New approach to academic goals

[dancingqueen9]

Hello!

I am 16 years old and going into grade 11 next year,
Last year, my main goal in school was to pass all my courses with atleast 80%, and that happened for all except two classes (74% in math and 78% in dance). Even though I didn't reach ALL my goals, I'm still very proud of myself because I know I worked very hard and learned many new things.

Right now, I am almost done my summer math 20 pure class, but I have to say that math in summer school was a highly negative experience for me. My teacher made me feel dumb and not worthy of respect, it was much harder than I thought it would be, I couldn't understand much, the pace was much too fast, and overall, it just plained sucked. In around the middle of the class, I decided to take it as a prep class instead, and I am taking math 20 again during the school year, so the fact that I'm failing isnt a HUGE deal, although I find myself getting really depressed, since I'm so used to getting awesome grades.

I know that next year will be harder, and I dont want to end up feeling stupid and inadequate, so I was wondering If i should still have goals that have to do with final marks, or if instead I should have goals that have to do with how much I study or how much I learn.

[StellaBlue]

Originally Posted by dancingqueen9

Hello!

I am 16 years old and going into grade 11 next year,
Last year, my main goal in school was to pass all my courses with atleast 80%, and that happened for all except two classes (74% in math and 78% in dance). Even though I didn't reach ALL my goals, I'm still very proud of myself because I know I worked very hard and learned many new things.

Right now, I am almost done my summer math 20 pure class, but I have to say that math in summer school was a highly negative experience for me. My teacher made me feel dumb and not worthy of respect, it was much harder than I thought it would be, I couldn't understand much, the pace was much too fast, and overall, it just plained sucked. In around the middle of the class, I decided to take it as a prep class instead, and I am taking math 20 again during the school year, so the fact that I'm failing isnt a HUGE deal, although I find myself getting really depressed, since I'm so used to getting awesome grades.

I know that next year will be harder, and I dont want to end up feeling stupid and inadequate, so I was wondering If i should still have goals that have to do with final marks, or if instead I should have goals that have to do with how much I study or how much I learn.

Hi dancingqueen,

I hate grades. If I could redo the education system, they would be eliminated

I think you are setting yourself up to not do well with your attitude and fears. "...next year will be harder, and I don't want to end up feeling stupid and inadequate."

I have a huge problem with obsessing over getting an A regardless of how much I learn so I might not be the one to give advice on this, but I've found that some of the classes I have actually learned the most in, I didn't get an A. I think it would be better to set goals that you can control more directly, like how much you study, and then just hold the belief that you will get good grades as a result of your hard work. You will do it!

[The Cloud]

Originally Posted by dancingqueen9

I know that next year will be harder, and I dont want to end up feeling stupid and inadequate, so I was wondering If i should still have goals that have to do with final marks, or if instead I should have goals that have to do with how much I study or how much I learn.

Wow, you must be pretty smart just to be asking this question at your age. So smart that I don't think you need a number 1-100 to tell how smart you are.

Look at it this way; can you create a good grade? Can you craft an 80% with raw will-power and your bare hands? No, of course not. But can you study? Can you perform an action that guarantees that you are in fact studying? Definitely. You have absolute control over whether or not you are studying. You have absolutely no direct control over your grade percentage. You're smart, which one do you think is the more intelligent goal?

[Grandiouse]

The final marks will just be the effect of how much you study and retain the material presented. I would make a goal to be organized and work efficiently. Set up a schedule and predict how a typical school day may look like once classes get started again.

Balance is the key. Find time to do your work and to study, but also do some of the things that you enjoy as well (non-school related). Blocking out your day will be a good start to getting organized. If you set aside time to do non-interrupted school related work, you will be much more productive in your studies and succeed.

[pianoperformer]

I'm going to disagree with pretty much everyone and say you should pay attention to your grades. They are like a marker of how well you are doing, and if you need to study more, more efficiently, or just get help on certain subjects in order to fully understand them. So, if you see that you are getting a C, then obviously you need to study more, because you don't have sufficient understanding of the material.

Also, why set your goal at 80%? if you don't reach your goals, then you will get something unsatisfactory, specifically a C. Why not shoot for A's, study like you want to get A's, and if you don't then you will probably still get a B. if you only study for 80% understanding, you will probably not get much more than that.

The grade is a function of your effort. If the output is unsatisfactory, then change the input, and try again. It is totally in your control. To think it is not is only giving yourself permission to do poorly.

I also agree with Grandiouse about having uninterrupted time for studying. I would suggest, though, scheduling certain subjects for studying. For instance, maybe do 30 minutes of one subject, then switch to 30 minutes of another subject. That might help to keep you from getting too bored with studying, and keeping peak attention.

You have some time to see what works for you. You need to figure this out soon though if you are planning on going to college, because it'll be much more difficult there.