School Issues with work and Grades :(

Alright so I'm a freshman in highschool and our first report card was issued before Winter.

My average was either 81.3 or 83.3 and that is fairly good for my first card at high school. My lowest mark was in science, being a 72. I really wanted to improve so I tried to work hard. The next report card continues with our first card marks so the marks we got before the break and this term will be together.

Often when I thought I did well, I get a bad mark. Lately I've been getting 60s in my science tests and it's been terrible because in all my years at school, I've never gotten lower than a 70 on my report card. In math, I've been getting straight 69s on tests/quizzes and my report card mark for the last one was 78. I asked my science teacher for any extra credit work and he said it wasn't fair for other kids if I was the only one that did it, but he'll tell me if there are any bonuses. Today we had a math unit test. Terrible. I missed 4 questions because either I didn't know them or I had no time to finish them. Some of the questions I had to guess, and I'm really hoping I get at least a 70, but I'm guessing I'm gonna get a 60 or less. It's very upsetting for me, and it makes me nervous because I don't want my parents to yell at me. I'm Asian, and my mom finished up to high school because she moved to Canada and didn't speak english. And my dad did up to grade 8 I think and I don't remember the reason why. I think something to do with the war or something happening. I have no clue really. But I studied hard for the math test and I guess it wasn't enough for the test. Some people didn't finish the test so hopefully she'll give us something to help us improve our mark. I don't like to think about what my parents' reactions will be if I get lower than a 70.

Thanks for reading this. I just need to let out my upsetting-ness about school. If anyone could help, I would appreciate it very much if you could help me in either math, science, and possible geography when it is needed.

Thanks :neutral:

Hi, Lynnie:

I know it's upsetting not to be doing as well as you expected, especially if you thought you had done well on something, and are really trying hard. The first year of high school can be tough, so it's really important that you find out what resources your school offers to help you so you don't fall behind and have more trouble later on.

Does your school have a peer-tutoring program through resource? Sometimes students volunteer as tutors to help other students. Does the Math department at your school offer math help at lunch? At the school I work at, there's a Math teacher assigned to the lunch break each semester. Students can go to that classroom for extra help in Math. You may want to talk to the guidance counsellor/resource teacher at your school to see what help is available.

What kind of subject matter are you having a hard time with in Science and Geography? Is it math-based content in those subjects that's causing you trouble, or is it facts, concepts, and memorization? I teach English, not Math, but if you need some help with study skills, I can offer some strategies. PM me if you're interested.

Its not the end of the world...I never really got high grade until I went to college then I was like Top 3....I was also the first in my family to go to college and get a Diploma.

Its only one year...you have another 4 years to got right...you can only do your best...but if you need more help ask your teachers or kids who are older who get it they will give you the helping hand you need.

The courses I loved in High school were Geography, Information Technology, History, Social Studies, PE..but maybe this one don't count...lol

Those are still all really good marks 72 is brilliant 64 is good too...as long as you try your best why does it mean that you should push yourself into freaking out over it? its like crying over spilt milk...the milk spilled yet all you wanted was a glass of it now its all over the floor well oh well...now it gives you the chance to drink something else.

You can do anything you set your mind to..or anything you tell your mind not to do that can be achieved as well.

Take care of yourself and take time out to be who you are not something someone else needs you to be!!

Just concentrate on passing high school. I had good marks in high school, but then when I got into university they went downhill because I stopped concentrating on studying so much. And I turned out just fine ;)

Be sure to talk to your teachers about what your feeling. Your not the first person to have these questions. they will know best where to send you for help.

Sorry to sound like a mom...maybe less time on SC for a month and more study time would help turn your marks around.

I agree with daisybear, too. And less boyfriend and friends, more concentration on schoolwork.
You must look to the future, and part of that if you are wanting to get into any sort of post-secondary education is having good grades - the competition has been seriously upped this past generation; I know, my son just finished grade 12, so I know what he and his friends have been going through.
Your education is with you forever - though it SEEMS like a social life is crucial, it really isn't. With good organization, you should be able to make time for school first, then bits of everything else - volunteer work, a part-time job, friends, etc.
Definitely look into peer tutoring if your school has it; talk to teachers or the guidance counsellor about it. I know my son could go in for math help daily at lunch time, and he was happy to give up his spare time then to get the assistance he needed.
Good luck!

But you guys are making it sound like I should leave my boyfriend and SC, for stuff I don't even like to do. It'll just make me even more depressed.

Everything in modernation Lynnie. No one has any idea how much time you are spending on social things, your bf and so on. They are just offering suggestions. Maybe you can study with your friends?

Lynnie,

having positive inter-personal relationships at your age, ie: boyfriend, online SC, or the like, is a good thing.

This is the age where you learn to "manage" your life (relationships, PT jobs, hobbies, school). You cannot expect a perfect score all the time.

When I was your age, I kept a journal. IT was valuable to read my entries later to see how far I had come. It kept me positive and hopeful.

If you ever need help with Physics, well, anything science related, OR essay writing, let me know!

Although you need not worry about a few lower marks, the name of the game should be consistency. Try to remain consistent with your marks. Having mid 80's most of the time is better than having a few 90s, some 70's and some 60s's.

wow lynnie. if your parents are asian, they would put a very high value on education, so your under extra pressure to succeed. (yay parents!) lol.

I would go to each teacher and find out where your weaknesses are. and review your work everynight not just the day before a test (which i'm assuming your studying everynight anyway).

the only other tip i can give u that really helped me thru school is this:

when doing tests, do the problems that are worth the most points first. that way if you run out of time, hopefully you got enuf pts from those.

always show all steps in your work. if anything it shows the teacher how u got to your answer and that u put time into your answer. and make sure it's neat. some teachers ding just for sloppiness altho they don't say that in the mark.

another tip. one that works 99% of the time.n
let us know how u make out this semester. lots of luck!!

oh lynnie don't give up bf's or social time. u need those to chill out and relax. relationships are so important. it's just a matter of balancing it all.

Lynnie, do your parents actually ask to see your report card? If not, why bother showing them? I am asian too, and my parents were never happy with any test I brought home that was less than perfect. Even if I received the highest mark in the class, but I only got 99%, they would ask me why I didn't get 100%. It really hurt to feel like nothing was ever good enough for them. After a while, i stopped showing them my tests and report cards.

In high school, I averaged 80's and 90's and was near the top of many of my classes. But when I got to university, I started getting 60's even though I did all my homework and studied hard. LOL, that was a truly humbling experience. I felt so very stupid compared to everyone else. I even tried to get tutoring but it didn't help much.

Don't let low grades get you down too much. If you've tried your hardest, then that should be good enough. Everyone has different talents and different styles of learning. You can't be perfect in everything and no one should expect you to be.

I know it must be hard having your parents put so much pressure on you to excel in your education. Try not to let it get to you. When you finish high school and go off to university/college, you will get more freedom. Also, you will probably eventually reach a point where you just don't care what your parents think anymore (like I did).

Besides, it's not good always getting high marks. Your friends and teachers start expecting you to ALWAYS get high marks, and then when you don't, they look at you all disappointed and ask you "What happened??". As if you don't already have enough pressure from your parents!!!

ARGH, I'm so glad my school days are over!!

Anyway, I hope things work out for you Lynnie. Before you know it, school will be over, and then you'll just be dealing with work stress. LOL!

I wouldn't worry about it too much, I was never the greatest at hs, and because of issues, I only did part time courses after i finished hs, got a B+, was admitted as a full time student despite my hs grades :D. Anyways, I hate to say this, but the courses I really wasn't into I didn't do the greatest, but I averaged B's and A's my last two years of university.

Maybe you're just not good at these subjects? maybe you don't like them that much? Maybe hs teaching isn't for you? sure as hell wasn't for me, I think that's why I did much better in university...

Anyways, I'm rambling now, good luck, everything will work out :D also social interaction is very important, meeting and creating connections is one of the most fundamental skills to any career path :P

Make up a schedule for when to do homework, social activities, etc. Don't give up on your friendships tho. You will just alienate them and they will stop communicating with you.

It's great that your parents are pushing you to get good grades, trust me you'll thank them later on. You can still have a bf, be on sc and get good grades. You and your bf can study together :). It's just about organizing what you have to do first, it;ll take a lot of the stress off your shoulders.

ya know how Forest Gump said "life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to get inside"

its true..there is no direct formula to any of our lives...after high school I did upgrade on English 12 I didn't get any better the year after though. But I bet ya now if i retook it I may understand it all better then I was when I was 17 taking it for the first time.

My sister is 6 years younger then me she dropped out in grade 8 then went back 9 months later. She wished she stayed and learned certain things. She did 3 years of high school in one year so she could graduate with her friends. Now that its been a year since she has graduated she has no pleasure in going directly to college since she does not want to waste money until she knows exactly what she would like to get into like a program of choice like deal.

Some will say high school was the best years of their life...I thought personally it dragged on too long. I thought to myself where am I ever going to be using this idea we learned in math...well I used it to calculate how much money either I was going to have to pay to the government or how much I am going to get in return. Maybe not everything I did in math i use today but percentages and other calculations I do use. Even if the computer is right in front of me I still want to try and do it by hand. In high school I played numerous amounts of sports I mean probably not as many as others but I played Basketball and winter league soccer then in the spring I played school soccer. And to top it all off I also volunteered 30hours a week. I was busy so busy I remember in my grade 10 year I couldn't do it any longer but then came grade 11 and I picked up more hard subjects and realized after awhile I just needed to concentrate and drop a couple sports. I dropped school soccer...then end of basketball for spring league I didn't go and quit. Grade 12 came and I was only playing one sport but massive list of subjects I did take. I spent my whole grade 12 year overwhelmed with the amount of things I had to do just to graduate it felt like grade 8 or grade 7 in some cases. I couldn't wait to leave...and now its like some days I wish I was in School...it was some safety guard there.

Yet anyway...in some cases a social life is necessary in life without our social life we would feel bad about ourselves and create a negative self image. We rely on others when it comes down to things like parties or the latest fashion trend or the latest juicy line about something that is only between our social group. I am pretty sure without friends or social scene we wouldn't go anywhere and just stay in houses and do nothing.

the point is "life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to get inside"

High school goes by so fast. Don't stress about your marks. Just try and do your best. If you are failing or not spending too much time studying than I would worry. But if you are giving your best effort enjoy high school. Don't give up your bf or friends-just try and make time for everything/everyone. You need a social life, you never know they may help you down the road.

Everyone has really good suggestions but in the end you are the one that knows how much time you're spending in social situations vs how much time you're spending actually studying.
I agree, studying with friends can be helpful however it can end up being a waste of time because for about half of the time you're "studying" you're socializing!

I would suggest studying in a different way. For example if you just read the textbook/notes over and over again all the time try doing something else. Try summarizing and making your own notes or use cue-cards that you can just look at a few times a day for 5 minutes. Or try studying out loud - it sounds funny but just go into your room and read outloud or talk to yourself while studying which will help you remember stuff while you study. You can link school stuff to more funny or relevant things in your life eg, come up with funny acronyms so you can remember later during a test.

Also, you can make up "practice" tests for yourself, take random questions from the book or internet or homework and write it like you're actually writing a test - with a time limit and without looking at answers. This will help you become more used to the "test situation" with time limits and pressure.

My suggestion basically is try to do things differently and see what works for you. What may have worked before might not work for you now in highschool.

Good Luck :)

Is good that you start trying to get better marks at a younger age, I wish I thought of that when I was starting high school.

It's important to start early and get good marks through out high school, because at the end you'll have a better chance of going into a certain program you like to get in at University or College. At the end when achieving what you want of getting into a certain program you will like, you would be very proud at yourself and your parents at for.

Just concentrate and find out your strengths & weakness in those courses and ask for help. If your parents are good in math and science, ask them for some point or tips on.

Sometimes it could be the teacher, where they don't explain it properly.

I am Asian also and I was really bad in science no matter what teacher was it. In math I was good and bad because it depends on the teachers.


I know this is off-topic but my dad was in the war to, the Vietnam war that ended in 1975, my dad was a helicopter pilot lol.
________
AN400

School is hard, especially the first year and if you have any decent teachers just talking to them and letting them know what's going on and that you want to get better marks will help. Also remember that anything 70-79 is what the government expects you to know/ take in and understand anything above that is absolutely great! I know I put more pressure on myself my last few years of highschool but right now you are probably still adjusting to different ways of teaching and getting used to the school.

One point I would like to make is pay attention in class and ask questions even if it may seem like something you should know it never hurts to ask. If you pay attention and understand what the teacher is talking about or trying to teach you there is a much higher chance of you understanding and applying it correctly. Plus sometimes it is the teacher (most cases its not) but you get that odd teacher or even just having a few students in a class who don't pay attention or talk all the time and it makes teachers frustrated and they will take it out on anyone.

Another point would be to just take the time when you get home from school or on your way home (if you take transit or get picked up) just review your notes and what you did that day (or when you get home/ some scheduled time of the day that you know you have free time and wont be tempted to be too tired or too busy) it will give you another chance to take everything in.
Good Luck and if you ever need to talk about school we're here for you :)

Maybe shop less and spend less time scouring for deals? :lol:

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Originally Posted by Lynnie

But you guys are making it sound like I should leave my boyfriend and SC, for stuff I don't even like to do. It'll just make me even more depressed.

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I'm not saying stop coming to SC but you have an average of 17 posts per day, my suggestion is for moderation.

I'm doing this in point form because I'm at work...

- Go on SC/socialize with friends AFTER responsibilities (school work, chores) are completed.
- Set schedule to manage time. Schedule hours after school and put in homework time, meals, socialization/computer time (again, see first point), recreational activities, etc.
- Get extra help from teacher, tutor, other students, ask questions, etc.
- kidshealth.org (I hope I can post that link) has a lot of 'articles' on school work, studying for tests, time management.

Life is short, do what makes you happy, and don't sweat the small stuff. Everything always works out in the end. :wave:

I sound so cliche.

after reading everything so far I have come to some realizations,

1. you like SC and post frequently when you can.

2. you wonder how you can keep your marks up and still experience life.

3. there are some things you CAN change in your situation, and some things you CANNOT change.

-Lynnie, many teens socialize in different ways. i think it is great that you identify with people on this site. its wonderful you are also learning something too! you appear to be a very sweet, and gentle soul. Posting on here 30 times a day is NO HARM TO YOU, if you have the time and its not interfering with other areas of your life, and i am not hearing that at all. Teens your age choose to socialize in other ways that can be dangerous and experimental. socializing here seems to be educational, life building and safe. Post as much a you feel comfortable.

-make small changes to adopt an attitude that was closer to the times when your marks were higher. Remember your study patterns and such.

-you cannot control everything. do not fool yourself into thinking so. living a full life with school, socializing, personal relationships, means having balance. In order to experience what you want in life, some things can suffer. For example, having a boyfriend will certainly take some time away from your studies, but you cannot just live for school. this is unhealthy.

If you cannot pull off 90's and a boyfriend and socialize then accept your healthy limitations. If you dedication x amount of hours every week to studying, there is no way you can fail.

What I hear most is that you need to change the way you THINK about the balance in your life, rather than trying to juggle everything perfectly.

dont try to stuff 13 eggs into a carton. they just wont fit and you will end up breaking one if you keep trying!

I think you need to find out what is MOST important to you!

If your need to be social outweighs your future goals (ie, teachers college) then spending alot of time with your BF or on SC is okay.

If on the other hand, your goal of becoming a teacher is MOST important to you, then unfortunately you have to cut down on the social side of things and HIT THOSE BOOKS. :) You do need a very high GPA to get into the best universities and get into teachers college...

I agree that having an honest talk with your teacher(s) will help! I remember in grade nine I sucked at math, but I spoke with my teacher and how important my grades were to me and he gave me TONS of ways to improve. And I DID!!! Throughout most of highschool I had at least a 90% average (semesters when I had math was the exception), but I also had practically NO LIFE! I studied by butt off because I wanted to get into a good university.

Also, find out about tutors!!!! Even upper year high school students can be loads of help. They were in your shoes once and might have some great study tips or tips about the teacher (how they mark, what they expect, how to talk to them).

HTH :)

Aw thanks guys. I asked my science teacher for anything I could do for extra credit and he said he'll try to because it's not fair to the other kids if it's just me and if there is anything he'll tell me. And he told us he was going to give us a quiz next week and we were able to discuss answers in groups so I think he's trying to give us chances to improve. I also got my math test back - 57%. Mainly because I didn't know some of the biggest questions, and because I didn't have time to finish. 57% is better than what I thought I was gonna get. But a lot of other people got a bad mark as well and she's going to ask the head of the math department if she could give us something extra.

For once in a long time in math, I was able to understand and ALMOST finish all the homework in class. I've also been going to swim makeups for the classes I missed (not on purpose) and I've gotten 100%s in french and BTT. I even think I aced my english and french tests. So thanks for the advice and I'm gonna keep trying hard for my marks...Any advice is still welcomed

You gotta love the mentality of Asian parents. "99 is not good enough, get 100!" It's understandable though considering that many Asian parents grew up working and not getting a chance to go to school. They did not have public education so going to school was pretty expensive as well. If they react negatively to you getting 60s or 70s, just look on the bright side. They just want you to succeed in life, because they never had that chance.

Since you are only in grade 9, you should not worry too much about your grades. Universities and colleges only look at your grade 12 marks and grade 11(for early acceptance). Like many SCers had mentioned, try to work on balancing your life by keeping everything in moderation.

Also, keep in mind that grades aren't everything. I had a friend who applied to a life science program with a 95% plus no extra curricular activities, and he got rejected. Another friend applied to the same program with 88% plus tons of extra curriculars and got accepted. Universities want well-rounded students these days, not just someone who has a high average. So if you are not the type of student to get 90s in school, just work on your extra curriculars and leadership involvement. Another example would be a student from my school who won $60,000 in scholarship money!! His average was only 67% but he was really involved with our community. It just goes to show you that there are many different ways to succeed in life.

Funny story, I was actually frustrated with my mom because she kept rambling on how I wasn't getting 90s. I ranted to my dentist(Asian) and she told my mom off(in a nice way of course) LOL! She told my mom the exact same thing I told you about grades not being everything.

And definitely go afterschool for extra help. I'm pretty sure the teachers are more than willing to help if they see a dedicated student who cares about their schoolwork.

Ok, sorry for the long post. Hope everything turns out well for you! :cheesygrin:

I'm an elementary teacher - so maybe my suggestions don't make sense, but we had to show students examples of what an A,B,C,D level of answer looked like. perhaps you're studying the wrong things or emphasizing the wrong concepts. If you know a person who gets good marks, perhaps you could ask to compare answers - and ask them to explain how the "read" the question so that you can see the important parts of the question. Maybe approach your teacher about this.

I know that sometimes I spend time on here when I should be doing other things. I think you are very good at analyzing things on this site, so I think that you basically have very good practical math concepts.

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Oh , I love this!!! So, so true!!!