As 2016 draws to a close, many people have begun to make preparations for the new year. The school district is hard at work programming and organizing the thousands of laptops that students will be receiving in January. In the spirit of this excursion, we at The Hoofbeat have come up with a list of dos and don’ts for those students who are unsure how to properly treat their laptop. Pull up a Google Doc and take notes, students, these tips will be crucial to your laptop care treatment.

1. Don’t leave your laptop on top of your car, it could fall off and get run over by another car. We’ve all heard the stories, or perhaps, we have all been a part of the stories. Students will leave phones or coffee cups on top of their vehicles. Whereas these situations end in a sticky mess or cracked screen, leaving a laptop will result in a hefty fine and your educational peril. Solution: check your roof before you exit the school parking lot.

2. Remember to charge your laptop, or it will be as tired as you. Don’t let your lack of sleep affect your memory. Do yourself a favor and remember to plug in your laptop to charge the night before school. If you do forget, at least remember to bring your charger to school. Nothing is worse than being at low battery (for both you and your laptop).

3. Don’t do your homework in the shower: you could get your laptop wet. We understand that time constraints push you to desperate measures. However, take a faster shower so that way you can start your homework quicker and not put your laptop at risk. Or, if you choose to take a relaxing bubble bath to unwind after a long day of school, don’t do your homework in the tub. That’s the opposite of relaxing.

4. Revive your typing skills, or they’ll die along with your grade. As more and more classes switch to digital methods of instruction, it’s important to practice your typing technique so you don’t get behind when taking notes or typing papers. Check out some online website games for typing skills on Google, such as freetypinggames.net.

5. Clean your screen so you can see what you’re typing. If you want to eat or drink while using your laptop, sure! Just make sure to wipe off your sticky fingers before your touch your screen, you wouldn’t want any Otis Spunkmeyer cookie crumbs or foods class residue all over your laptop screen.

6. For teachers: Make sure to bring a bottle of aspirin with you to school when we come back from break. This is perhaps our most vital tip for everyone.With students asking confusing questions about how to use the new technology over and over, having to monitor laptop classroom behavior, and switching to digital lesson plans… you’ll thank us later.

There you have it! We believe that as long as you read these tips and take them into consideration you will be respectful, responsible, and ready when the time rolls around for you to get your laptop. These laptops can be a wonderful contribution to your academic success, so long as they are wielded correctly.  Just remember: treat your laptop how you would like to be treated. Good luck students (and teachers)!