I want to share with you my number one tip for parents and students at the beginning of the school year: avoid the slow start from the summer at all costs.
There’s a common misconception that the first two weeks are somehow not worth as much as the rest of the school year, but we know this isn’t the case. We know that grades the first two weeks are weighted the exact same as the rest of the first semester. So they’re at least equally important.
However, I would actually argue that the first two weeks are even more important because this is the part of the school year where you’re going to dictate how you approach your classes, how you’re getting organized, what processes you’re using every day to make sure you’re staying on top of your classes and not falling behind.
The first two weeks are where you decide whether you’re going to be fighting to dig yourself out of a hole that you put yourself in or whether you’re fighting to protect a grade that’s already good. You want to be in a position where you are making sure you get that ‘A’ all the way through for the semester.
I consistently have parents come to me and say ‘I had no idea how poorly my student was doing until the first test grade or first progress report came out!’
At that point, we’ve already determined that our job is to make sure that we salvage a grade. What we want to be doing is making sure that we’re preserving a good grade. We do this through strong habits that we set from the beginning of the school year.
We want to treat those first two weeks as if they are final’s season. And if you do that, if you start strong, you’re mindful about making sure you’re staying on top of things from the beginning, versus fighting your way to get back, you’re gonna reduce your stress. You’re gonna reduce your anxiety, and you’re ultimately going to get the best possible results for you.
Let us help you get off to a hot start in:
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