Starting the School Year off Right - Part #6

After a very busy September, I am happy to finally have a few minutes to get back to posting to the blog. I will continue with our list of tips for starting the school year off right.

Exhibit teacher-pleasing behaviors!

We have a self assessment quiz that we have students take in our study skills class to help make them aware of the kinds of behaviors that teachers do and do not like from their students. Students often find this assessment to be very enlightening. They may be aware on some level that they are exhibiting behaviors that are not pleasing to their teachers, but often they do not realize how detrimental these behaviors can be to their academic careers. Some of the behaviors that should be avoided include: not looking at the teacher, showing up unprepared for class, turning in assignments late, coming to class late, socializing in class, asking irrelevant questions in class, demanding an inordinate amount of a teacher’s time and attention in class, being rude to the teacher or other students, or doodling or daydreaming when they should be paying attention. All of these behaviors annoy teachers and make them less inclined to look favorably on the student. Students need to understand that the teacher is the boss of the classroom, and much like in the real world, when you please your boss you will go far, when you displease your boss you are doomed to failure. Try to help your child identify which behavior(s) they are exhibiting in class that are negative, and work with them to figure out how they can be more aware of when they are doing these things, and most importantly, how they can try to avoid them altogether.