As the new semester approaches, some of you may be concerned about your upcoming English class. But there's no need to worry, because I'm going to give you the key to success. And it's super easy.
There are two things that usually ruin students' grades in my composition courses. If you can take care of these two things, you will almost be guaranteed a decent grade. Your teacher's job is to teach you a few important ideas that make the course what it is: these are called objectives. These are what the school expects students to be able to do by the end of the semester, so these are what teachers teach. Your teacher's job is to guide you through those objectives and assess your performance on them. How you perform eventually becomes your grade in the class. However, in many classes, performance on the objectives is not what ends up determining some of your grade. This is because there are a few things that may comprise your grade that are not part of the course objectives. These are things your teachers expect you to do on your own or should have already learned. And it is often these, not the course objectives, that determine your ultimate success. Here they are.
1. Grammar
By the time you reach college, your teachers will likely no longer have grammar as part of their course objectives. They may have some basic, catch-all phrase in their course outcomes, such as "Students will demonstrate proper mechanics...," but most teachers won't spend any time actually teaching those mechanics. I actually got in trouble by my department chair for helping students with their grammar. He said that teaching grammar is not a course objective for the composition class was teaching, so I had to stop. Even though I was trying to help students with their troubled grammar, the school expects you to have a relatively firm grasp of it already. Therefore, if you do not have a decent understanding of the rules of written language, it doesn't matter how well you complete the other course objectives--performing research, developing arguments, employing proper styles and structures--if you don't know the basic communication skills of writing. If your teacher (or other readers) cannot read your work and understand it at its most basic, communicative level, you will not succeed in the class. Take care of your grammar, and your teacher will take care of you.
2. Basic life skills
It's almost embarrassing that this is the other key to success in your English class, because this should be what all adults already take care of in their normal lives. But it's incredible how many English students struggle in classes because of nothing related to actual English study. What do I mean by life skills? Being punctual to class and present every day. Turning in work when it's due. Following instructions. That's about it. These are the skills parents (should) teach their children during the elementary years; however, these are the same skills that doom many college adults today. I've had plenty of students over the years who dropped full grades over the course of the semester because they constantly submitted projects late, or they skipped too many classes, or they didn't follow the basic directions for an assignment. When a teacher asks you to write an essay of 1000-1200 words, and you turn in a paper that's 850 words, be prepared to get a low grade. When a teacher tells you to follow a particular format (MLA, APA, etc.) and you turn in work that makes a mess of spacing, headings, and margins, be prepared to get a low grade. When a teacher tells you explicitly what should go in each paragraph and what ideas need to be covered in the paper, and your assignment doesn't resemble what the teacher has been giving you in class, be prepared to get a low grade. Simply doing what is asked of you will get you far in school. I often have class reminders not only in the syllabus, but I write them on the front board and also make many verbal announcements. I'm stunned at how many students feel it's okay to email me later that night and ask, "What is due in class tomorrow?" When a teacher gives you the same instruction in three clear ways and you still can't follow along, your teacher has zero sympathy for you. Get organized, pay attention, be responsible. Don't lose points on assignments, or even fail a whole class, because you didn't follow the basics of the course.
That's it. That's all it takes. Clean grammar. Personal responsibility. I guarantee that if you do those two things, you are almost certain never to get below a C in an English course. Your teacher just wants to see if you are listening to instructions and showing effort toward succeeding. These are areas your teacher can't teach you. Your teacher isn't your mother, constantly checking to see if you woke up on time or did all your homework. You are responsible for you. Your teacher will teach you the hard stuff of the course--that's his/her job. It's up to you to handle the basics.
There are two things that usually ruin students' grades in my composition courses. If you can take care of these two things, you will almost be guaranteed a decent grade. Your teacher's job is to teach you a few important ideas that make the course what it is: these are called objectives. These are what the school expects students to be able to do by the end of the semester, so these are what teachers teach. Your teacher's job is to guide you through those objectives and assess your performance on them. How you perform eventually becomes your grade in the class. However, in many classes, performance on the objectives is not what ends up determining some of your grade. This is because there are a few things that may comprise your grade that are not part of the course objectives. These are things your teachers expect you to do on your own or should have already learned. And it is often these, not the course objectives, that determine your ultimate success. Here they are.
1. Grammar
By the time you reach college, your teachers will likely no longer have grammar as part of their course objectives. They may have some basic, catch-all phrase in their course outcomes, such as "Students will demonstrate proper mechanics...," but most teachers won't spend any time actually teaching those mechanics. I actually got in trouble by my department chair for helping students with their grammar. He said that teaching grammar is not a course objective for the composition class was teaching, so I had to stop. Even though I was trying to help students with their troubled grammar, the school expects you to have a relatively firm grasp of it already. Therefore, if you do not have a decent understanding of the rules of written language, it doesn't matter how well you complete the other course objectives--performing research, developing arguments, employing proper styles and structures--if you don't know the basic communication skills of writing. If your teacher (or other readers) cannot read your work and understand it at its most basic, communicative level, you will not succeed in the class. Take care of your grammar, and your teacher will take care of you.
2. Basic life skills
It's almost embarrassing that this is the other key to success in your English class, because this should be what all adults already take care of in their normal lives. But it's incredible how many English students struggle in classes because of nothing related to actual English study. What do I mean by life skills? Being punctual to class and present every day. Turning in work when it's due. Following instructions. That's about it. These are the skills parents (should) teach their children during the elementary years; however, these are the same skills that doom many college adults today. I've had plenty of students over the years who dropped full grades over the course of the semester because they constantly submitted projects late, or they skipped too many classes, or they didn't follow the basic directions for an assignment. When a teacher asks you to write an essay of 1000-1200 words, and you turn in a paper that's 850 words, be prepared to get a low grade. When a teacher tells you to follow a particular format (MLA, APA, etc.) and you turn in work that makes a mess of spacing, headings, and margins, be prepared to get a low grade. When a teacher tells you explicitly what should go in each paragraph and what ideas need to be covered in the paper, and your assignment doesn't resemble what the teacher has been giving you in class, be prepared to get a low grade. Simply doing what is asked of you will get you far in school. I often have class reminders not only in the syllabus, but I write them on the front board and also make many verbal announcements. I'm stunned at how many students feel it's okay to email me later that night and ask, "What is due in class tomorrow?" When a teacher gives you the same instruction in three clear ways and you still can't follow along, your teacher has zero sympathy for you. Get organized, pay attention, be responsible. Don't lose points on assignments, or even fail a whole class, because you didn't follow the basics of the course.
That's it. That's all it takes. Clean grammar. Personal responsibility. I guarantee that if you do those two things, you are almost certain never to get below a C in an English course. Your teacher just wants to see if you are listening to instructions and showing effort toward succeeding. These are areas your teacher can't teach you. Your teacher isn't your mother, constantly checking to see if you woke up on time or did all your homework. You are responsible for you. Your teacher will teach you the hard stuff of the course--that's his/her job. It's up to you to handle the basics.