Mid term report cards

Well this has been way too long! Time to getting back to the reason I created this blog in the first place - to help teens get through the challenges in school and in every day life.

For most of the US, school is already at least a month and a half old. Everyone has a pretty good idea of what the year is shaping up to be, what each teacher is like, and what the tough spots are going to be. Mid term report cards which we called either progress reports or interims are either just coming out or just did. How did you do and better yet, what do they really mean for you?

These give you an idea of where you stand at one moment in time. They tell you if you're on the right track in a particular class or if you need to make changes. They should not be a reason to panic but I know many students who did just that. Of course if you did well, you don't really need a strategy from me other than to say, don't rest on your laurels...in other words, don't forget that you need to keep up what you've been doing right.

But for those of you who didn't do as well, here are a few tips:
1. Talk to your teacher and find out what you can do to improve. I know you don't know your teacher all that well yet but it's a good idea to let them know that you care about how you do. At this point in the school year, your teachers know your names but they don't really know you well yet. With over 140 students each, anything positive you can do to let the teacher know more about you help get you in the direction you want to go.
2. With the teacher's help or on your own, come up with a plan to make changes.
2. Show your parents your progress report even if it's not good. If you want to get your license when you're 16 1/2 or do any of the other things you want to do, you have to show your parents that you deserve their trust. Best plan? Tell them you already talked to the teacher and you already know what changes you're going to make to do better. (Make sure you actually do talk to the teacher first!)

OK....now take a deep breath and get on with the school year. It's only one progress report and you still have lots of time to get those grades where you want them to be!

Good luck!