The highest percentage of failing students comes from high school. Every student has their own story as to why they are struggling in school. In the end, every student has their struggles, the only difference is that each student tackles their challenges a bit different. A student from Anaheim High School shared his story. He started off by saying that one of his teachers from freshman year told him to take an AP class his sophomore year. The teacher advised the student to take the class even if he wasn’t ready for an AP class, nonetheless the student listened to his teacher and taking an AP class backfired on the student. Not only did the student struggle in the class, he failed one semester and failed the AP test. The fact that he failed …show more content…
The teacher had made a deal with the students telling them that if they got a 3 or higher on the AP test he would automatically change their grade in the class that is equivalent to the score they got on the AP test. This is why most of the students that were failing the class stayed in the class because they relied on the AP test for their grade in the class to be a good one. Because the student failed in the AP test, he was left with the idea that all AP classes are hard and that he isn’t ready to take any AP classes. The student is now a senior and only took one AP class because he was afraid to take the risk and take another AP class and fail. Instead the student took classes that were at his level and his GPA was slowly improving. Accomplishing a goal comes from dedication and commitment. The wise Thomas Edison once stated, “Success is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.” The problem is that every student will be victorious in a different way due to the mindset of the student and their academic …show more content…
Anyone can succeed in school if they work hard and set a goal and do the best they can to obtain that goal. Teachers and counselors should let their students know that they are there for the students. Paul states in Kewauna’s Ambition that, “Kewauna spent a lot of time interacting with all her professors, in fact. She was a regular at office hours, and she e-mailed them whenever she wasn’t clear on assignments” (4). This student is an example of having a growth mindset. Kewauna put in the effort that took for her to understand topic or lesson, and that’s what having a growth mindset takes. If a student doesn’t understand something in class, he or she should interact with their teachers. Of course the teachers should be kind enough to respond in a helpful manner and give a thorough explanation. The student should acknowledge that to achieve success taking the more complicated path is needed since are no shortcuts. Teachers and counselors are able to aid the students if they emphasize on the fact that having a fixed mindset shouldn’t discourage the student or the student’s abilities. Sure some people may have innate traits such as being smart without putting in much effort, or as society calls it, naturally smart, still that should not stop anyone from trying to be at about the same level as a student with high academic abilities. Paul Tough mentions how out of all the classes Kewauna took
(#11) Dedication, persistence and time are all a factor to accomplishing a goal.College students know that dedication, persistence and time are all factors to accomplishing a goal. It also can depend on the goal itself to see what else is needed to be successful.Many college students believe that dedication, persistence, and time is key to accomplishing a goal. Depending on the student's grade level depends on their dedication also.
In the essay AP courses-Mounting Burden, Declining Benefit, the author Nathan Yan expresses his concern about the impact of AP classes have on students. He states that most of students who takes AP courses have an infatuation of passing the AP tests. Yan explains that with this kind of obsession, students are giving up their education, desire to learn and their understanding of the subject for a 3, 4, or 5 test score on the AP test. The writer was wondering that by giving up all these important characteristics of taking a class, a passing score on the AP test really mean anything much, let alone exemplify the readiness for college by AP students. Furthermore, he argues that by creating and teaching AP courses, teachers and administrators are
He reveals how Kewauna was able to do so, when he writes, “Kewauna spent a lot of time interaction with all her professors … was a regular at office hours … emailed them whatever she wasn’t clear on assignments … tried to make one or two acquaintances among the students in each of her classes … through her freshmen-support program , she found a writing tutor …” (Tough 173). According to his view, Kewauna exhibited successful student strategies, which enabled her to succeed in college. In reference to the text, she accepted responsibility for her education, and took the initiative to pave her own path to success. More so, she sought for help from her professors after class, went to office hours outside the designed classroom period, made sure she clearly understood the assignment, developed connections with her classmates, and continued with additional assistance from her support program. I wholeheartedly endorse what Tough suggests as key student strategies to succeed. His illustration matters because success in the classroom requires the student to take charge in his or her studies to learn, to understand, and to seek for
Failing is not an option for many people this means that they will do anything they can to get good grades and keep them there. For many people getting by is just fine and some just don’t care at all, normally collage is where people get weeded out. During this time in life most adults know the meaning of failing and what consequences it will have, number one being the loss of money for the class that must be taken a second time. However sometimes one might fail due to distractions or problems
Dweck also argues that attributing poor performance to lack of ability depresses motivation more than belief that lack of effort is to blame. Another argument is that persistent students look at failures as mistakes that need to be fixed. Dweck gathered his information by studies from different universities and fro 373 students that were monitored for two years into their transition into Junior High school. This article is meant for students that lack intelligence and ability in school to motivate them to give more effort in school. Just like Marita's Bargain both articles promote that education is important. Both articles have ways that students can become successful in school. In conclusion students with lack of motivation need to learn that mon ones is born smart, but they need to work hard to become
In Carol Dweck’s,”Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’,” she reviews her idea of how changing students mindsets and effort allows them to become better strategists and to also take new approaches in advancing their learning abilities. By understanding fixed mindsets, success based on your own abilities, and a growth Mindset, success based on learning through failure, teachers can better accommodate students’ learning abilities and allow them to all learn through a growth mindset.
The author states “High school dropouts interviewed for a study released last week were far more likely to say they left school because they were unmotivated , not challenged enough , or overwhelmed by trouble outside of school than because they were failing academically”. The students that were failing academically could have been failing because of the way the teachers were teaching or because they weren’t trying hard enough in there classes to get good grades. If the students were overwhelmed by troubles outside of school then they should have talked to a counselor . The students that were not challenged enough could have told their parents or talk to someone in the office to get switch to harder classes . If the class isn’t hard enough for the students they should tell someone instead just staying in the class because then it would be too easy for them .
I believe that challenging myself to take AP classes that influence my decision in choosing a career path will be beneficial and aide me in achieving my lifetime goal of helping others. It helps me because I’m preparing myself for college by taking rigorous college level courses. Because they are difficult classes, my GPA will be weighted and thus increases my chances of being accepted into schools that can help me achieve my
College readiness is the main focus point for high school students. Becoming that person that is able to achieve the highest potential in a certain area and obtain a degree is what each student aims for. However, for all that to occur one should be able to have the opportunities to help him or her reach the goals that have been set. The lack of AP classes that our school does not offer interferes with that. Our school offers eleven out of the forty AP classes that are available. In addition, some of the AP classes do not end up running because of the school policy of having a certain amount of students placed in it. The importance of AP classes is increasing when one fills out an application for his or her desired university. Having AP classes listed down on an application for a university enhances a student 's application. Colleges want to see that you have challenged yourself to the best of your ability, and that you were able to handle the college level coursework (hubpages).
These students come in with a fixed mindset in what it will be a class about just reading and writing on boring topics and that they will neither understand the readings or develop a well-written paper. Yet, there are those that see it as a way of being introduced to new material and hearing the different point of views from peers and instructor. What can harness the development of a growth mindset in a class? Well for starters we can start Dweck recommends taking careful consideration of the words given to the students (p.4). Dweck also says to not to praise their intelligence but the effort of the student. For instance, by replacing the word “fail” to “learn” it can have two different outcomes. It can be used in a term as if falling short on a goal; it is not that they “fail” but they “learn” from what kept them from reaching that goal. It would also be beneficial for students to reflect on the task on hand and verbally express their own
Let me take you back to being a sophomore in high school: fifteen-about-to-turn-sixteen-year-olds, beginning thoughts of college just blooming in their minds, and they are taking more challenging classes than ever before. Every year, classes are changed in schools in order to fulfill new requirements and the difficulty is increased in order to challenge the new students. These new classes and the amount of choices students now have between the different classes available now put new pressures on students that the older generations may not understand. Not only do students have the choice of electives, but now they have the choice of different mathematics, sciences, and English courses on a range of sometimes four different levels. With all these choices, students may have a hard time deciding which is the proper course and level to take. Unfortunately, there is one more pressure in the mix of this decision: the pressure to take advanced placement (AP) courses. More students are taking AP classes every year but the number of students who “bomb the AP exams is growing even more rapidly” (Simon). This leads into the idea that students are not getting more intelligent than the previous classes, but simply that there is too much pressure on them to take these AP courses. Students in high school are being pressured too much to take advanced placement courses whether or not they are academically qualified for them.
In a growth mindset, “students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching, and persistence” (Clear). Students with a growth mindset consider failure and setbacks as a sign that they should strive to improve their abilities instead of a sign that they are not skilled (Clear). If people believe that intelligence can grow and improve, then they will most likely be active in their education and actually have motivation to learn more (Sieck). Students with a growth mindset are more likely to embrace challenges, persevere in the face of setbacks, and learn from criticism (“The Impact of a Growth Mindset”). These qualities allow these students to worry less about proving their intelligence through their grades and focus more on their
Every year many students are kept from graduating high school because of these exit exams. This makes students and parents very angry. Students who have had high passing grades throughout high school do not understand why they cannot pass exit exams. Sometimes the student blames him or herself by thinking that he or she did not learn enough, when in fact there is nothing wrong without heir knowledge. These students do not realize that they lack good test taking skills. Parents are angry that their child was kept from graduating because of a single test, even though the child had all the he credits required. This situation occurred to Lee Hicks, another student from Paris (texas) High School. Had he lived 14 miles away in Oklahoma, which has no statewide exit test, he'd have received a diploma and would now be serving his country in the Navy. Instead Hicks severs customers in a Paris supermarket; he won management's Aggressive Hospitality Award for 1996. "He's a great employee, a bright young man--extremely hardworking," says store director, Larry Legg.
There are several qualities to have to be successful in college. These qualities can range from attending class to going above and beyond what’s expected. Success comes from the journey taken or the path chosen. Success also comes from being prepared. As a student, I must step up to the challenge and find the path to success along the way. Several ways I define success is to uphold academic integrity, have the ability to prioritize, and to motivate myself to stay on top of what needs to be accomplished.
Colin Powell, first African American appointed as the U.S. Secretary of State, says that “There are no secrets to success, It is a result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure” (Alina). From this quotation, it explains that success is not given to someone in the spur of the moment or gained in a second. Success comes from working hard and not being afraid to fail because one learns from their failures. In “Chapter 3: The Truth About Ability and Accomplishment” from Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Carol Dweck, the author argues to a broad audience that a growth mindset leads to academic success. A growth mindset focuses on students trying harder than they did before and views any struggle as an obstacle that can be surpassed, thus motivating students to work harder. Growth mindset students continue to try new challenges because they do not view failure as a vulnerability. A fixed mindset student tend to give up because they view themselves as weak or not good enough to overcome an obstacle. Fixed mindset people also prevent themselves from trying because the fear of failure. The argument is mostly effective, but some areas need development.