Understand the Rules: A Strategy for School Success

As both an educational therapist and an adjunct professor, I get to see the classroom from two different perspectives. I help students navigate their classes - and I also build courses, assignments, grading systems, and expectations for my own students.

One strategy I often share with students is surprisingly simple: learn to look at the course from your teacher's perspective.

For the student who is frustrated, it can be hard or overwhelming to understand why they are struggling in a certain class. From my experience, much of the struggle has to do with not understanding how the course is put together. Think about it: Can you play a game well when you don’t understand the rules? 

Consider the following when your teachers talk about their class on the first day: 

• What is the weekly routine? 

My strategy: I create a weekly routine. Read one chapter, one small assignment for weekly online attendance (5 pts.) and another to apply the learning from the chapter (10 pts.).

Why a weekly routine? Students never do well with surprises. The faster a student recognizes the routine, the less they have to stress about and the easier it is to plan. 

• What is the pattern of due dates? 

My strategy: I teach online, so Monday @ 12:00 AM the new weekly material posts. You have 7 days to complete it and submit by Sunday @ 11:59 PM. I have noticed that when this gets changed, say for a holiday, my missing assignments increase.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Does your math teacher have daily homework and then a test every 2 weeks? 

• In English, do you read a book and then write an essay? 

• Does your Social Studies teacher like you to hand in your assignment when you walk in the door on Wednesday? 

Patterns, patterns, patterns…for scholastic success, always look for patterns. 

From the teacher’s perspective, we have to create a point-based system with a certain number of points for the course. Those points break down into logical increments of points assigned to each type of assignment. In my 16-week classes, I typically have 13 weekly assignments, 4 quizzes, a paper, a mid-term and a final exam. 

So, with that said, if you miss a weekly assignment for 10 points, should you panic? 

I notice that my more confident students do the math to calculate their efforts. Sounds crazy to a perfectionist, right? 

Not really, I work on Canvas and at any point in time a student knows where they stand by points and percentages. With this data, you can calculate what you must earn to get the grade you want. Granted this is only an estimate, but this estimate can significantly reduce anxiety, better manage your time, and prioritize the classes that are the most important to you. 

So, next time you walk into your final exam with a 95% in the course…don’t stress! 

Looking for additional support?

Every learner's journey starts with understanding their unique strengths, goals, and educational needs. We're here to help.

Explore our student services to find the support that's right for your learner.