The laughter and joy of the Spring Festival still echo in our ears, but the winter vacation has quietly come to an end. As primary and secondary schools across the country gradually welcome their opening days, a special phenomenon has attracted attention, and the spring semester of 2026 will usher in a "super short semester". Why is there a 'super short semester'? This is not an accidental phenomenon, but a special phenomenon in a specific lunar year. According to the school calendar released by education departments in multiple regions, due to the late arrival of the leap month in 2025 and the Spring Festival in 2026 (February 17), the start of spring school has been postponed to the end of February or early March, and the start of summer vacation is basically fixed in early July. Under the pressure of these two factors, the actual teaching days in the new semester have been compressed. Jiangsu, Fujian, Jiangxi and other regions generally only have a teaching week of 18 to 20 weeks, combined with the Qingming Festival, May Day, and Dragon Boat Festival holidays, the actual school class time is only 80 to 90 days, and the shortest areas are even less than 80 days. Taking the school calendar of Xiamen, Fujian as an example, the spring semester of 2026 officially starts on February 26th and the summer vacation starts around July 4th, with a total duration of about 20 weeks. However, after deducting the Qingming Festival, May Day, and Dragon Boat Festival holidays, the actual teaching days are less than 90 days. The third year of high school in Jiangxi Province will start classes on February 26th, while kindergarten, primary school, junior high school, and first and second year of high school will officially start classes on March 2nd. The total duration of the spring semester is 19 weeks, and after deducting holidays and weekends, the actual teaching days are also less than 90 days. The 'concentration battle' at the beginning of the school year can be done in this way. Although the new semester is short, for students who are about to start or have already started, the most important thing is to focus. Although the semester may be shortened, the learning tasks will not be discounted. In the face of the "ultra short semester", focusing is not about braking abruptly, but about slowly adding fuel. Schedule adjustment: Gradually avoid the "one size fits all" approach. Irregular schedules and irregular eating habits during holidays are common problems among primary and secondary school students, and are also a major reason for lack of concentration after school starts. The first important step in calming down is to "cut off the TV, leave the phone, and get out of bed", making a regular schedule the "opening song" to welcome the new semester. Guide children to engage in more quiet activities such as reading, drawing, and doing household chores. Parents should avoid mandatory adjustments in a one size fits all manner, as this can actually trigger their children's rebellious mentality. You can gradually help your child adjust their daily routine by going to bed and waking up 15 to 30 minutes earlier than the previous day, gradually getting closer to their normal routine and allowing their body to adapt to the pace of school first. At the same time, one hour before bedtime, parents should keep their children away from electronic devices such as phones and tablets. They can accompany their children to read books and listen to light music to create a good sleeping atmosphere. Dietary regulation: A light and regular diet is recommended for the digestive system. During the Spring Festival, if children eat too much fish and meat, their digestive system will already be overwhelmed. After school starts, they are prone to loss of appetite and poor mental state. Pay attention to a balanced diet, eat more vegetables and fruits, eat less snacks and junk food, and let the stomach adapt to the regular three meals after school starts in advance. Breakfast guarantees a high-quality combination of "eggs+milk+staple food"; Lunch is nutritionally balanced, with meat and vegetables; Dinner should be as light as possible. Millet Congee and vegetable noodles are good choices. Homework check: Check for omissions and make up for deficiencies. Avoid staying up late to rush to work. Before the start of the school year, the video of "One Pen, One Lamp, One Night Creating Miracles" for homework will always attract attention on the internet. If there is a backlog of homework, parents should not act as "supervisors" or simply blame and pressure their children, in order to avoid exacerbating their resistance and fear of difficulties. Pay attention to focus and efficiency, avoid procrastination and fatigue: When doing homework, stay away from distractions such as mobile phones and TV, and set a focus period, such as "25 minutes focus+5 minutes rest", to improve efficiency. Never stay up late to rush with homework. This not only fails to ensure the quality of homework, but also disrupts normal sleep and increases the difficulty of adaptation after school starts. Psychological adjustment: Embrace anxiety with empathy and less blame. As school approaches, some children may experience low mood, panic, various physical discomforts, and even transition from emotional reactions to physical reactions, such as abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, insomnia, vomiting, and other discomforts. This is not a child pretending to be sick, but a physical signal triggered by anxiety. If a child experiences a similar situation, the first thing parents should do is to accept their child's emotions, rather than denying and blaming them. What parents need to do is to actively ask their children about their inner feelings, encourage them more, and empathize more. Love and support from parents can help children overcome their anxiety. Exercise Empowerment: Activating a Good State by Moving Every Day Exercise is an effective way to stimulate positive emotions, activate and awaken a focused state. Staying at home for a long time during winter vacation can lead to a decline in children's physical and mental health. Exercising for one hour every day not only helps to exercise the body, but also helps to focus the mind. Such as jogging, rope skipping, play badminton, etc., the body and mind "move" up, thus activating a positive psychological state. Efficiency is king in the face of the "ultra short semester". The challenge of the "ultra short semester" truly begins after the short winter vacation ends, and the core strategy for the new semester is "efficiency first". Students need to focus their attention highly on the classroom, strive to digest core knowledge in class, and clear up problems on the same day to prevent procrastination. Even if the semester is tight and the tasks are heavy, parents should not blindly arrange a large number of new lesson previews and tutoring for their children to avoid causing resentment. Within two to three days, you can briefly review the core knowledge points of the previous semester, while also reviewing the textbooks of the new semester to gain a general understanding of the course framework and learning focus, and achieve a clear understanding. The new semester is about to set sail. May every student calmly focus, learn efficiently, and grow happily in this short but fulfilling semester! (New Society)