Don’t Procrastinate
This is the time of year that most students dread. Semesters are about to come to a close for the holidays, and you are looking over the progress you have made in your classes. Most students hate to go to their teachers at the last minute, but this is definitely the time to do it. Most teachers like to give extra projects this time of year to boost students’ grades before final exams and the holiday break. In this article, I will offer some suggestions that can help you if you are failing a course. These practical tips can help you if you want a better grade going into final exams. This advice can relieve some of the stress and give you the confidence you need to ask your teacher for help.
- Find out your lowest grades and what specific areas in the course you are failing. Ask your teacher to give you specifics: tests, quizzes, or homework assignments. If you need a private student- parent- teacher conference, ask your teacher to set up one for you. Being open and honest with your parents is good, too. Never make it a habit to leave your parents out of the loop of how you are doing in school. Even though you have some weak areas, with some tutoring at any stage of the course, before a big exam or at the end of the year holiday break, things can still look favorable for you.
- Before meeting with your instructor and your parents, take notes. Write down the lessons you were confused about and the questions you did not get to ask the teacher in class. Write these questions down and ask your teacher at the conference. There’s always room for improvement, and hope always lies ahead. Sometimes it just takes perseverance and determination to make the effort to learn the information, because you are going to need all of the subjects you learn in high school later on in your life. With this in mind, remember that things can always get better if you try. Grades are the assessments to see if you understand the materials being taught to you every day. If there is something you do not understand, your failing grades are what show up as a result of you not knowing what to do with the information being given to you. When you admit you need help and do something about i,t this is where true learning begins. You are using all resources available to you in order to learn the information. You are no longer in a hurry to get a better grade, but you begin to process each lesson by taking advantage of all of your specific learning styles.
- Look in your textbook for specific examples of the lessons your teacher said you failed. Take out a notebook and a pen, then practice on these different examples each afternoon and weekend while you are at home. Make time for more intense study without distractions. Watch educational videos for ways of doing each assignment differently. For example, in math or science if they say show your work on specific problems or equations, then show your work. If in English, you need to elaborate on a specific idea and cite sources correctly, or proofread your work thoroughly before turning in your research paper, then this is what you do. There is never an end to learning how to correct a mistake. It is always about being humble enough to take corrections and feedback from your teachers.
- Find a free tutoring service. When it comes to studying and gaining knowledge, your teacher cannot always be there to answer every pertinent question. There are many non-profits online and offline that offer free tutoring services to struggling students. Many of the services hire talented people who are happy and glad to help a student who is trying to improve their grades and pass their coursework. Ask your tutor questions, go to each session on time, and ask for explanations on specific areas where you do not understand an important concept in your class. You can find many of these free tutoring services logging online through your local library, or with a library card from your home computer by using www.tutor.com.
- Try all you can to beat the odds; even when you think you are going to fail. It is good to have a growth mindset or a mindset that enables you as a student to achieve your academic goals through practice and consistent effort. But having a fixed mindset is just giving up and not trying; having a negative mentality, thinking that you can just settle for the grade you have. It is important to train and switch your mindset from negative to positive and do your best on all last-minute, in-class assignments and projects for the semester. Take good notes and even do research on your notes. If there is a concept you do not understand, for instance, the Pythagorean Theorem, then do research on a reputable website, or better yet go to your public library and log on to your library and check out a printed book that further explains the concepts you are having trouble with in class. Do not waste time. Study, take notes, and finish assignments on weekends and afternoons when you have the most free time. Show yourself, not just your parents and instructors, that you are going to school to get a good education. Even though you are struggling now, you can think for yourself, and find a way to pass your class.
Read more articles from our Youth Series section on our Zealousness blog Youth Series Archives – iN Education Inc.
