The end of the semester is always a time to be cautious, because, as far as grades are concerned, it’s a make-it-or-break-it time for many right brained students.
In my years of working with these students, I’ve noticed a very predictable pattern throughout the semester:
- Student starts the semester off strong, they are often excited for the fresh start.
- A few weeks in, things seem to be going “fine,” but you may have a sense that something is off.
- “The Dip” happens 6-8 weeks into the semester (usually mid October or late February). This is when, all of a sudden, big red flags pop up. This usually involves falling grades, scary progress reports, alarming conferences, etc..
- Students spend the rest of the semester swimming upstream… or, avoiding the overwhelm, resisting help, and getting further behind. Either way, they are often stressed, anxious, avoidant, resistant, frustrated, defensive, and generally unrealistic about what needs to be done. Sooooooo…
The reason I call it a “make-it-or-break-it” time for grades is because there is another common aspect to this pattern: something happens at the end of the semester that crushes grades overnight. It’s usually one of four things:
- An exam, test or quiz
- A project
- A paper
- A teacher inputting a bunch of grades late (Note – I am not saying this is the teacher’s fault. Although teachers are all over the place as far as how on top of it they are, grades are often inputted late because the student turned work in late. It takes even more time for the teacher to evaluate the late pile… they have enough trouble finding time to grade work that came in on the due date.)
What to do about it?
Since we know the pattern, what can we do to finish as strong as possible? I recommend that you be proactive! This means that you communicate with your teachers before things fall apart, that you cover your bases. I recommend that you email your teachers to ask them how you are doing and what you need to do to make sure you finish strong.
Many students resist writing emails and say to me, “yeah, I’ll just go in to talk to them about it tomorrow.” Then when I ask them about it, they often say that they forgot. The reason this email is so important is accountability! It helps you to communicate clearly to your teacher and to make sure that you follow through with whatever you need to do. Soooo, let go of your resistance for 10 minutes and just email your teacher proactively! I’ll make it even easier for you… just steal the template below. By the way, this can be adapted for parents or students to write.
Here’s a template you can use to craft an advocacy letter to your teacher
Below is an example of a template I might teach my students to write. Feel free to cut and paste it into your email and change it however you need to. Parents, you can definitely change it to make it from you. Do whatever is best in your situation.
Subject: IMPORTANT- Jim McDonald (use your name)
Hey Mr. Jones,
Quick question. I’m working hard to do well in your class and my grade is a 72%. I want to make sure I finish this semester as strong as possible, so I want to ask you how am I doing. Here are some things I am wondering:
- Are there any upcoming papers, tests, or projects that I should be working on?
- Am I missing anything that is not already in the online gradebook?
- Do you have any tips for me to finish strong?
- What am I doing well in your class?
- Would it be good for me to come to your office hours to chat?
Thanks for your time,
Seth Perler, Period 3
Teachers love this
One thing I have seen over and over, is that teachers appreciate proactive students. Writing this type of letter says a lot about you. Students are often resistant to try a letter like this at first, but, inevitably, after they do it, they are sold. It deepens the relationship with the teacher, the kids get awesome tips, and they have clarity on how to finish strong.
Please *click* below to share. Thanks!