of King's View Academy are not specifically trained or certified to clinically meet the needs of students with specific learning disabilities or conditions that affect their learning. Our belief is that you are who you are, and we will do everything we can to help you learn and lead productive lives, on your terms.