Have you ever been up all night, studying for a test, or trying to get your homework done late at night right after class? Well, I know I have, and so have many middle schoolers. We go to school for one reason, to receive good education, go to a good college, get a job, and raise a family. Only one thing is the deciding factor whether we get that far: our grades. Our grades determine almost everything in our lives. While some of us strive to get A+’s all the time, some slack off and don’t really care about their grades. Who ever you may be, grades are important, but can also be stressful and take away from our time. No matter what the situation may be, grades can both benefit you and in a way, can disadvantage you.
I remember a time when I was out of school for many days because I was sick. As soon as I came back, my teacher threw all the tests I had been out for back at me. She gave me a one day warning to study and get my work done, and the next day I would take the tests. It was stressful, and I stayed up all night trying to cram as much information as I could into my brain for one reason only: grades. For some people, grades are something they don’t care much about or need help with. I remember just a couple days ago, I was having a little trouble keeping up with my advanced math class. I didn’t really think I should study for the chapter test- I don’t know why. Maybe it was because I was lazy or maybe it was because I wasn’t thinking ahead. As soon as I sat down to take the test, I knew I made a mistake. I knew that my grades in math were going to fall even more because of this. There are also other times when I haven’t gotten good grades simply because I had no time, no sleep, or I was informed about the test one or two days earlier. Although some people work good under pressure, I am certainly NOT one of those people. Grades can stress you out, whether you do good in school, or need some help.
I can see that many middle school students have problems with their grades. Especially that now, with all the different classes. We usually take one test or more per school day. Although I think grades are stressful, we do need them. Maybe not as many tests, quizzes, and examinations as we have now, but we do need them to evaluate ourselves, see if we have an understanding of the topic, and get an approval to move on. It is important to study for the test, but spending your whole day studying will leave you sleepy, grumpy, and unalert for the test. Here are some simple ways I found in an article to get good grades. They were, “Get organized, ask for help, find a homework buddy, and go to bed.”
Getting organized is the key to getting good grades. One time, my brother took a test and got some questions marked wrong simply because his teacher couldn’t read his messy handwriting. If he had been more organized and neat, he would have gotten a 100%. Getting organized also means not losing your notebooks, keeping your locker clean, not shoving things into your backpack, and taking proper care of your school supplies. It also helps to get locker shelves to keep you more organized. Asking for help doesn’t mean that you don’t know anything, it just means that you are getting more information on the topic. In fact, I think that asking for more help can be the difference between a 60% and a 100% on your next test and overall grade. Finding a homework buddy is especially helpful if you aren’t doing too well in school. Somebody to review with, to help you with your homework, or just someone to quiz you with, really makes a difference in your grades. You might learn something new, or just get more practice. You should know, a homework buddy is NOT someone who gives you all the answers to your homework, they should just be helping you or studying with you. Another important thing is getting enough sleep. It is almost as important as studying. If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be awake for the test, and will probably end up being sleepy or cranky. With that being said, I would definitely recommend a bedtime of 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm. These suggestions are good for anyone who needs help bringing their grades up, but what about those people who are obsessed with getting good grades all the time?
Well, there are most of us with a deadly disease called GGG (getting good grades). If you get that disease, BOOM your brain explodes into a million pieces. Don’t worry, I just made that up, but most of us do feel as if our brain is going to explode if we study too much. All of the information in the textbook we usually try to stuff into our brain. We all do this just to get good grades on every test, and although people think it’s luck that gives us all those 100%’s, it’s really hard work. I would strongly advise getting enough sleep. What’s the point of studying all night if you are sleep deprived all day? We also need to remember that we are KIDS. In the future, we’ll be looking back wondering why we weren’t playing tag, flying kites, or building snowmen. At the most, I think that you should study 30 minutes for a test each day before the test, at the least, 15 minutes. As for standardized assessments, such as the PARCC, getting a million fancy books to help you study and completing one book a day doesn’t make you better. In fact, the PARCC doesn’t even COUNT for your grades, although that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do good on it. Think about it, you could either be happy about that 97% on the PARCC, or you could beat yourself up about it. I would rather be happy.
Finally, I would advise you to celebrate your grades. Don’t gloat about them, but treating yourself with an ice cream sundae for 100% on a test wouldn’t hurt. Our grades are important, and even though they may be hard to maintain, it’s our job to try our best. Trying your best is all anyone can EVER expect out of you. The most important thing is to RELAX. Stressing on a test makes you think too much about everything, making you get most of the answers wrong. Stay cool, calm, and collected. Following this recipe for good grades, adding a sprinkle of “I care” and a pinch of effort, your grades will definitely be better.
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WORKS CITED:
“How to Get Better Grades in Middle School.” Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.
Sneha Kandalgaonkar