THREE CAUSES OF POOR GRADES

Why do students have poor grades? Probably they have a disorganized life, insufficient review and practice, and poor class attendance. There may also be other factors that may be social and psychological in nature. However, for this argument, I will concentrate on the first three reasons.

A disorganized life is a no-no in our multi-asking world of today. In order to function effectively, they have to perform the required work efficiently. They should be conscious of the time and strictly follow the deadlines. Better yet, they must have a personal calendar in order to organize their daily duties and responsibilities. Schedules of daily activities and due dates should be plotted on the calendar. Doing so will enable the students to work at the right pace. Checking the calendar from time to time is a good way to determine the priorities and accomplish the urgent matters.

Another reason that most students receive poor grades is that they did not review the materials provided to them. They fail to look back into the previous lessons. Sometimes they are unable to have the sufficient practice of the required skills through drills and assignments. If the lesson needs an application or hands-on activity but the teacher failed to deliver it, the students will most likely to have a poor retention of the required skills. By the time that they will be tested for mastery, they fail to become articulate about the subject or perform poorly in the required skill.

Poor attendance or non-attendance is another major factor in obtaining poor grades. Failure to attend classes regularly would mean missing out on important lessons. To be truant will make it difficult to the student to cope with the missed seat works and assignments. Likewise, the student will also lose the opportunity to see the demonstrations and performances of the teacher and fellow students. Worse, truant students are prone to get involved with gangs, street crimes, and illegal trades. Juvenile delinquency, as much as possible, should be prevented. School authorities and parents should be notified immediately if the student failed to come to school. A phone call home or office of the parent should be done as soon as possible.

Knowing these three major factors for obtaining poor grades, measures should be done to prevent them. For a disorganized student, a calendar should aid him or her to plot the required activities in chronological order and importance. If the student is unable to practice frequently in class, make sure to practice outside of class and at home until the necessary skills are retained. Review lessons daily and weekly to stock on knowledge and to recall them easily during exams. For non-attendance or poor attendance, the teacher should alert school authorities and parents of the students. The teacher should be well accommodating and skillful in motivating the students to appreciate the daily lessons and activities. The teacher should encourage the students to work as a community. In this manner, no student will be alienated and left behind. Everyone will have a positive attitude to go to school daily and exert his or her best efforts.