DR. WALLACE: I'm always cold when I go to school at this time of year. I have a jacket, but it does not seem to be enough to keep me warm enough all the time. My feet and legs often feel like icicles, too.

Plus, I don't like to wear my jackets or coats indoors at school since I look strange if I leave my jacket on when everyone else puts theirs on the back of their chairs.

What can I do? I fear that I'm genetically inclined to be freezing cold most of my life. — Always Chilly This Time of Year, via email

ALWAYS CHILLY THIS TIME OF YEAR: Start by wearing as many layers as you find necessary to keep you warm! Start with a very light T-shirt or undershirt and do the same with your legs.

A good pair of thermal underwear can fit underneath a pair of pants and provide some great insulation to keep your body heat in.

Also, look at your shoes! You may be able to find some heated insoles that can fit into your shoes, and this will really help keep your feet much warmer than they normally are. Also, consider wearing a cap, hat or beanie that keeps your head's heat in during your morning trip to school. Keeping your head heat captured is a solid way to keep your overall body heat levels higher, and you'll naturally feel more comfortable, as well.

One more tip is to keep moving! Any walking or light exercise will keep you warmer than just standing or sitting without moving for a period of time. Do your best to move during every break you get at school, especially during cold mornings.

I'VE BEEN ASSIGNED SOME REALLY WEAK GROUPS!

DR. WALLACE: I'm in a public speaking class that features lots of debates. Sometimes the students are allowed to select the topics, and other times our teacher assigns us a mandatory topic that we must speak about.

We usually have two groups of three students on each side of the debate, so it's three on three and both our teacher and our fellow students decide who the winning team is. All student votes are confidential so that nobody gets singled out. Plus, we vote for the team, not the individual debate participants.

I'm usually very prepared and organized for my section of each debate topic, but unfortunately, I've often been teamed up with, shall we say, less-prepared fellow students on my teams this semester. We've had four sets of debates, and although I know I've performed well, my side has lost all four debates!

Now I'm worried this may impact my grade in this class. Don't you feel it's unfair for a student to be punished for consistently being on a weak debate team? — I study and prepare, via email

STUDY AND PREPARE: I'm familiar with the "debate team" concept you're currently experiencing at school. I also noted that your letter mentioned you're worried your team's performances "may" impact your grade.

The good news for you is that almost 100% of teachers who participate in the type of debates you are mentioning realize exactly what you have outlined, therefore they don't apply team performance toward an individual student's grade. Rather, they take good notes on individual performances within the team so that each student's personal performance becomes part of their grade.

If you're still concerned, I suggest you stay after class one day or visit your teacher during regular office hours to discuss and clarify this point. Once you have the specific confirmation about this matter, you'll be able to relax more and focus on doing your personal best, just as you have been doing this far. The clue for me was that you were worried that your group's performances "may" impact your grade. Any time a group performance is indeed part of an individual's personal grade, this is usually outlined and articulated quite carefully before the debates begin so that every student clearly understands. Teachers enjoy using teams so that individual students can collaborate with others and not feel overly alone or nervous prior to stepping up to the microphone to make their verbal case.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Raisa Milova at Unsplash