Caffeine Will Not Help You Pass That Test Facts, Strategies, And Practical Advice to Help You Succeed in High School

Chapter 1: Bare-Bones MinimumBefore we talk about studying or note taking or paper writing, we need to cover the bare-bones minimum requirements of learning and earning good grades. One, you need to maintain a solid relationship with your teacher, and two, you need to act like a good student. This may surprise you, but being successful in school involves more than just brains and hard work (although brains and hard work are both very important). Doing well has a lot to do with how other people think about you and with how you present yourself. Luckily, mastering the bare-bones minimum is easy, and the payoff is quick. Even if you read nothing else in this book, if you can apply what you learn in this chapter, you will find your performance in school improving almost overnight.First, we will help you understand what it is your teacher wants from you. Then we will show you how to give your teacher what he wants without having your classmates think you are a dork.Try ThisBefore you read this chapter, answer the following questions honestly:1. Have you missed any class more than three times in the past four months?2. Have you been late to any class more than three times in the past four months?3. Have you been reprimanded for disrupting a class or falling asleep during class in the past four months?4. Have you forgotten to complete an assignment more than once in the past four months?5. Has your teacher ever caught you cheating or lying?If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you are not living up to the minimum standard of behavior expected of good students. Read this chapter carefully.Who Is Your Teacher and What Does She Want?To build a good relationship with your instructors, you have to understand where they are coming from -- what motivates them, what angers them, what makes them happy. While you are reading this, try to put yourself in an instructor's shoes for just a minute and see things from her point of view.Who Is Your Teacher?Your teacher is someone who has spent many years learning, working, and training to help you excel in life. You probably already know this, but high school instructors do not make very much money. They often make less than half of what someone with the same amount of education would earn in another job. So why did they go through all the trouble? Because they really, really want to give you a good education. It's their mission. It's something they believe in and are passionate about.Unfortunately, a lot of teachers have it rough. Many schools have little money to spend on materials, so teachers can't even get chalk and paper, much less the latest computer software. Some schools have problems with criminal or violent students, which makes teachers feel threatened. Teachers tend to feel that they get all the blame if anything goes wrong in a classroom, but they get no reward or recognition for a job well done. Because of complicated pressures from school boards and administrators, teachers also feel like they have little freedom to try new approaches to teaching and solving problems. The job is so difficult and frustrating, in fact, that many teachers leave the profession within five years.Ever wish you could sneak into the teachers' lounge or eavesdrop on a conversation between a group of your instructors? Do you wonder what they talk about? Most likely, you would hear them talk about their frustration with rules and requirements that make no sense to them. They might talk about not having the resources they need or the professional freedom they want. And, yes, they do talk about students. They complain about students who show no interest in learning. They worry over students who have a lot of potential but no motivation. And then, sometimes, they brag. They brag about students who have made breakthroughs in difficult subjects. They bragKaplan Publishing Staff is the author of 'Caffeine Will Not Help You Pass That Test Facts, Strategies, And Practical Advice to Help You Succeed in High School', published 2005 under ISBN 9780743279666 and ISBN 0743279662.