Success in your courses is kind of like winning a championship in sports, it is a long process.
You
cannot earn the grade you desire at the beginning of the course, but you certainly c
an lose
your opportunity to achieve it. From the first day, therefore, you must do everything possible to
get the grade you want. Here are some more tips that I can pro
vide that you can certainly take
advantage of. Use a two spiral approach to your notes.
Take one spiral and label it “Class.” This
is the one you will take to class and write your notes. You can be as messy as you want, as long
as you can understand what you are writing. When you get home, though, take your second
spiral, label it “Home.” In
it, nicely and neatly re
-
write your notes. This does a couple of things.
First, it exposes you to the material a second time, and if yo
u are keeping up with your reading,
that’s a third time. Second, it lets you know what questions that you may have to ask
during
class. I would recommend that you ask the questions publicly so that everyone can benefit.
Knowledge breeds confidence, and
the more you know, the more confident you will be, and the
better you can perform in this course.
My final tip is simple:
use all the resources you have available. This college is here for
one thing:
YOU. Everyone, from the most junior staff member to
the president of the college,
work here for
your betterment. You have many resources at your disposal. The most important
one
is me.
Come and see me at my office, call me on my phone, or email me. I am here to ensure
that you
have ample opportunities t
o succeed. If you think that your tuition is to allow you to just
attend
class, think again. Imagine your tuition as a bill for a
bundle (cable, internet, phone) from
Time Warner Cable. If you are just attending class, you are paying for all three servi
ces but just
using the cable.
Go to the library to study. Take advantage of all that your
money enables you to
use. After all, you are payin
g for it, even if you don’t use it.
Always remember that I am not the enemy, boogeyman, nor do I want you to fail. I
remember
when I w
as going through high school, my teachers put a fear of professors in us,
saying we
relish failing students and serve as a way to weed out students. That cannot be farther
from the
truth. This course is scary enough and I don’t want to add to your
worries
about
it and
any other
course you have. I WANT YOU TO PASS THIS COURSE.
I promise you that I will
do
everything in my power to ensure your success. If you need my help, all you need to d
o
is ask
for
it. Here’s what I won’t do: take your quizzes and exams f
or you.
When you want my help, or
any other instructor’s help for t
hat matter, it makes things a lot
easier for the both of us if you do
some things BEFORE you come to me. Here are the most
important ones. First, attend class.
Now sitting there and nodding
off is NOT attending class.
You will notice that unless the
maj
ority of the class is asleep, I will not wake you up. You are the
one who chose the time to
attend class. Please plan your personal sleep schedule accordingly.
Attending class, paying
attentio
n, taking notes, and asking questions can help solve problems
before they begin. Second,
read the textbook both before and after class. This makes lectures
more understandable as you
listen and when you review your notes. Third, know where you are
struggli
ng. Please don’t come
to me and say “I need help on every
thing.” The first question I will
ask you is “do you have your
lecture notes?” If you don’t have good notes, it is much harder for
me to help you. If you do
these things, you will
have
less problems
and I can help you to a
greater extent.
