You started the school year with a bang 💥! You had that feeling like 💃🏽 “this is the year I’m going to get much better grades!” Then you got that first not-so-great grade from the teacher and felt like, 🤯 “What happened??” 🤌
At one point or another everyone has needed to consider what to do when grades begin to slide. All too often I hear similar stories from parents or students who contact me soon after the beginning of the school year feeling desperate and telling me, “John really started the year strong. We thought he was doing well in Spanish until he got his first report card back…” or “Stephanie’s teacher is really strict this year and she’s having trouble keeping up and is now really struggling with self-doubt and anxiety…”. For me as a private tutor, it’s disheartening to know that so many students have these same struggles, but I’m always happy when they end up finding me!
Here are 5 tips to go from 😖 Yikes! to 😁 Yippee!
📘 1. There’s good news! You got this input early in the year so now you have plenty of time to make improvements.
📗 2. Change your mindset, change your grades: This is not a reflection on who you are as a person, instead it’s a sign to pay more attention to what’s going on and figure out where you need to focus.
📕 3. Learn to “Play the Game”: Approaching the rules and expectations in each class is kind of like starting a new video game. You need to learn the rules of the game first (like, the teacher’s expectations) and then find smart ways to work toward following those rules. Once you figure out the best way to play the game, with practice, you will win!
📒 4. Communicate: It can help tremendously to simply talk to your teacher. Reaching out personally to your teacher, either via email or having a chat after class, can make a huge difference. This shows the teacher that you’re making an effort, and allows you to receive the essential information and clarifications you need going forward. Is there a personal issue or something else that’s making things difficult for you to focus? Let your teacher know and see if they can be a bit flexible with you. It’s a win-win!
📙 5. Make it Easy: Just because it’s difficult now, doesn’t mean it will be difficult forever. Working with a professional tutor or teacher like me will make it feel easy, quickly!
Together we can build up your confidence to speak and raise your hand in class, communicate regularly with teachers and release that anxiety that can feel so overwhelming. Let’s do this and get you that grade that makes you go 🤩 Woo-hoo!
Sound good? Contact me now to get started!
¡Gracias y nos vemos en línea muy pronto!
Leah