Polski3's View from Here

Quote of some personal revelence: "Is a dream a lie, that don't come true, or is it something worse?"

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Tips to help your students Succeed.

When I began college years ago, one of my professors, Dr. Robert Wilhelm, gave us know-it-all Freshmen some advice for being successful in college. He told us that if we followed the advice he was sharing with us, we would be academically successful in college. I looked at the words of wisdom Dr. Wilhelm gave us, and thought to myself, WHY didn't anyone tell us about this back in high school????
The advice given to us by Dr. Wilhelm did not instantly turn us into high achieving scholars, oh no, it wasn't magic. It was a formula for work. He told us you have to work to be academically successful in college.

Years later, after I became a teacher, I decided that I should pass along Dr. Wilhelm's words of wisdom to my students. For most of my career, I have taught junior high students. I have modified the great tips given to us by Dr. Wilhelm and now I give this following list to my students at the beginning of each school year. We discuss it, and I encourage them to make it a part of their routines. I encourage them to begin to get into the good habits that can greatly help them succeed in high school and later, in college, tech school, trade school or on the job. Periodically throughout the school year, I ask them to open their binders to their DAILY HOMEWORK sheet and we review these strategies. Here is the list, which I call "Daily Homework":

Daily Homework

Before leaving school, be sure you know what needs to be done for homework for each class. Talk to your teacher(s) if you are not sure about what is expected or if you do not understand something. If you need help, ask your teacher(s) for help. If your school has a tutoring available after school, you could ask the tutors for help too.

Review your daily planner. Be sure all important instructions for each class are included in your daily planner.

Complete all assigned work for the day; activity sheets, readings, definitions, math problems; whatever must be done for classes tomorrow. Complete anything you did not finish in classes.

Read over all relevant sections of your textbook, notes, assignments, vocabulary terms and definitions etc. for the unit you are currently studying. Read your Accelerated Reader book or any other readings you are assigned.

Correct any errors or mistakes on any test, quiz, or assignment that has been returned to you by a teacher.

If you received any work back from a teacher that you turned in incomplete, FINISH IT.

Put all papers in their proper place in your binder. There should be no loose papers in your binder or backpack. Remove from your binder any papers for units you have completed. Don't throw them away unless your teacher tells you they are no longer needed for the class.

Don't put off assignments that are due in the future for the last minute. Work on any projects that are due in the near future.

Share your work with a parent or guardian. your work, classes, and grades. It is important to keep them informed about how you are doing in your classes, at school and in your daily life.

I hope you find something of importance here for your students or children. Thank you for reading my blog and as always, I welcome your comments!