Making the Grade
Frederick Grimm
September 18, 2009
Filed under Student Life, Uncategorized
For most students, the worst part of school is receiving grades. Grades can either make our day go extremely well or can shroud us with sorrow and defeat. Since grades are the way in which our “knowledge” of a particular field is measured, it is important to do your best to keep them up.
If you dislike or are completely opposed to the current grading system, you are in good company. Many feel that the current system is inadequate, but unfortunately, there is no better solution to the problem.
Senior Maura Jackson agreed that the grading system was poor, but felt “that though [the grading system] needs major work, there is really nothing better to replace it with that could test our knowledge of things in school.”
Even though you may not agree with the current system, you must still learn to overcome it. There are even ways that you can use grading to your advantage! There are many tips that can help you to do better in school and improve your grades. However, the most important tip is to never give up. If you give up, you truly deserve the failing grade.
When you struggle the most with grades is when you should be seeking the most help, not giving up. Regardless of how you are doing, there are always ways to improve. It is your job to never give up so you can continue to seek these ways out.
The first step to making better grades is to pay attention in class. There is no way to avoid this. If you don’t listen in class, you will miss important information that you will surely be tested on. Even if you feel you know the information already, continue listening. Your teacher may throw some extra facts in that you didn’t know and the book didn’t have. Also, if a teacher notices that you are not paying attention in class, he/she will be less inclined to help you when you ask for help or for ways to get better grades.
Next, make sure that you dedicate some amount of time each night to studying and doing homework. For students who work, play sports, or have many extracurricular activities, this can often be a difficult task. Regardless, find some time to squeeze this in. If you feel that you are overbooked, try to look at your schedule and see when you can fit some study time in. This may be on the bus to a game, in between club meetings, or even right before or after school. You somehow need to make sure you get your assignments done and you understand the material before you enter for class. Macie Whatley, a junior, expressed “it is very important to get all your homework done. It helps you understand what you are doing in class and prepares you for the test. I am very busy in the fall, but I find time to get all my work done while we ride the bus to away tennis matches.”
If you find that you are still struggling to manage time and complete all your school assignments, prioritize what comes first. After all, much of high school is about learning to make tough decisions. Should you study for that big math test, or should you finish that last minute English project? Before you answer questions like this, ask yourself which is more important. If you are struggling much more in one subject than another, it only makes since to first study for the one you need assistance in. If you find that you must make a compromise between two subjects, decide which one is the priority and dedicate the most time to that class. If the question is about completing different assignments for one class, it may be helpful to look at the grading breakdown for the class. For example, if homework assignments and tests both count for 50 percent of your grade, it is important that you complete all your homework so you can have a buffer for your test grade. However, if the test grade is 80 percent and homework is 20 percent, you should put much more of your efforts into studying for tests. Take a look at this information of your classes to gauge where you need to be focusing.
Finally, make sure you take advantages of the resources available to you. At North Augusta High School, there are many opportunities that students can take advantage of if they are struggling. Several clubs offer tutoring, and many of the departments now offer tutoring on certain days as well. Find out what services are available that will help you and make plans to attend. If you are having trouble in a class, the best remedy is free help. Also, you can ask your teacher if she would be able to help you with a concept some time during the day. Don’t ever be afraid to ask, for the worst they can say is “no.” Most teachers would be glad to see you take the initiative to do better in their class. Rajan Amin, a senior, agrees that “teachers are the first person you should go to if you need help. Whenever I get confused in class, I just go before or after school and ask my teacher to help, and they are always glad to do it.”
Making good grades is certainly an obtainable task. However, finding the time to dedicate to preparing for class and doing assignments makes this very difficult. Ensure that, regardless how bad your grades are, you never give up. Always persevere and continue to look for methods to pull up your grades. This may involve sacrifices on your part, but compromising these for better grades may be much more rewarding in the long run. Good luck on your quest for better grades!
