Report Card Remorse

Have you ever received an unwanted, less than satisfactory, plain ugly, bad grade?  By bad grades I don’t just mean a D or an F, I mean receiving a B- instead of that A that you were aiming for. If you’re anything like me, you probably have been beating yourself up about it. Well not to worry the world isn’t over, really look outside, and look at your calendar (we’ve passed “Doom’s Day”); today is a new day and that means there are changes that can be made! Cheer up buttercup! As a person who has been there and done that I know it may not be the easiest thing to tell your parents or even admit to yourself, but let’s face it some battles must be lost in order for us to learn from our mistakes, in the end things like this make us better people. I’m sure you’re reading this and saying, “Wendy, you’re crazy! There’s nothing to look forward to, my life is over!” Negative my friend! There are many things to look forward to, but the first step before finding a solution to your bad grade situation is taking a step back to look at the process you took that led you to that unwanted grade. 

While looking back look for things such as simply studying for the course, did you really input the time and energy you needed? Did you ask for help from your peers or the Student Learning Center when you didn’t understand the material? Lastly, did you ever take the time to speak to your professor during office hours, before or after class, or even send them an email asking for help? Now that you reflected, let’s take the time to see what can be improved for the next time and also keep in mind we are no longer in high school, things are much more competitive and grading isn’t taken lightly.

In order to improve we must take a look at what WE have done and not place the blame on others, then we see what areas of our techniques need improvement. Let your parents know that you have reflected on your experience and you understand why you didn’t receive the grade they or you anticipated, after all no parents like to see their children suffering. Take the time and let them know that you will try better and explain to them all the steps you will take to improve your academic standing. Here’s how we’ll do it, together!

• Remember, a grade does not determine what kind of a person you are, so don't feel as if you are a terrible person.
• Don't focus too much on the fact that you did get a bad grade, since you can't change the past.
• Don't compare yourself to others; they're not you and you're not them, you will always get different marks from each other.  It's part of life!
• If you were not specific enough in your studying, tell yourself this will never happen again; you will get 100% on the next test because you are more experienced and you know what to expect.
• Stay after school or class if you need extra help. Many teachers are happy to help, in fact they love to interact with their students and know that you are not just a number but a person with a name and story.

Also keep in mind that if you truly gave it your best and did all you could in order to succeed sometimes things don’t go as planned and at times we really didn’t understand the subject matter being taught. Some stuff isn’t meant for everyone and it’s okay if you don’t.  I guarantee there are others who feel just like you do. Some battles are lost at times but there’s no need to wallow in misery for the next few years of college; let’s get up, dust off the dirt and get back on track because without trying again we’ll never know how great we can be! 

DON’T FORGET THIS ISN’T THE END OF THE WORLD AND WITHOUT A FEW MISTAKES WE CAN’T REACH OUR FULL POTENTIAL. SO SMILE, GIVE THANKS FOR ANOTHER CHANCE AT THINGS, AND BE GLAD THAT YOU AT LEAST GET TO GO HOME TO A WONDERFUL FAMILY!

Happy holidays!!

Wendy