So in our school we get our grades at the end of every nine weeks. The first nine weeks I had a 3.993(all honors classes thank you no ap yet only freshman) well this second nine weeks my grade dropped terribly, I have 2c's one in gym class because I missed a lot of school and I really don't want to make up a gym class(I will though).i have 1d(first time ever!) and the rest are all A's and B 's (mostly B's). I have a lot of stuff going on with me right now so it's extremely hard to focus (I'm sure you can all understand) and as I said I missed a lot of school I was stupid and ignorant and pretended I was sick a lot just so I could stay home and think/have time to myself basically(I'm lazy). I realize this was the wrong thing to do and really right now I'm complaining because it sort of but me in the but and now I have to get my grades up. Any study tips/focusing tips.(my teachers don't do extra credit). If I don't get at least my d's to high c's in at least two weeks my mother is going to flip out and I deserve it I know but I NEED to get my grades up HELP!!
Have you talked to the teachers about make up work? Not extra credit work, but the make up work for what you missed?
Prioritize your homework and studying. Right when you get home it's probably best to start homework right away and finish it without doing anything else (except taking a seven to ten minute break when you need it if you work for 40 minutes to an hour straight and also eating supper counts as a break.) Also- it's sometimes hard- but to get better grades you just need to pay a super amount of attention during class, take intricate notes, and make-up work any time you have the chance (even when you said your teachers don't give extra credit). And for doing better on tests and quizzes which normally count for more points (at my school anyway) you could ask your teacher if there is more practice available and if your able to use cheat sheets USE THEM. On my Algebra 2 tests I've been needing to write incredibly small and they've taken up to two hours to create, but in the end it helped me to get a far better grade. ---------- Post added 30th Dec 2012 at 05:44 PM ---------- He's right- since you've been missing days, you should probably be doing make-up work which is added to your grade and everything. Doing all of the things you missed and doing them well can probably have a large impact on your grade.
Thank you both, and yes I do get all my makeup work and do it, it's the test and quizzes that kill me. But anyways thank you
Read your notes, then close your eyes and try to recite from memory what you just read. Open your eyes and look to see the things that you missed. Especially note the things you missed. It's hard at first, but you learn more an more as you keep doing this. I would recommend studying a week before exams with this method for it to be effective.
@captvontrapped yea I just have to stop being lazy I think that's the biggest problem. Also, I blank on tests when I do study I'll study prob 2 days before which might be the problem, but I know the material at home and before the test but when I get the test I just panick because it's not what I expect I guess and I completely blank, then after the test I can tell you everything it really sucks,especially right when I turn something in and realize I did something stupid :/
I know you're still young, but for me, I found that having a goal that I was actually passionate about always helped me. It's easy to just come up with a simple goal such as "get good grades", but what will really allow you to focus down is the REASON for that goal. Why do you want to get good grades? With you being in honors classes, I'm assuming that you are expecting to go to college after high school. Perhaps a 4-year college? This was the case for me. During my freshman year, I was a bit lazy. I got my first C ever in my honors biology class. The worst part was that I really didn't care. When my sophomore year came around, that is when I really thought about my future and what I want to do. I had it all planned out within a matter of months, and I developed this whole new level of determination. At this time, I became furious with myself for getting a C. For my first and second semester of sophomore year, my grades were back to my expectations: all A's with a B or two. While my aspirations have changed rather significantly since my sophomore year, it was just having a plan that allowed me to focus down and perform well. There was a time during my junior year where I was actually approaching another C without much care, but when I really noticed how low the grade was, I MADE myself change it. I didn't care how miserable I was, I would not allow myself to get ANOTHER C on my transcript. I feel I was only able to do this because I was able to realize what it would do to me in the long-run. Basically, college is what kept me focused during my whole high school career. When I felt completely unmotivated to study for a test, I thought about how it would look to a college admissions office when they saw a lower grade in that class, and that alone motivated me enough to study, because that is the most important thing for me right now. I am currently a senior in high school, I have sent out all of my college applications, and I am pretty satisfied with how my transcript looks. Having this passion to do well in high school so I can go even further in college has helped me in so many ways. It allowed me to get excellent grades throughout the rest of my high school career, and it made writing my college essays a lot easier when they would ask things such as "What intrigues you?" Now I'm not suggesting that you need to do the same thing as me, but I just thought I would share my story to get my point across better. Having a long term goal can REALLY help you focus down in school. It has worked wonders for me. I feel obligated to share that piece of advice with students of great potential like yourself, because I want you to use that knowledge you have and become successful. Good luck with the rest of your high school career. Do well and you WILL go far.
I have serious ADD, and I find it impossible to do work at home - there are way too many distractions. If you can stay after school in the library or go to a public library to do work before you go home, that could be helpful. I also have advice as a teacher - and that's to go to your teachers and show them that you are taking steps to get back on track. Ask them to help you make a plan to bring your grades up and make up missing work. Everyone messes up sometimes (and it is not at all unusual for high school freshman to have trouble adjusting to a different kind of workload), and your teachers (at least the good ones) understand that. Most will work with you if they see that you are trying. Don't beat yourself up too much about "being lazy" or letting your grades slip. If you have a lot going on in your life on top of the normal stress of starting high school, that might be all you can handle right now. Unless you planned on going to a super exclusive university, your mid-year freshman grades are not going to be the end end any of your life goals. Good luck.
I'll second the talk to your teachers advise. I got into big trouble and letting someone know is really hard on the pride, but I've found that the best way to approah them is with a "this is an explination, not an excuse and ____ happened/was going on and I should have done _____ (came to you sooner, asked for help before it turned into a big problem etc) and I was hoping ____. Good luck.
