LIFE

Get the 411

First off, you gotta know what the teacher is lookin’ for in an A+ student. So pay attention when they’re goin’ over the syllabus. Do they like a lot of class participation? Or is chewing gum one of their pet peeves? We’re not sayin’ you gotta be a teacher’s pet, but if you know what you should be shootin’ for, it’s whole lot easier to snag that A.

Extra credit: Chat up an upperclassmen who’s had this teacher before. Find out what makes her tick and what kind of behavior she rewards with bonus points.

Homework—it’s, um, not optional

Bare necessities? Bah!

These may have worked for the animals in The Jungle Book, but they don’t really cut it in school. Handing in stuff that barely makes the grade will leave your report card hangin’ by a thread, and that is not how ya wanna start out the year. So whether you’ve got a project, a paper or a physical fitness test in gym, you need to try your very best. Even if you aren’t the best, teachers will notice if you’re really putting in effort, and they’ll reward you for it.

Plan perfect

Even if you’re not a planner, ya need to get one because if you forget to do an assignment, you’re gonna lose precious points. From get-go, start writing down your homework, your projects and oh yeah, your social life. That way, you know when you’ll have time to get the work done, and hopefully, you won’t end up leaving it ‘til the last minute.

Get your study on

You may think you don’t need to study because you already know all the info and your teacher is totally not strict. Well, think again, sistah. You should always study at least a little bit for every test because ya never know when your teach is gonna throw a curveball and leave your grade in the dust. Sometimes, the “easiest” teachers are actually the hardest because they don’t demand much in class but then expect you to know all the facts for the tests. So be safe, and study bit by bit – you’ll thank yourself later.

by Carrie Ruppert | 2/1/2016