A simple ethos can help you reimagine student success by following the 3 R’s: Retention, Relationships, and Responsibility. Presuming you have your homework schedule established, and know how to optimize your time after school, these three concepts will help you improve your grades and do your best. Retention, Relationships, Responsibility is a proven holistic method to empower you to be the author of your own plan. Let’s take a look at what this means:
Retention: If you think about it, if you remembered all that you needed to, and understood what you remembered, you would probably get really high grades, which of course symbolizes learning. For most of us, the first thing to think about with each class is understanding what you need to remember vs. what is not as important. The challenge is deciding what to document in your notes, and then focusing on remembering by studying that information. For this step, you will need to follow a specific note-taking and studying approach that will be covered in a separate blog post. This approach will save you time and get you better results. When faced with grades that do not meet you or your parent’s expectations, maybe you are not retaining all you need to, or are trying to retain too much, not focusing on what the teacher thinks is most important, which brings us to: Relationships.
Relationships: We all need a team who has our back. By identifying roles for those who advise, counsel, train, teach, and care for you, you can determine how to make the most of your relationships. Often, your team does not have a specific plan for desired grades, upcoming milestones, how to measure success, or when to start making longer-term decisions like college selection or when to start and fill out the college application. Why? As you enter high school, you actually become the coach, but do not realize it! Sometimes, your parents do not realize it either. Both of you are used to your parents telling you what to do, but increasingly, so much is dependent on what you want to do, what you like, who you wish to become, and the information that in many cases only you have access to. So, students, you have a new job: coach of student life. Help everyone understand where you want to go, what kind of help you need, or if you don’t know, start by asking for help. Most great journeys start with a question. Your teachers are a critical part of your success, obviously, but most students do not communicate the specific goals you are seeking, and so your teacher cannot do his or her best to help you reach those goals. The best part, with everyone on your team following a clear plan that you make together, you can plan the quarter, organize the week, and live the day.
Responsibility: What is a your responsibility as a student? The most important mindset you can have as a student is being “responsible for what you are taught.” What does this mean? Responsibility means that if you are taught something, it’s up to you to learn it. You must defiantly explore that subject to master it, to ask questions about what you do not understand, and to come to understand what you do not. Sounds straightforward, but think about it like this: your academic success depends on not letting any subject or any person get in your way. By cultivating the ability to know what you do not know, you can often find a solution. How? You can be responsible by reviewing notes and ensuring there are no gaps in understanding; you can review Khan Academy to cover topics taught in school that same day, and review in Quizlet to make sure you remember what you must. Responsibility is about stepping up as you move toward adulthood to not let adversity in school define you, and to use challenges to become stronger, and smarter!
Together, the 3 R’s make up the core of student success, and are the first step in making sure a student is ready for what is to come on their academic and life’s journey. Together with you on this journey are your parents, which we will discuss in the next chapter to help you grow together.